Syrah and Aloha – Doing Earth Month Island Style with L’Ecole No. 41

Apr 21, 2021

Syrah and Aloha, may not be things you think of together, but think about it. There is a sense of generosity in a Syrah. It tends to be more laid back than the Cabs, and it manages to make itself at home, where ever it goes. A bit of a chameleon, fitting in and adapting to soils and climates. It’s easy-going.

Like Ocean waves softly folding on themselves and lapping the shore, Syrah makes you want to close your eyes (go ahead, do it now) relax and take it all in.

Walla Walla Valley Wine Month logo courtesy Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance

Walla Walla Wine Month

Walla Walla is the home of this wine. L’Ecole No. 41 and their estate vineyards lie within the Walla Walla AVA. If you have never been to Walla Walla, it is a place to put on your list for travel when you are able. You don’t drive through Walla Walla on your way to anywhere, you have to set out to go there.

Located in the southeast part of Washington State, the AVA actually straddles the border to Oregon with 57% of the AVA in Washington and the remaining 43% in Oregon.

The Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance established Walla Walla Wine Month in 2020. They chose the month because it was right between “Taste Washington Wine Month” in March and Oregon Wine Month in May. As they straddle the state lines, the month in between seemed appropriate.

It’s also the month of their annual Spring Kickoff Weekend when all the spring wine releases come out.

With the pandemic, they did have a wrench thrown in the works and have worked to make this an online celebration! You can visit the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to learn more! Follow the hashtags #WallaWallaWineMonth or #WallaWallaWine to see what they are up to!

Earth Month and sustainability at L’Ecole No. 41

The L’Ecole No 41 Schoolhouse – photo courtesy L’Ecole No. 41

Not only is it Walla Walla Wine Month, but it is Earth Month, with Earth Day itself landing on April 22^nd. We have been highlighting Earth Friendly wines this month and with our wine today we get to continue.

I recently had a chance to sit down (via Zoom) with a collection of wine writers as well as part of the team at L’Ecole No. 41. Constance Savage the General Manager and COO spoke to us about L’Ecole and sustainability.

L’Ecole No. 41 has long been a leader in sustainable winegrowing, but you might not have known this. It’s not something they advertised or shouted from the rooftops, you see, it was just the common-sense way that they farmed. It was second nature, they didn’t think about it. Their Seven Hill Vineyard was converted to sustainable and the Ferguson Vineyard with its first planting in 2008 was planted as a sustainable vineyard.

Constance mentions Sadie the viticulturist at the SeVein vineyard development where the estate’s Ferguson vineyard is located, whose philosophy is that she and her team should be able to go home after work and walk straight to the dinner table to eat. They should not have to worry about exposing their family to chemicals on their skin or clothing.

Sadie is very protective of her crew, looking out for their health and well-being in the vineyard. Sadie, by the way, just receive the Erick Hanson Memorial Winegrape Grower of the Year Award “for demonstrated viticultural skills that provide impact in the vineyard and in the bottle.”

They are not organic. Organic agriculture allows the use of larger quantities of copper and sulfur that they do not want to use in their vineyards.

On to some of the sustainable methods they employ!

Salmon-Safe

They are salmon safe, which influences what they feel safe putting into the vineyards. Salmon safe deals with what is in any water runoff from the vineyard or that could soak into the undergrown water. This all wants to be safe for the environment.

Compost tea

They utilize compost and compost teas in the vineyard to promote healthy mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae is a fungus that works symbiotically with the roots of the vine helping it to take in additional moisture and nutrients. This helps prevent water stress, which is an issue in the dry climate of Walla Walla.

Sap flow sensors

Speaking of water. Marcus the L’Ecole No. 41 winemaker mentions the Fruition Sciences sap flow sensors. They have one of these in each vineyard which measures the transpiration in the plant. This is continually monitoring the vineyard and communicating the information to the vineyard manager. This allows them to water appropriately and not wastewater, as well as looking out for the well-being of the vines.

Falcons

Another way that they stay low impact on the environment is with the use of falcons between veraison and harvest. Birds especially the starlings in the area can wreak havoc on a vineyard, gobbling up the fresh ripe berries. Many in the region resort to air cannons, which fire periodically making a loud noise (like a cannon) to scare the birds away. Others turn to squawk boxes that play the sounds of birds of prey and birds in distress to deter birds from landing and feasting. These deterrents sadly make for a really unpleasant vineyard experience.

At L’Ecole they hire a falconer to come in every few days. Just the sight of a bird of prey is enough to scare away smaller birds.

On to the wine…

2018 L’Ecole No. 41 Syrah Estate Seven Hills Vineyard

Marcus refers to 2018 as a unicorn vintage. Everything was just right. The weather was right so that there was low disease pressure and they had the luxury of long hangtime into October.

This Syrah was picked over 2 days in September from 3 different blocks in the Seven Hills vineyard. Fermented in 1.5-ton fermenters with 2 punch downs each day it saw no pumping until it went into barrel. This is important because it is gentle on the wine.

They did 20% whole cluster in the ferment. What does that really mean? Well, 20% of the fruit did not get destemmed and they put the whole clusters in at the bottom of the fermenter. This gives structure to the wine and adds tannins. It also helps to enhance the color. Marcus had been part of a study on stem inclusion and they found the sweet spot to be at 20-30%.

Stem inclusion can naturally soften acids, build complexity and improve color stability.

*This wine was received as a media sample. No additional compensation was received. All opinions, as always, are our own.

2018 L’Ecole No. 41 Syrah Estate Seven Hills Vineyard

Syrah in Washington State

A little nugget from L’Ecole No. 41 on Syrah from their “Schooled in Wine” program.

HISTORY: Syrah was first planted in Washington State in 1986 by Mike Sauer on 3 acres at Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. At the time, most growers believed that Rhone varietals would not thrive in Washington’s cold winters. It was not until the vines survived the severe winter of 1996 that the state began to embrace Syrah. By 1999, there were 1,500 acres of Syrah and now it’s the third-most planted red wine varietal in the state behind Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Today there are more than 4,565 acres/1,847 hectares planted in the Columbia Valley.

Well, if you have visited us here at Crushed Grape Chronicles before, you will know that we have a deep love for Red Willow Vineyard and a great respect for Industry legend Mike Sauer. Here, have a gander at the beautiful chapel (like the one at Hermitage) on the hill of Syrah at Red Willow Vineyard.

Red Willow Vineyard Chapel on the hill in Yakima Valley AVA in Washington State

So wait? What does this Syrah taste like?

My first note with this Syrah was that it was generous. Generous but in an elegant way. You find notes of blackberry, currant, and black plum with notes of spices like nutmeg with bits of green olive tapenade and savory herbs. There are spicy floral notes of lavender as well as the tell-tale cedar character that is a Seven Hills Vineyard marker. This is a savory wine.

It has structured tannins and intense flavors and aromas. This is a wine that you can enjoy right now, but it will evolve and get better over the next 10 to 15 years.

The wine has great acidity for food pairing. Constance suggested pairing it with goat! Marcus mentioned a lentil or bean stew for vegetarians as well as barbeque. We ran with that in a slightly different direction.

Earth Month Pairing for the 2018 Seven Hills Syrah

For our Earth Month L’Ecole No. 41 pairings with their 2018 Walla Walla Syrah, we channeled the Aloha spirit.

We wanted to support local restaurants, so we picked up Laulau from a new local Hawaiian spot, called Island Flavor. (They have 3 Las Vegas Locations and the one in our neighborhood just opened). We lucked out that the Friday lunch special was

Laulau with Kalua Pig Cabbage served with Steam Rice, mac salad, lomi salmon & haupia.

Okay for all you haoles (non-Hawaiians) out there, Laulau is fatty pork and salted butterfish wrapped in taro leaves. This gets steamed and is moist and delicious. And yes, you eat the leaves too. Ours came with Kalua pig (this is the traditional Hawaiian style roasted pig, with cabbage, rice, lomi lomi salmon (which is like salmon poke). Instead of the mac salad (macaroni salad), we got sautéed vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, carrots onions, yum).

We finished with Haupia. Haupia is a coconut milk dessert. Ours was creamy and delicious. When I was a kid, I was not so fond of haupia, I thought of it as Knox Blox (remember those) made with coconut milk. Island Flavors haupia was much better than the stuff I remember from childhood out in Nanakuli.

We didn’t do anything fancy, we just served out of the Styrofoam containers, poured a glass, and enjoyed. (Sorry planet, about the containers, we really have to find a way to make recyclable packaging more affordable and accessible for small restaurants!)

L'Ecole No. 41 2018 Syrah, Estate Seven Hill Vineyard with a Hawaiian feast from Island Flavor

The Syrah was brilliant with the Laulau! The fatty pork and its salt softened the Syrah pulling out its fruit notes.

We also ordered their Avocado Fried (Avocado, fried, chipotle aioli, sweet tamari.) Sooo ‘ono! (so delicious).

So share the aloha, support a local restaurant, and celebrate Earth Month and Walla Walla Wine month with a great wine from L’Ecole No. 41.

Sources Resources and further reading

More on L’Ecole No. 41 from Crushed Grape Chronicles

For more on L’Ecole No. 41 you can visit their website https://www.lecole.com/

Or read some of the other pieces we have written on the winery and their wines.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Robin Bell Renken I have always loved people’s stories. I spent a career in Theatre helping to tell stories, as a Stage Manager. Daily enabling artists to freely and safely tell stories through their art. Then I fell in love with wine. There are so many details, so many nuances, not just in the glass, but in the vineyard, the region and the people. As I met winemakers and vineyard owners and even the people in the tasting room excited to pour me a glass and tell me the story of this wine, I knew these were stories I wanted to share. I completed my study and became a Certified Specialist of Wine and continue learning daily as I meet and interview people in this industry.

Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout paired with 2 Youngberg Hill – Pinot Noirs

Jan 25, 2021

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout Recipes

I guess we are on a rainbow theme here!

These dishes were for our pairing menu, to go with 2 Pinot Noirs we received as samples from Youngberg Hill.

We did the main course of Baked Rainbow trout. This is a fish that is a little meatier and fattier to stand up to the Pinot. For our side, this rainbow root vegetable gratin, that brings in earthier notes to pair with the Pinot Noir. I know, fish and cheese? It might be a little out of the box, but it worked.

This “Rainbow” was made with beets in red and yellow, sweet potato, and parsnip.

The baked rainbow trout with its distinctive flavor and fat stood up to both of the wines, even the brooding Natasha. The rainbow root vegetable gratin really worked well, much credit should be given to the Gruyere topper for pulling the pairing together. With the blend of 4 vegetables, I found I preferred the parsnips with the Cuvée and the beets with the Natasha. Overall, a very satisfying pairing.

Scroll to the bottom for the recipe cards.

Youngberg Hill

I have a connection with this winery. Years ago, Michael and I ventured to Oregon on our first trip to explore the Willamette Valley. An old friend of mine, Adam, met us and made sure we visited Youngberg Hill, where he and his wife had recently been married. We had a lovely day and I have great memories from visiting the winery.

2016 Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir

Our notes

This wine had a very integrated nose. It was heavier than the Cuvée with more brambles and bramble fruit. It was lively in my mouth with tartness, like tart blackberry and good acid. Notes of red currant, with bits of smoky vanilla, popped up as I paired it. The finish was lengthy and mouth and gum warming.

This wine is a bit more brooding and earthier than the Cuvée.

2017 Youngberg Hill Cuvée Pinot Noir

Our notes

The nose was full of red fruit with a waft of dustiness then brambles and spice. Baked strawberry came to mind. It was bright in my mouth with med/high acid and light drifty tannins that evaporate. A medium finish that brought up bits of cola.

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

We adapted this recipe for my vegetable with our Pinot Noir pairing. I went earthier choosing a root vegetable gratin, in a rainbow of colors, with red beet, sweet potato, golden beet, and parsnip.

Ingredients

2 red beets
2 golden beets
1 sweet potato
1 parsnip
1 cup of cream
4 oz of grated parmesan
1 tbs+ fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic minced
1 oz of shredded gruyere
Salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Grease a baking dish (2-quart size)
Peel and slice the vegetables thinly into rounds and place them in separate bowls. (How perfect and fancy you want to get depends
on your style. I hand cut these and was not concerned about having them all look the same size, but you could use a cutter to make all of your circles uniform if you chose)
To each bowl add bits of the cream (4 tablespoons each to the beets, 2 tablespoons each to the potato and parsnip you should end
up with about ¼ cup left)
Divide your parmesan in ½ and then divide that into 4 parts and sprinkle this on each of your 4 bowls.
Divide the thyme 4 ways over the 4 bowls.
Stir up each bowl seasoning with salt and pepper and make sure all the slices of vegetables are coated.
In the base of your buttered baking or gratin dish, pour the rest of the cream, add the minced garlic, and ½ of the remaining parmesan.
Now, layer your gratin, start with a bunch of the parsnip (5 or 6 slices) followed by the yellow beet, followed by the sweet potato, and finally the red beet, standing them on edge making rows. Continue until your dish is full. (Feel free to play with your patterns and colors artistically as you see fit).
Top this with a bit of S & P and the rest of the Parm.
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Uncover and top with the gruyere
Bake another 20 minutes. (Cheese should be melted and lightly brown)
Sprinkle with a bit more thyme and serve)

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 419Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 99mgSodium 705mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 3gSugar 9gProtein 14g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Baked Rainbow Trout

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Salmon & Pinot are so traditional, we stepped just a bit outside the box. The key to red wine with fish is choosing a fatty fish and so we chose rainbow trout. The trout with its distinctive flavor and fat stood up to both of the wines, even the brooding Natasha Pinot Noir from Youngberg Hill.

Ingredients

2 trout (scaled and gutted)
1 lemon
Dill
Green onions (chopped)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450 F
Rinse the fish and pat dry
Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper
Add half the dill and green onions inside
Drizzle with Olive oil
Do the same to the other fish
Cut 3 shallow diagonal cuts in the top of each fish
Drizzle olive oil on top of each fish
Stick a ½ lemon slice in each of the cuts.
One last sprinkle of salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Pop them back under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up the skin and serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 193Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 46mgSodium 192mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 17g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Read the whole piece on our pairing dinner for more details on the wines and this winery

Youngberg Hill – Reminiscing and Making New Memories with 2 Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs

How to find Youngberg Hill?

The Willamette Valley is a beautiful place to visit and has so much wonderful wine!

You can find Youngberg Hill at 10660 SW Youngberg Hill Road, McMinnville, OR 97128

Tastings are appointment only 10-4 daily, call them at 503-472-2727 or drop them an email at [email protected]

For more information on this region visit

https://www.oregonwine.org/

https://willamettewines.com/

Or check out some of these pieces right here on Crushed Grape Chronicles

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Tertini 2018 Arneis – Day 4 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 16, 2020

Early one spring morning we headed into the Southern Highlands region in New South Wales Australia to visit Tertini Cellars. It was October and we were staying on the coast in Shoalhaven. We arose early and headed inland up through the Kangaroo Valley, past Fitzroy Falls. It was a rainy morning and the driving felt a little treacherous; winding roads into the mountains, with the rain and driving on the opposite side of the road and car than we were accustomed to.

This area is so lush and green. Spring was definitely in the air. It was so different than the Shoalhaven area we had just left.

We made it, arriving before the cellar door opened and Jonathan Holgate, the Tertini winemaker met us to tell us a bit about the wines, and show us the winery. He took us out to the Yarrandoo Vineyard which is closest to the winery before taking us through a tasting at the cellar door.

This is a high-altitude region with a moderating maritime influence. We had just driven up from the coast. This gives them a long growing season. When I say high-altitude, the vineyards here sit between 650 and 715 meters above sea level. That’s around 2100-2300 feet. The Yarrandoo Vineyard is the highest of their vineyards at 715 meters. Here they grow, Pinot Noir, Arneis, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

Tertini is sensitive to the needs of the wildlife locally and leaves 30% of their property undeveloped. They say doing this gives the animals shelter and places to forage, so they don’t bother the vines, so everybody wins.

The Tertini entrance sign, unpretentiously nestled in the trees

The Tertini Tasting Room in Australia’s Southern Highlands

The Patio at Tertini Wines

The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands New South Wales Australia

The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands NSW Australia

Spring Vines in Tertini’s Yaraandoo Vineyard in Southern Highlands

Tertini Wines Yaraandoo Vineyard in Australia’s Southern Highlands

Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis

This Arneis is from the Yarrandoo Vineyard that we visited with Jonathan on that drizzly spring morning. There were only 62 cases produced. This does a partial oak ferment. Yes, I said ferment. Jonathan said that at the time he did not know of another Arneis being made in this way in Australia.

13.5% abv SRP $42 AU

This Arneis was medium lemon in color, with notes of light smoke, dusty citrus, bruised herbs like tarragon, grilled peach, earth, and roasted nuts.

Medium in alcohol, body, and medium to high acidity, it had pronounced flavors of tart yellow apple, almond, vanilla, and under-ripe white peach, with a long finish.

This wine was not loud, but quietly confident. It swam around the food enveloping it beautifully. When you return to sip it on its own it is bolder and brighter. It’s like a brilliant friend who is a good listener.

This vintage is sold out, but the 2019 Vintage is now available.

We paired this with a grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad. If I could have found duck, I would have used duck, but…pandemic, ya know!

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis from Southern Highlands NSW Australia

Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis

I sliced the roasted chicken and warmed it in a pan with olive oil and butter. After removing the chicken to a plate to keep warm, I added honey and more butter to the pan. When the butter melted I added lemon juice and salt, stirred this up, and removed it from the heat.

Sliced peaches and shallots are cooked on a grill pan, then the salad assembles with greens on the bottom. We used artisan salad greens, frisee, red leaf, and butter lettuce, but you can use whatever you have on hand. This gets topped with roasted chicken, grilled peaches, and shallots and drizzled with the honey dressing. Finish this off with fresh tarragon and sliced almonds.

I found that this barrel-fermented Arneis really made the tarragon pop.

See the full recipe here.

Ingredients for roasted chicken, grilled peach and tarragon salad

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis with grilled peach, chicken and tarragon salad

Peach crisp

Dessert was a peach crisp made in two individual gratin dishes. We mixed fresh and frozen peaches with sugar and flour to coat and placed them in the buttered gratins. This was topped with a mixture of butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and rolled oats. We served this warm with vanilla ice cream.

This was warm and wonderful with the Arneis, much of that was due to the fresh peaches which cut the sweetness of the dish.

See the recipe here.

Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis with peach crisp

Finding Tertini and the Arneis

If you find yourself in Australia (I realize that is unlikely to happen soon unless you already live there). Head to Southern Highlands and visit Tertini. The region is beautiful especially in the spring and the wines at Tertini are a step above.

While they are sold out of this vintage, I spoke with Craig their Cellar Door Manager and he recommends the Tertini 2019 PCC (Private Cellar Collection) Arneis, which spends 10 months in oak and he says “Looks terrific”.

Sources and Resources

More by Crushed Grape Chronicles on Tertini and Southern Highlands

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Peach Crisp paired with a beautiful Tertini Arneis

Dec 11, 2020

Peach crisp

This is such a simple recipe, it almost doesn’t need measurements. I whipped this up after lunch for Michael and me to enjoy as a dessert with a wine that really wanted peaches.

What to Pair?

Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis

This wine comes from Tertini Wines in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales Australia. It is Arneis which is a white Italian grape from the Piemonte region.

Time: 45 Minutes

Yield: 2 people

Ingredients

Peach crisp

For the topping

¼ cup of flour

6 tbs of light brown sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

¼ cup of unsalted butter cut into cubes (keep this cold)

½ cup of rolled oats

Filling

2 cups of peaches (these can be fresh sliced or frozen or a combination, which is what I used)

2 tbs sugar

1 ½ tbs flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Butter 2 individual gratin dishes
In a large bowl mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt
Add the cold butter, mixing with a fork or pastry cutter. This should come together and be crumbly (I used my fingers a bit at the end, just be careful not to melt the butter)
Stir in the oats, then toss the bowl in the fridge while you get the fruit ready
Put the peaches in a large bowl, sprinkle with the flour and sugar. Stir until the peaches are covered.
Spoon the mixture into the 2 gratin dishes.
Cover with the topping
Bake for 30 minutes until they are bubbly and the top is lightly browned
Cool only slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Peach crisp

Name: Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 red beets; 2 golden beets; 1 sweet potato; 1 parsnip; 1 cup of cream; 4 oz of grated parmesan; 1 tbs+ fresh thyme; 1 clove of garlic minced; 1 oz of shredded gruyere; Salt & pepper

Watch our quick video for the highlights.

Peach crisp with Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis

This crisp was so easy and made the house smell terrific. Don’t forget to top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This was warm and wonderful with the Arneis, much of that was due to the fresh peaches which cut the sweetness of the dish. These were late-season peaches and were crisp and not as sweet as summer peaches.

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Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir with tea smoked tuna with rosemary and anise scented steam

Tea smoked tuna and roasted beets with an aromatic plating paired with a Utopia 2017 Pinot Noir

We received this beautiful Pinot Noir from Utopia Vineyards as a media sample. What to pair with it? Tea and umami are notes that are often present in Pinot Noir, it is also noted for its earthy notes. The tasting notes from the winery mentioned rosemary and spice notes, so I wrapped this all up [...]

Yakima Valley Wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. with Pairings

Yakima Valley AVA – Blends of friendship and history with wines from Eight Bells and Pearl and Stone Co. #WinePW

The Yakima Valley is one of my favorite wine regions. We visited a few years ago and were enamored by the wine and the people. This month I’m leading the intrepid writers of the Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) group on a virtual trip to the Yakima Valley AVA. You can read my preview post here. [...]

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with avocado, roasted blood orange and kumquat salad with a citrus, cardamom and rosewater dressing and Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay pairings Avocado and Roasted Blood Orange with kumquats in a citrus, rosewater and cardamom dressing and Pork chops with yellow apples, sage, apple butter, and maple

Utopia 2017 Estate Chardonnay with an aromatic salad and warm cozy pork chops with apples

When I was looking for a pairing for a beautiful Utopia Chardonnay we received as a sample, I went to a book I have been reading to find the aromas and flavors that would pair. As of late, I have been diving into François Chartier’s book “Taste Buds and Molecules – The art and science [...]

Where's? Linus Sauvignon Blanc, Shaved Vegetable Salad, Goat cheese, green apple and mint crostini, cauliflower risotto and seared scallops and the winemaker Chris Christensen

Where’s Linus? Sauvignon Blanc with a shaved vegetable salad, crostini, and scallops on cauliflower rice risotto #WinePW

Where's Linus? Sauvignon Blanc had me dreaming of spring. I dove into those spring green colors as I set the table. Even the dishes I was pairing with this wine had a lightness to them. A lightness, a brightness, but also a depth. Yes, I am dreaming of spring, of warmer weather, of happier days [...]

LEcole Valentine Day Burgers with Mushroom, Bacon Jam and Blue Cheese

Burgers with blue cheese bacon jam and sauteed mushrooms and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes you just need a juicy messy burger. We took the opportunity for a Valentine’s Day indulgence, although, really, anytime is a good time for a burger. The Perfect Burgers We start with my go-to recipe for burgers from Bobby Flay. Use an 80/20 blend to keep your burger juicy. Bobby’s recipe is simple, a [...]

Valentin's day Steak with Gorgonzola and L'Ecole Cabernet

Valentine’s Day – Spoil yourself and maybe someone else with 3 delicious pairing menus, 1 for every palate and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Valentine’s Day is a day for Love. We decided to go all-in on our Valentine’s Pairings. I encourage you to celebrate, spoil your partner or a relative or friend that you are sheltering with during the pandemic. Celebrate with your fur baby, with a bit of this steak for your favorite pooch, and pull out [...]

LEcole No. 41 for Valentines Day with steak gorgonzola sauce and polenta

Steak with Gorgonzola and a L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sometimes, a delicious Steak is just what you need to spoil yourself or that special someone. This dish is perfect for Valentine's Day with the steak resting in a pool of luscious gorgonzola sauce. Plate it with a salad and some polenta and you've got a perfect romantic meal. We paired it with a beautiful [...]

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When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Youngberg Hill – Reminiscing and Making New Memories with 2 Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs

Nov 13, 2020

Years ago, Michael and I ventured to Oregon on our first trip to explore the Willamette Valley. An old friend of mine, Adam, met us and made sure we visited Youngberg Hill, where he and his wife had recently been married.

I remember, having a joyful conversation with Adam in the backseat and me in the passenger’s seat. We had already stopped at one winery and Michael was being the designated driver. We were chattering away on the small roads leading to the winery. These were the days before in-car navigation systems and Adam was directing us. Of course, he and I kept getting distracted in conversation, and to Michael’s dismay, we had to turn around and backtrack, more than once.

We made our way to Youngberg Hill and Adam was greeted warmly as we arrived. He has a way of making friends wherever he goes. We tasted wine and toured the property, getting the play by play from Adam on the wedding, as he blissfully (and adorably) reminisced.

Recently we received samples from Youngberg Hill. The memories took me back to this earlier visit and I looked forward to opening the wines.

*We received these wines as samples, but all opinions are our own.*

An Arial view of Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

View of the vineyard at Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

View of the Valley from Youngberg Hill – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

The Youngberg Hill Inn in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

The History of Youngberg Hill

This property had been a family farm since the 1850s. Back then a Swedish immigrant named Youngberg established a 1600-acre homestead here. The family lived off this land for 130 years.

In 1987 the family sold 700 acres. The new owner planted vines in 1989 overseen by Ken Wright. These vines were sourced for wines at Panther Creek, Wright’s winery at the time.

The Bailey family arrived at the property in 2003 and began the process of making this a sustainable vineyard as well as an event venue, the views here are stunning.

They produce 2 labels, Youngberg Hill and Bailey Family Wines.

The approach to growing grapes was informed by Wayne Bailey’s youth in Iowa on a farm. He takes his stewardship of the land seriously. His career path, from mechanical engineering to supply chain management dropped him into the beverage field. That led to a bit of time in Burgundy which led him to want to grow Pinot Noir.

Bailey’s farming here, at Youngberg Hill, began with sustainable methods and a non-interventionist approach. He moved to organic and then beyond. The goal wasn’t certifications, the goal was the best way to take care of the land. They employ various organic and biodynamic practices to suit the site. They farm by the farmers’ almanac via the phases of the moon, as farmers have done for centuries. This practice is often considered “biodynamic”, but it has been used long before biodynamics was a thing. He’s pragmatic in his approach to farming.

“It’s like raising children,” he says. “You can’t make a rocket scientist out of a child who’s born to be a musician.”

The Youngberg Hill estate is 50 acres with 20 acres planted to vine. This is in the Western portion of the Willamette Valley which receives significant maritime influences sitting just 25 miles from the Pacific as the crow flies. While the maritime climate doesn’t come straight through, it sweeps it’s way up through the Van Duzer Corridor south of them. They don’t get as much rain here as the rest of the valley and the temperatures tend to be cooler overall. The original 11 acres are own-rooted.

We tasted two of the Youngberg Hill Pinot Noirs, one a blend of non-estate and estate fruit and one from the very specific Natasha Block.

Wayne Bailey of Youngberg Hill and Bailey Family Vineyards - photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill

2017 Youngberg Hill Cuvée Pinot Noir

This 2017 blend comes from fruit from the Bailey Block on the Youngberg Hill estate, as well as some fruit from Yamhill Valley Vineyards.

The Bailey block was planted in 2008. This is 3 acres of 777 clones. Soils here are well-drained mixed Steiwer/shale and the vineyard sits at 660-700 feet in elevation.

The rest of the fruit is from Yamhill Valley Vineyards and from Dijon 667 & 115 clones. This is a 150-acre estate. They are the oldest winery in the McMinnville AVA. We met their winemaker Ariel Eberle a few years ago pouring her own label “A Cheerful Note”.

Soils here are sedimentary clay with basalt.

The details:

100% Pinot Noir
14 months is 25% French Oak
Case production: 660
ABV 13.1%
SRP $35

Our notes

This wine is a bit more brooding and earthier than the Cuvée.

2016 Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir

The Natasha Block is a Bailey Estate Block, planted in 1989 and named after Wayne’s eldest daughter. Facing southeast this 6.6-acre block gets great sunlight and sits at 600 feet. The soil here is the Willakenzie series of Marine sedimentary and volcanic rock.

The details:

From 40% Wadenswil and 60% Pommard clones
14 months in 37% New French Oak
Case Production 859
ABV 14.3%
SRP $60

Pairings for these Youngberg Hill Pinots

Salmon & Pinot are so traditional, we stepped just a bit outside the box. The key to red wine with fish is choosing a fatty fish and so we chose rainbow trout. For my vegetable, I went earthier choosing a root vegetable gratin, in a rainbow of colors, with red beet, sweet potato, golden beet, and parsnip.

How did the pairings go?

The trout with its distinctive flavor and fat stood up to both of the wines, even the brooding Natasha. The gratin really worked well, much credit should be given to the Gruyere topper for pulling the pairing together. With the blend of 4 vegetables, I found I preferred the parsnips with the Cuvée and the beets with the Natasha. Overall, a very satisfying pairing.

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout with Youngberg Pinot

One more unexpected pairing!

We did not finish both bottles in one sitting, so we had some left over to pair with lunch. Youngberg Hill mentions that the Cuvee will pair with everything!

“You can even pair this with PB & J or spiced tacos.”

Challenge accepted! We paired with PB & J to our delight and it was wonderful, the acid in the wine cutting through the fat in the Peanut Butter and melding beautifully with the fruit in the grape jelly! Do It! Preferably in your jammies on the couch with a good book or a great movie. This is genius for a nesting day!

Rainbow root vegetable gratin

Cutting red beets for Cheesey Root Vegetable Gratin — Cutting red beets

Cutting Sweet Potato for Cheesey Root Vegetable Gratin — Cutting Sweet Potato

Cutting Parsnips for Cheesey Root Vegetable Gratin — Cutting Parsnips

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Grease a baking dish (2-quart size)
Peel and slice the vegetables thinly into rounds and place them in separate bowls. (How perfect and fancy you want to get depends on your style. I hand cut these and was not concerned about having them all look the same size, but you could use a cutter to make all of your circles uniform if you chose)
To each bowl add bits of the cream (4 tablespoons each to the beets, 2 tablespoons each to the potato and parsnip you should end up with about ¼ cup left)
Divide your parmesan in ½ and then divide that into 4 parts and sprinkle this on each of your 4 bowls.
Divide the thyme 4 ways over the 4 bowls.

Rainbow root vegetable gratin

2 red beets
2 golden beets
1 sweet potato
1 parsnip
1 cup of cream
4 oz of grated parmesan
1 tbs+ fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic minced
1 oz of shredded gruyere
Salt & pepper

Stir up each bowl seasoning with salt and pepper and make sure all the slices of vegetables are coated.
In the base of your buttered baking or gratin dish, pour the rest of the cream, add the minced garlic, and ½ of the remaining parmesan.
Now, layer your gratin, start with a bunch of the parsnip (5 or 6 slices) followed by the yellow beet, followed by the sweet potato, and finally the red beet, standing them on edge making rows. Continue until your dish is full. (Feel free to play with your patterns and colors artistically as you see fit).
Top this with a bit of S & P and the rest of the Parm.
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
Uncover and top with the gruyere
Bake another 20 minutes. (Cheese should be melted and lightly brown)
Sprinkle with a bit more thyme and serve

Cheesey Root Vegetable Gratin ingredients

grating Parmesan for Cheesey Root Vegetable Gratin — grating Parmesan

Mixing Sweet Potato for Cheesey Root Vegetable Gratin — Mixing Sweet Potato

Baked rainbow trout

2 trout (scaled and gutted)
1 lemon
Dill
Green onions (chopped)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Preheat your oven to 450 F
Rinse the fish and pat dry
Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper
Add half the dill and green onions inside
Drizzle with Olive oil
Do the same to the other fish
Cut 3 shallow diagonal cuts in the top of each fish
Drizzle olive oil on top of each fish
Stick a ½ lemon slice in each of the cuts.
One last sprinkle of salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Pop them back under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up the skin and serve.

Youngberg Hill Recipes

Salmon & Pinot are so traditional, we stepped just a bit outside the
box. The key to red wine with fish is choosing a fatty fish and so we
chose rainbow trout. For my vegetable, I went earthier choosing a root
vegetable gratin, in a rainbow of colors, with red beet, sweet potato,
golden beet, and parsnip.

Baked Rainbow Trout

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin

We adapted this recipe for my vegetable with our Pinot Noir pairing. I went earthier choosing a root vegetable gratin, in a rainbow of colors, with red beet, sweet potato, golden beet, and parsnip.

How to find Youngberg Hill?

The Willamette Valley is a beautiful place to visit and has so much wonderful wine!

You can find Youngberg Hill at 10660 SW Youngberg Hill Road, McMinnville, OR 97128

Tastings are appointment only 10-4 daily, call them at 503-472-2727 or drop them an email at [email protected]

For more information on this region visit

https://www.oregonwine.org/

https://willamettewines.com/

Or check out some of these pieces right here on Crushed Grape Chronicles

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Oregon Wine & Biodynamics with Troon and Winderlea

Sep 22, 2020

A couple of weeks ago we attended the Virtual Wine Media Conference, the in-person event was originally supposed to be held in Oregon. Sadly this event was canceled due to COVID so Zephyr Conferences decided to create a virtual conference. They partnered with the Oregon Wine Board to have a virtual tasting.

We received two samples one from Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley AVA and one from Winderlea in Dundee Hills AVA, in the Willamette Valley.

Wine Conferences during a pandemic

We usually get to take our own pictures of the vineyards and the people we talk to, but since we were on the computer, we have access to the pictures from the presentation to give you some perspective. The real bottle shots are ours. SO that being said, let’s get going!

These were samples sent to us for this tasting, however all opinions are own.

Biodynamics in farming

First a little about Biodynamics and why it should matter when you look for a bottle of wine. We have created a page where you can read more about biodynamics. Now for the short version. There are a couple of ways people talk about Bio-dynamics. Most critics use the Voodoo and spiritualism of the creator Rudolf Steiner to discredit the whole practice.

Rudolf Steiner lectures on biodynamics and the treatments were brought about in response to the bad soils that had been created by the chemical companies. These lectures advocated for a return to a more naturalistic form of farming. These lectures were meant for farming in general, and not really for wine farming, but the practice was meant to return health to the soil.

The theory of Biodynamics was truly developed after Rudolf Steiner’s death and is really based on past farming practices, very much like the Farmers Almanac, when you get down to its timing and Farm Practices. We have found that most people who go Biodynamic do so because it creates an Ecosystem that creates a healthier environment not only for the vines and the soil but insects and pest control systems that thrive and keep the entire Farm Healthy, including the people. There is a spiritualistic side but that is a topic for more in-depth analysis at a later date.

As I said you can read more on our page. But for this discussion, we will tackle just a couple of reasons for going biodynamic that these two wineries use. The first concept is you farm better. The way biodynamics really shines is the attention to detail, the use of organic manure, which created healthier soil and in turn healthier vines, in turn, healthier grapes, better wine.

Lavender at Cowhorn supporting pollinators and biodyversity — Lavender at Cowhorn supporting pollinators and biodiversity

Cowhorn Biodynamic Vineyard

Biodynamic Oregon Wines

Sally from the Oregon Wine Board was the host for this wine tasting, and she was hosting from Troon Vineyard.

Sally is a 4^th Generation Oregonian. She started us off with a little background on the Oregon wine region as well as their two newest AVAs.

She then introduced Craig Camp from Troon Vineyards who has spent 35 years in the Industry, as well as Bill and Donna of Winderlea.

She talked to us about each of the AVAs where these wine were produced.

Oregon Wine Map Applegate Valley AVA from Oregon Wine Board

Oregon Wine Map Dundee Hills AVA from Oregon Wine Board

Oregon Wine Region Stats

Oregon now has 800 wineries within 21 AVAs with the addition of Tualatin Hills and Laurelwood District AVAs both in Willamette Valley AVA approved in June 2020.

We head first to Southern Oregon to Troon, to taste the Kubli Bench Amber.

Troon is in the Applegate Valley, which is a nested AVA within the larger Rogue Valley AVA. It was established in 2000.

There are 20 wineries in the Applegate Valley, 2 of them are biodynamic; Troon and Cowhorn. These two vineyards encompass 10% of the AVA’s area.

Applegate Valley Stats

Applegate Valley’s wine history began in 1852 when an early settler named Peter Britt planted wine grapes. In 1873, he opened Valley View Winery, Oregon’s first official winery. Valley View closed in 1907; then Prohibition hit.

It wasn’t until the 1970s after modern pioneers began discovering the neighboring areas’ quality wine growing conditions, that the Applegate Valley experienced a resurgence of winemaking. According to Dr. Gregory Jones, climatologist and director of Environmental Science and Policy Program at Southern Oregon University where he focuses on suitability for viticulture,

“The Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area (AVA) offers the most diverse growing conditions in Oregon and arguably in the United States.”

From Oregon Wine Board

Oregon AVAs

Willamette Valley
Yamhill-Carlton
Chehalem Mountains
Tualatin Hills
Laurelwood District
Ribbon Ridge
Dundee Hills
Mcminnville
Eola-Amity Hills
Van Duzer Corridor
Southern Oregon
Umpqua Valley
Red Hill Douglas County
Elkton Oregon
Rogue Valley
Applegate Valley
Columbia Gorge
Columbia Valley
Walla Walla Valey
The Rocks District of Milton Freewater
Snake River Valley

Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley

First, we spent some time with Craig Camp as he explained his history, a little about why Troon went Biodynamic, and then about their Amber (orange Wine)

Craig Camp

“Troon Vineyard is dedicated to regenerative agriculture and Biodynamic® agriculture in our quest to put back more than we take from our plants and soils. We believe the only route to memorable wines, that reflect the terroir of where they were grown, is to be found in the healthy soils and vines that are the foundation of Biodynamic® agriculture.”

Craig Camp is GM of Troon Vineyards and has worked in the fine wine industry for over thirty-five years. He co-founded Direct Import Wine Company in Chicago, an importer, and distributor of estate wines from France, Italy, Spain California, Oregon, and Washington.

Craig moved to the Applegate after having worked in Napa for 10 years. He moved north to grow Rhone’s.

The Troon vineyard is one of the oldest in the area, planted in 1972 by Dick Troon. The Troons sold the property and it was farmed Industrially and ended up with hard soils as hard as concrete and vine diseases.

Craig joined the vineyard and began farming biodynamically to help the vineyards recovery and they were certified biodynamic in 2019.

Craig Camp with Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley Oregon Photo Courtesy of Oregon Wine Board

Craig came into biodynamics as a skeptic. They look at this as a “framework to regenerative agriculture”.

The heart of the process is compost to use as a probiotic. Luckily there is a large organic dairy farm next door. They just ordered 800 yards of manure. They make 200 tons of compost.

Troon Vineyards have this Planting Video on their Site.

see more Videos

“The Klamath mountains surround the valley to the west protecting it from the cooling air and rain from the Pacific Ocean”

The Applegate river greatly influenced the development of soils in the region, resulting in deep, well-draining stream sediments, including granites.

They sit at 1400 feet and the season is shorter, but on the longest day of the year, they get 70 minutes more sun than Napa Valley.

During harvest, the days shorten causing photosynthesis to stop allowing them high acid and lower sugar levels.

Soils here are not volcanic, rather the movement of the tectonic plates influences the geology of the region. You find decomposed granite and well as river and ocean sediment.

The Vineyard had red blotch virus and has to be completely replanted. They did soil pits and had scientists come in (Biomakers from Spain) to do genetic sequencing on the soils. They do this now every year, keeping the data to set a benchmark for the science of biodynamic farming.

Doing this over the next several years they can then track the science behind Biodynamics. The soil is changing here, the microbiology increasing. The plant biology is increasing and the fermentations much healthier.

They will replant every vine.

Troon Vineyard Kubli Bench Amber courtesy of Troon Vineyards

We are tasting the Kubli Bench Amber tonight. This is a blend of Riesling, Vermentino, and Viognier. The first Amber they did was from Riesling, then they did another from Vermentino and found that this blend works best. The Riesling is not long for this world. It is not meant for the climate and will soon be torn out and replaced.

This wine is 13.3% abv, pH 3.51, TA 6

2019 Troon Kubli Bench Amber, Estate Orange Wine, Applegate Valley

Food pairings with this wine range from Sushi to steak. Ambers are very food-friendly and can pair with a wide variety of foods.

We paired this with Sushi while we tasted and of course, this paired perfectly. Riesling generally pairs well with most foods.

It is 74% Riesling, 16% Vermentino and 10% Viognier.

The Riesling has high phenolics, encouraged by ripening the grape skins.

The Kubli Bench is a small 5-mile by 2-mile plateau. It is the bench of the old river with a 25 to 30-foot cliff down to the Applegate River.

The pH levels here are low. Their pet nat of Tannat has a pH of 2.9 with 9 grams of TA (acid).

This wine is part of their Kubli Bench Blend series of red, white and now amber. The varieties for this blend are fermented separately and are farmed as you would red wines. These are in 1-ton fermenters on the skins and native yeast fermentation. They foot trod them and it is 3 to 4 days before fermentation kicks in. In 3 weeks this wine is fermented to dryness.

They use neutral oak and age 6 months on the lees, then blend them.

They also do an amphorae amber. This is also on the skins and stems for 10 months. At the time of our tasting, this had just to press. It is done in a Georgian style, not excessive VA. They like their wines clean, from healthy grapes and these go into the Tuscan Amphorae.

Beckham Vineyard amphora - a NOVUM as Andrew calls them.

The amphorae is more aggressive and tannic and ageable, while this one is more forward and fruity. The Riesling has one more year.

They just planted Grenache Gris and Terret Blanche, that they ordered 2 years ago.

With the dry climate, they have fewer pest issues.

They have 3 amphorae from Andrew Beckham and will get 2 more next week.

They replant 10 acres each year. In 3 more years, they will be completely replanted.

Winderlea Vineyard in Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley

Winderlea is in the Dundee Hills. Donna Morris and Bill Sweat

There are more than 500 wineries in the Willamette Valley. The first of which was planted in 1965 right here in the Dundee Hills by David Lett, his Eyrie vineyard.

The Dundee Hills became an AVA in November 2005.

Winderlea Vineyard, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley Oregon Photo Courtesy of Oregon Wine Board

This is the only wine that they produce at the Winderlea Estates Vineyard. It is made under the tasting room in the garage. The wine pump and press are powered by a garden hose. Their main facility is in McMinnville.

They began making this wine in 2009 using whole clusters. At that time, most of the Pinots in the area were destemmed. This is made from one block from their vineyard.

This is from one block of Coury Pinot Noir (Chuck Coury had a nursery biz and did some midnight suitcase cuttings, so who knows, they all might be different).

Planted in 1974 and originally named Dundee Hills Vineyard, there was phylloxera in the vineyard when Donna and Bill bought the property. They asked around to see who might be able to help prolong the life of a vineyard with phylloxera and they were pointed to Doug Tunnell of Brickhouse, Rudy Marchesi of Montinore, and Beau Frere all biodynamic vineyards.

They hired Philippe Armenier as their biodynamic consultant and he consulted with them for 3 years.

They try to work on the biodynamic calendar. Bill grew up in New England where they farmed by the farmer’s almanac, so this was intuitive.

This is practical, as a winegrower and a business. You are on the ground spraying, you go by each vine and you can see differences in the vineyard and know if something does not look right.

Biodynamics provides better carbon sinks, microbial diversity, and activity.

Bill finds that the vines are more consistent, and the canopy stays healthy through harvest.

For the 2017 vintage they had good water and snowpack. Budbreak was normal, then they had heat in May and the hottest August on record. This was a big vintage with 4.3 tons per acre. It allowed them to pick the fruit that was the most robust and drop the clusters not up to snuff.

This is 100% whole cluster. Part went into Amphorae 500 liter from Tuscany with a stainless steel top with added dry ice. This fills the amphorae with CO2, so you get carbonic maceration bringing out the red fruit notes. Gases can escape but not air cannot get in.

Another part went into 4 puncheons (400-600 liters, like a mini fermenter) and part in 2 Macro Bins.

Fruit was harvested on 9-26-17. The puncheons and macro bins were pressed on October 17^th, the amphorae went to press on November 8^th.

The 2017 vintage was the first Amphorae. This then went into neutral French oak barrels for 18 months. Abv 13%, pH 3.6, TA 5.4, bottled 3-15-19, and just 229 cases made.

Bill finds the whole cluster to be more aromatic. With the stems, the potassium in the must raises the pH.

Wine Media Conference Winderlea Pinot Noir courtsey of Winderlea Vineyards

Elevage: 18 months in French Oak Barrels 0% new

pH: 3.6

TA: 5.4

ABV: 13%

Bottling date: 3.15.2019

Production: Certification: Demeter Biodynamic® Certified

WINE DESCRIPTION

The only wine produced onsite at the Winderlea Estate Vineyard, the Demeter certified Biodynamic® Imprint Pinot noir is made by owner Bill Sweat using old-world winemaking techniques and 100% whole cluster fermentation.

TECHNICAL

Harvest Date: 9.26.2017

Clones: Pommard, Coury

Fermentation: 100% Whole Cluster

1⁄2 ton Clay Amphora, pressed on 11.08.17

4 Puncheons, pressed on 10.17.17 2 Macro Bins, pressed on 10.17.17

2017 Winderlea Imprint Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills

These both were great wines. Both wines had complexity and Nuance. I return to the basis that when you have a healthy vineyard, you have better grapes and therefore better wines. It matters how you get there.

Troon is keeping data on there journey of taking a chemical and diseased vineyard and transforming it using Biodynamics. In the future, you can see at least some of the science behind the process.

These are both vineyards we will be following, and we hope to get back to Oregon when we are allowed to travel, to speak with each of these vineyards and get you some more in-depth pictures and stories and about how these Oregon Wines are really a cut above.

We have many more stories from Biodynamic vineyards that tell the same tale and produce some excellent wines. As they say, why drink bad wine? Search these winemakers out and you really will taste the difference.

Visit These Links for more on these wines and Biodynamics

Michael and Robin Renken travel and chronicle stories from wine country. While Robin does much of the writing, Michael typically captures the visuals via video and photos to showcase the region, the wine and the people.

Michael Renken

42 Aspens Productions LLC
Photography & Video
Production
702.604.8101

42 Aspens Productions Web Site
[email protected]

After years of putting together
shows, lighting them and making
everyone look good, Michael turned
his skills to the camera, capturing
moments and telling stories
through photos and video.

12 Days of Wine – Day 4 Côte Bonneville

Dec 16, 2019

DuBrul Vineyard is one of the older vineyards in the Yakima Valley. Hugh and Kathy Shiels purchased the property in 1991 and pulled out the orchards to plant vines. This is a family business and the winemaker is their daughter Kerry Shiels.

Last summer we spent a morning with Kerry first at their Sunnyside tasting room and then in the family’s DuBrul vineyard.

Cote Bonneville, Tasting Room Sunnyside Washington

The tasting room is in the historic Grandview Train Depot, on the line that connected Walla Walla and Yakima. After it’s life as a train stop and before becoming a tasting room it was home to her father’s orthopedic practice.

Dubrul Vineyard with Kerry Shiels — DuBrul Vineyard with Kerry Shiels

The DuBrul vineyard is a bit of a drive up into the Rattlesnake Hills. The rolling terrain has multiple aspects allowing them to grow a variety of grapes types in the micro climates. We felt the micro climates just walking across the vineyard from one side to the other.

2018 DuBrul Vineyard Riesling Yakima Valley

Côte Bonnevile 2018 DuBrul Vineyard Riesling — Côte Bonneville 2018 DuBrul Vineyard Riesling

This is the oldest block on the DuBrul. I assume it predates their purchase of the property as it was planted in 1982. These almost 40 year old vines produce fruit that Côte Bonneville turns into spectacular wine a Spätlese style riesling that sits at low 10% abv. I must share with you the beautiful quote from Kerry on the back label.

On a rocky windswept plateau high above the Yakima Valley DuBrul Riesling vines struggle to survive. Among the oldest planted in Washington State, their small truncks bear witness to the severe growing conditions. Yet their tiny berries transform into wine glowing with intensity.
On the bottle – 2018 Côte Bonneville Riesling

When we spoke with Kerry, she was in the midst of her Summer of Riesling. They had taken a cruise on the Mosel with their wine club earlier in the year, tasting Mosel Rieslings side by side with those from DuBrul. I have no doubt, that as good as this wine was, the Rieslings from Côte Bonneville will continue to get even better. I like to explore wines, and rarely keep more than one bottle of a wine in the cellar. Life is too short to drink the same wine! I’ll make an exception here. This is a wine that I want to have around all the time. Oh…I guess we should get on to the…

Tasting

Côte Bonneville 2018 DuBrul Vineyard Riesling

This wine has a light golden color. It’s a wine that I want to dab behind my ears. You get that classic petrol and then citrus and tart pear. It is rich with a bit of sweetness (it is spätlese in style after all). With the low alcohol it is quaffable, but you will find yourself wanting to savor this wine.

Pairing

Riesling with Thai food is classic right? We paired this with a lunch of Pad Thai. Lunch seemed appropriate. This wine is bottled sunlight and it felt appropriate to bask in the winter sun as it came through the window while we enjoyed this wine.

Exploring New South Wales – Shoalhaven Coast & Southern Highlands #ouraussiewineadventure

Nov 5, 2019

Australia…it’s the other side of the world and a day away. Far from our normal life. A place where they drive on the other side of the road and sit on the other side of the car to drive. Where the signs on the road tell you to watch for kangaroos and wombats. But…the language is the same, well, mostly. The slang can be a bit of a hang up to translate.

In October, we got on a plane for the short (that’s sarcasm) flight to Sydney. Our destination was the Wine Media Conference in the Hunter Valley which is north of Sydney, but we flew in early to visit a bit more. Mind you Australia is a large country, almost as large as the US, so we focused on the region of New South Wales which surrounds Sydney and of course, primarily, we were looking at the wines of this region.

If you’ve followed our trips before, you will know that we are not afraid of a little bit of driving. That held true on this trip, as you can see by the map below. It allowed us to take in quite a bit of New South Wales, but not all of it. This region has quite a bit to explore.

New South Wales

New South Wales is the region surrounding Sydney. Good ole’ Captain James Cook discovered and named this region. Okay…we will amend this. He didn’t “discover” it. It was there and inhabited by aboriginal peoples. But none the less, he donned it with the name “New South Wales” and soon the Brits were sending Convict Ships this way. (The American Revolution meant they couldn’t send their convicts there any longer).

The first fleet of six ships included the Scarborough (that name will come up again later). They landed in what is now Sydney. In this region you find the Gadigal people. Future settlements moved up and down the coast and inland and provided the infrastructure for much of the region as it is known today.

Map courtesy of Destination NSW and NSW Government New South Wales — Map courtesy of Destination NSW and NSW Government

We visited 5 of the 14 wine regions in New South Wales: Shoalhaven Coast, Southern Highlands, Mudgee, Hunter Valley and Orange. These are the regions closest to Sydney. A little further north on the coast takes you to Hastings River, then even further north and inland you find New England. Inland to the West of Sydney (and mostly to the south) you find the regions of Cowra, Hilltops, Gundagai, Canberra District, Tumbarumba, the tiny Perricoota and the really large Riverina. We would have needed far more than 2 weeks to explore all these regions.

Sydney

(don’t worry we will come back)

Our visit started and ended in Sydney which sits on the coast of New South Wales. It sits only a little closer to the southern border with Victoria, than the Northern border of Queensland along the 2137 miles of coastline.

Royal National Gardens & the Sea Cliff Bridge

We drove south from Sydney on what was (unbeknownst to us) a holiday weekend and into the Royal National Gardens. Sadly we had no time to hike and explore (the Figure 8 pools sound amazing, but that was a 2.5-4 hr hike!). Instead we took in the scenery (and met a stick bug, who dropped in our window landing on my shoulder and sadly lumbered away before I could get a photo) as we drove through. The coast is beautiful and we drove across the Sea Cliff Bridge as we made our way south, stopping for lunch and a view in Gerrigong.

Shoalhaven Coast

The Shoalhaven Coast is about 2 hrs south of Sydney. This is a popular weekend getaway for people living in Sydney and the area has embraced tourism. Gerrigong, where we enjoyed lunch was a cute town with small shops and restaurants, the perfect beach town with a view. Our lunch at The Hill, set us up with high expectations for the food we would encounter in New South Wales.

The Hill, restaurant for casual lunch and cocktails overlooking the Coast in Gerrigong NSW Australia — View of the ocean from Gerrigong

Veggie sandwich at The Hill Gerrigong NSW Australia — View of the ocean from Gerrigong

The vineyards here often have a view of the ocean, so the maritime influence is a major factor in the vineyard. The primary concern here is summer rainfall, which can create issues for ripening as well as problems with disease and molds. We also heard that birds can be a huge problem, sneaky birds that get under the netting during harvest and can gobble up and entire crop.

Coolangatta Estate

Coolangatta Estate Originally opened in 1822, renovated and reopened in 1972. Shoalhaven Coast NSW Australia
Mt. Coolangatta in the morning mist.
Lush greenery at Coolangatta Estate
Our suite in the Servant’s Quarters at Coolangatta Estate Shoalhaven Coast
Coolangatta Historic Homestead Shoalhaven Coast
The view to the lower vineyard next to the stable building
The old brick main building at Coolangatta Estate
The homestead as it looked in 1914

We arrived at Coolangatta Estate to meet with owner/vigneron Greg Bishop. The Estate is a renovated historic convict built estate where we stayed in the servants quarters.

This historic property of a convict built estate, and was the first European settlement on the South Coast. The name derives from “Collungatta” which was the Aboriginal word for “fine view” The Estate sits at the foot of Mt. Coolangatta from which this “fine view” can be enjoyed. The Estate fell into disrepair in the first part of the 1900’s.

In 1947 Colin Bishop acquired land here for farming. He and his wife (Greg’s parents) then began to restore the property and turn it into a historic resort.

The lower vineyards at Coolangatta Estate
Spring Vines at Coolangatta Estate
Rolling vineyard in the shadow of Mt. Coolangatta
White wines at Coolangatta Estate
The 2018 Winsome Riesling just won the Canberra International Riesling Challenge, Scoring 95 points

Greg planted the vineyard here in the 1980’s and they are producing a wide variety of wines including: Semillon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Verdelho, Savagnin, Chambourcin, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and surprisingly a Tannat.

After our conversation with Greg, it was time for a bit of a nap before enjoying dinner at their restaurant Alexander’s paired with Coolangatta wines.

Two Figs

Two Figs Winery on the Shoalhaven Coast
View of the Shoalhaven River from Two Figs Winery

We did stop by Two Figs to take in the views, and tried to do a tasting, while we were in the area. But remember I mentioned it was a holiday weekend? Two Figs does tastings by reservation and we had not pre-booked. The place was packed and hoppin’. The views had to suffice.

Southern Highlands

The next morning we awoke early to head inland to Southern Highlands. Our drive took us through Nowra, where we picked up a quick (and delicious) breakfast at a gas station. (Really the food here…it’s like getting every meal from Whole Foods!). We then drove into the mountains in the Budderoo National Park, through Kangaroo Valley, past Fitzroy Falls and finally into Mittagong.

The region, on a plateau, was a place for the colonial squires to escape Sydney’s summer heat (think Hamptons). The villages are picturesque, the streets wide and tree lined and the region sees all four seasons. It was most definitely spring when we arrived with flowers blooming everywhere.

As to growing vines here? It’s altitude and cool climate make it perfect for crafting beautiful white and sparkling wines. You will also find Merlot, Shiraz and some Pinot Noir grown here also. The region has 12 wineries around 6 towns: Berrima, Bowral, Exeter, Mittagong, Moss Vale and Sutton Forest.

Tertini

The Tertini entrance sign, unpretentiously nestled in the trees
The Tertini Cellar Door near Mittagong in Southern Highlands
The elegant Tertini Tasting Room Southern Highlands NSW Australia
The Patio at Tertini Wines
Panorama of the Tertini Winery in Australia’s Southern Highlands in New South Wales.

Our destination in Southern Highlands was Tertini Wines near Mittagong, to visit with winemaker Jonathan Holgate. Jonathan spoke with us about the region and his wine making style before taking us out to see the winery and then to visit their Yaraandoo Vineyard. We returned to the cellar door for a tasting, and I look forward to telling you later about his spectacular wines, which include a decidedly unique Arneis.

Spring Vines in Tertini’s Yaraandoo Vineyard in Southern Highlands
Tertini’s Yaraandoo Vineyard in the Spring

Jonathan’s Private Cellar Collection Arneis is made from fruit from their Yaraandoo Vineyard which is partially fermented in French Oak. This is unlike any other Arneis you will taste.

We left as the tasting room filled up with booked seated tastings, some of them scheduled specifically with Jonathan.

Tertini Traditional Method Blanc de Blanc

Tertini Southern Highlands Pinot Noir NSW Australia

Artemis

We made one more quick stop for a tasting at Artemis Wines. This winery is set up to host. Views of the vineyard right around the tasting room, with a patio that was set up for wood fired pizza. This is a gathering place, and it was crowded when we arrived. We did a pretty hasty tasting of their wines with a very knowledgeable (and busy) staff member. They also do tastings of ciders and beers.

Camberwarra Mountain Lookout

On the way back to Coolangatta we took in the views from Camberwarra Mountain Lookout. You can see Mt. Coolangatta out toward the coast as well as the Shoalhaven river that runs out to the coast. The lookout has a tea room, so it’s a lovely spot to take in the views and a cup.

Australia Shoalhaven Coast, New South Wales- — Australia Shoalhaven Coast, NSW- The view from Cambewarra

Newcastle

After enjoying another evening soaking up the great atmosphere at Coolangatta Estate, we drove North, swinging wide around Sydney and up the coast to Newcastle.

This port city north of Sydney is Australia’s second-oldest city and 7^th largest. It is known for shipping coal. Mind you the Aussie’s are environmentally minded and don’t use much coal. They do however mine it and ship it out for other countries to use.

As an important side note here, every vineyard owner and winemaker I spoke with in Australia acknowledged the affects that climate change was directly having on their vineyards. In addition (or as a result), the bush fires have increased in the northern part of New South Wales and in Queensland. They are in a drought, the second in a dozen years. The sad cycle of lack of water due to climate change, causes agricultural businesses to struggle, and I can’t help but feel that this leads back to exporting coal to support the economy, that same coal that leads to further pollution and climate change.

Wall murals in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Captivating architecture in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia

This city is on the coast of the Hunter region. We soaked in a bit of beach, had dinner wharf and enjoyed an artsy stroll through the downtown district back to our hotel. The arts college is here and walls are covered in murals, music on this October long weekend (a holiday weekend that we didn’t realize we were in the midst of) poured out of doorways with pubs and cocktail bars. The town was busy and full of people enjoying the holiday weekend.

Places to stay…

Here I will do a shout out to our hotel. In the states, most Holiday Inn Expresses are mid to low range hotels. We find them in the smaller sections of wine country and they are always reliable. Here we were staying in the Holiday Inn Express in Newcastle, a relatively new hotel. It was pretty spectacular, much more like the Hotel Indigo’s at home, but larger. The design was beautiful, the staff friendly and helpful and the included breakfast…? I’m ruined for breakfast ever again. It was fresh and beautifully laid out. I felt so elegant eating so healthy. It was the perfect meal to send us off for our drive into Mudgee, where we will continue Our Aussie Wine Adventure.

For more information on these regions:

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The Scenic Route – Flash Tour 2019 – Part 1 Vegas to Southern Oregon

Aug 7, 2019

We headed out early. Not pre-dawn, but early enough to beat the heat in Death Valley. It was the top of a 12 day road trip that would take us almost 3800 miles, through so much stunning scenery that we almost became numb to the beauty. Almost.

This was the Flash Tour 2019, that we are dubbing “The Scenic Route”. We visited vineyards and winerys and met many really wonderful people. We look forward to telling you each of their stories. But for now, we will tell you ours.

This is our adventure. A sometimes over-planned 12 day epic trip that was filled with exceptional places, some of which were far beyond our expectations. A few things were skipped along the way as we prioritized in the moment. So hop on for the adventure!

Day 1

Back to the top of the drive. Day One’s plan, out early to travel North to Lake Tahoe. We could have taken a quicker route, going through some expansive empty desert, but, with all the driving on this trip, we opted to take the scenic route.

google maps to tahoe 1 1 — Trip Map to Lake Tahoe

We headed North out of Vegas, passing the exit to Mount Charleston, up past Creech Air Force Base, past the High Desert State Prison and on to the Armagosa Valley. The morning light gave us a fresh morning feel, a start to the day and our adventure. My cannister of hot coffee was close by to help me slowly enter the day.

Death Valley

From the Armagosa Valley we took a turn south, as anti-productive as that seems for a trip north. This was onto Route 373 which would take us to Death Valley Junction. There we would pick up Route 190 taking us into California and Death Valley National Park. We soaked in the expansive arid beauty of the area and stopped for a quick break at the Furnace Creek Visitors center.

Furnace Creek is a small oasis of green in the midst of the Valley, with places to stay or camp. We continued North from here passing the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Panamint Spring and then stopped at the Father Crawley Vista Point.

It was time to stretch our legs before getting onto Route 136 which took us to US Route 395.

This drive took us through the quaint towns of Lone Pine & Independence. Roads here were lined with banners and bunting for the previous day’s Fourth of July Celebrations. By this time our tummies were grumbling and we headed toward a rest area Michael discovered on a previous trip.

Division Creek Rest Area

Division Creek Rest Area sits on Division Creek and has views of Mt. Whitney, Black Mountain and Mt. Pinchot in Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. We pulled out the cooler to a picnic table and fended off the birds while enjoying the sounds of the creek and the view of the snow capped peaks.

In this beautiful setting there is a darker side. The rest area tells the story of this plentiful valley and the Piute Indians who lived here, who were bit by bit driven out as settlers took the area. You can explore the details of the story here.

Back on the road we drove north through Big Pine and into the Inyo National Forest. We passed Mono Lake and the back entrance to Yosemite and drove through the Stanislaus National Forest.

At last we turned on the tiny Route 756 to head to Lake Tahoe. The drive up the mountain to get to the Lake which sits at 6,237 feet above sea level reminded me of how far we had come. Earlier in Death Valley, the elevation was 286 feet BELOW sea level.

South Lake Tahoe

As we arrived on the Lake in South Lake Tahoe, it dawned on me that the day before was the 4th of July and while the Independence Day fireworks were done, the lake was still teaming with visitors for the holiday weekend. We headed to Zephyr Cove to set up to catch sunset views to find it packed. So we traveled further North and found a place to park at Logan Shoals Vista Point. After a bit of exploring, and a bit of getting lost and climbing, we settled on a spot just above the lake where we could camp out and watch sunset.

By the time the sun had set we were hungry! We headed back to our hotel for the night in Minden and then headed late night to the Carson Valley Inn & Casino, to Katie’s Country Kitchen for a good ole stick to your ribs dinner (or breakfast…I had the breakfast burrito).

While waiting for our food, we checked our social media. We found another earthquake had shaken Las Vegas and LA just a few hours earlier. The shallow quake had friends from both cities reporting waves in their pools. We checked with the neighbors to be sure the house looked okay and the cat sitter to check in on Loki. We then finished our dinners and headed back to catch a bit of sleep.

Day 2

Lassen Volcano The Scenic Route — Lassen Volcano

Day Two had us up early and traveling North around Reno. We took Route 44 to the Lassen Volcanic National Forest, stopping to enjoy views of Lassen Peak, then traveling North on Route 89 to take in some spectacular views of Mt. Shasta.

On to Oregon

We continued up through Ashland and Medford on Interstate 5. We veered off on Route 238 to Jacksonville, driving through the super quaint town as it teamed with visitors. Then it was out into the country, venturing into Southern Oregon Wine Country in the Rogue and Applegate Valleys. Our first stop would be at Wooldridge Creek Winery and Creamery.

Wooldridge Creek

I had spoken with Monica at Wooldridge Creek via email a bit before our trip. Sadly for us, a staff member was getting married this day, so most of the staff would be away. While there would be no one to give us a full tour of the property, they gave us permission to photo to our hearts content.

The property houses goats, chickens and a garden on top of the vineyard. This is a perfect spot to spend an afternoon. Just bring a cooler, because you will want to leave with some of their specialty products. They set us up with a tasting out on the crush pad with a cheese and charcuterie platter. Everything on the platter was made on site, most of it grown here also. It was a delightful sensory experience enjoying wines from the site with mustards, cheeses and pickles from the site. (You will need to watch for our future post for all the details).

After a visit to the barrel room and a bit of time in the vines, we picked up a few bottles of wine to take with us and headed on to our next stop.

Red Lily

Our stop at Red Lily was simply to taste. No one knew we were coming. We didn’t know how much time we might have left after our first stop and didn’t want to have to rush. We arrived at Red Lily, just before their last pours of the day. This winery focuses on Italian varieties. Our tasting was served in test tubes in a test tube rack that we could take with us to the patio.

After our tasting we strolled to the river or creek that runs along the property. Red adirondack chairs dot the shore, many right in the water with people cooling their feet with a glass of wine in hand. There was a bar with bottles and glasses, picnic tables, live music and a food truck up the hill by the winery. It was a lovely place to spend an afternoon. One tree was roped off as there was an otter nest that they did not want disturbed.

We soaked up a bit of ambience and headed back to Medford to our hotel for the evening.

Next up we visit Cowhorn Vineyard a biodynamic vineyard in the Applegate Valley. We then travel north to the Umpqua Valley and Girardet, where they planted French and French American hybrids in the early 70’s!

Beckham Estate Vineyard – The story

Jul 18, 2019

It was early morning of our last day in the Willamette Valley and we drove North from (where we were staying) heading toward the Chehalem Mountains. The road into Portland was moving fast and we came up a hill, with the side of the roads deeply forested. There was our turn. We had to make it fast. And suddenly, from the whirl of fast trucks, we turned and turned again into the quiet of the forests on Chehalem mountain. This is timber country. Deep forests with early morning mist. It was a magical escape from the fast morning pace on the road behind us.

We were running early (it’s in our nature), so we had time to drive and explore the mountain. When you reach the top, you find clearings, fields with houses or sometimes, giant pink painted adirondack chairs, between bunches of Douglas fir. We followed the google maps and ended up on a gravel road at one point, but found our way back around to Beckham which actually sits on Parrett Mountain on the South west end of Chahalem Mountain. We knew we were in the right place before we could read the sign, because of the clay amphorae at the gate.

Discovering Beckham

I came upon Beckham in the usual way, at least for me. When researching where to go in a region, I head to the regions site, in this case the Willamette Valley Wine and one by one, I click through the links and check out the sites for each winery. The Beckham site stopped me as I saw their Amphorae Project video. I read on, and knew that these were people I wanted to meet.

Beckham Vineyard wines 3035 — Tasting with a view at Beckham

Beckham Patio 3089 — Tasting with a view at Beckham

We arrived and met Annedria Beckham who walked us to their tasting room, that sits just down from their home, next to the garden. We met Ruby Tuesday, their dog and Annedria set us up at the picnic table on the patio for a tasting.

She and Andrew bought this property in 2004 to build an art studio. Andrew is a high school art teacher and a ceramics artist. He teaches in Beaverton at the High School. They bought this little house in the woods to grow a garden and raise a family.

Directly across the street there was a little 2.5 acre vineyard. The owners were in their late 70’s early 80’s and had 20 year old pinot noir and chardonnay vines back in 2004. They farmed the fruit and had someone else make the wine for them and then on Saturdays they would sell their $11 pinot noir out of their garage.

… we were there quite often, fell in love with the idea of growing something on our property. Andrew went and helped Fred prune the vineyard that first year, came back with a truck load of Pinot Noir cuttings and said “Hey hun, how ‘bout we plant a couple rows right over here for fun.” I humored him thinking he will get over this crazy notion, we didn’t know anything about growing grapes. Next thing I know we are propagating vines on the coffee table in the living room.
Annedria Beckham, Beckham Estate Vineyard July 2018

As the tale goes, the vines then went to heat mats in the garage and then a timber company was called to see what the 60 year old Douglas Fir on the property was worth. They negotiated and had the company come and cut the timber, but they were left with the stumps, limbs and the mess. They cleaned that up themselves with a rented track hoe and a cat. There were some pretty big bonfires and they have been using the limbs for firewood ever since. Finally, after some grading, the first block was ready to be planted in May of 2005.

Beckham Vineyard panorama 1 — Beckham Estate Vineyard Panorama

They began with own rooted, dry farmed Pommard and Wadenswil. They added on and planted about 2.5 acres the first year and another 1.5 the next. This was a gradual slow process, bit by bit as their budget and time could allow. This is a labor of love, that grew out of a passion. They dove in headfirst into farming.

So once we put our little baby sticks in the ground we had to keep them alive. So when I mentioned dry farming, we hand water about 15 lengths of hose and a few beers and me after work every day, watering just to keep them alive that first year, and then after that they were on their own. Just a little in 2005 and spot watered some stressed areas in 2006 but since then they haven’t seen a hose.
Annedria Beckham, Beckham Estate Vineyard July 2018

At this point they were focused on the farming, so they sold their first tiny batch of fruit to a winery in Dundee in 2007.

But we had those first few babies, we were really excited for and at that point you’ve hand rooted every vine, pounded every post, run every wire, hand hung every cluster and then at that point to give them away to someone else was nearly heartbreaking. But Andrew got to stay and help with crush deliver the fruit and help with processing and then went back every couple of days. He came home and said “I don’t know that I can continue to farm with this much energy and effort and then just hand it off to someone else. I think we should make wine.”
Annedria Beckham, Beckham Estate Vineyard July 2018

They did spend another year selling off fruit, while Andrew apprenticed for a few years with different wineries. In 2009 they kept the fruit to make their own wine. The first year it was 250 cases of one wine. In 2011 they opened the tasting room. At the time it had a roof, but no sides, only one light and no running water.

.. but people came and they got to taste one wine about 5 different times, because that was all I had. And they came back and they bought and they came back and they brought their friends.
Annedria Beckham, Beckham Estate Vineyard July 2018

All this time Andrew was still teaching as well as working for a couple of different winemakers and they now had 3 children. Annedria began working for the Chehalem Mountain Wine Growers Association in 2008. Their executive director went on maternity leave and Annedria was asked to fill in, and the previous director never returned. She found this to be a wonderful way to immerse themselves in the community.

When we speak about Oregon wine country, you always find people speaking about the generosity of the community, with people happy to share their time, resources and knowledge.

To have David Adelsheim on speed dial? How lucky was I to be in that position. It was a wonderful way to learn how winemaking works and making business decisions….hey this first restaurant wants to have our wine, how do I price it? I have no idea? So asking those important questions and having the right people to be able to talk to while Andrew was working in the vineyard and the winery.
Annedria Beckham, Beckham Estate Vineyard July 2018

At this point we tasted the first of the wines. It was the 2015 Estate Pinot Noir, which is a composite wine from the entire site. They make about 300 cases of this. It’s 30% whole cluster with native yeast fermentation.

Growing Organically

They farm organically here and have been farming organically since 2013. They are not certified. It’s expensive and time consuming to become certified, and they are looking into that now. They would need to hire someone just to deal with all the paperwork for this and they are a small operation.

Beckham Vineyard 3197 — Chickens in the vineyard at Beckham

A lot of folks are like “how do we know that you are doing everything organically unless you are certified?” I’m not doing something for someone else, we are small enough that I’m not putting it on my label, we still sell the majority of our wine direct to consumer. You can walk around and see that we farm things organically. I grow for my family. My kids are running around these vines, our chickens are running around these vines. That we are eating the eggs from, we have sheep around the vineyard the majority of the year. We do it for us.
Annedria Beckham, Beckham Estate Vineyard July 2018

Beckham Vineyard Lawn mowing sheep 3216 — The sheep at Beckham Estate Vineyards

They’ve started some biodynamic practices, burying their first 500 cow horns in 2017 with their first sprayings of the solution in 2018.

Annedria poured us the Dow’s 2015 Pinot Noir, which is from Andrew’s favorite couple of barrels from each vintage.

Their first vintage was in 2009 and all they had was the Estate bottling. Of course it’s tough to do a tasting with just one wine, so she asked Andrew how they might make a second wine, and that is how the Dow’s came about.

Beckham Vineyard Dows Pinot noir 2015 3042 — 2015 Dow’s Pinot Noir Beckham Estate Vineyards

Dow is a family middle name in the Beckham family with over 20 Beckham sons carrying the name. In 2011 they added their wine club and Annedria asked how they might get a 3rd release. They only had Pinot Noir, and rosés were just becoming popular again so Andrew made her the Olivia’s Rosé and Sophia’s Pinot Noir. Sophia’s is the first release, elegant and delicate, the Estate follows with more complexity and then the Dow with a little new oak and a darker fruit profile.

This was all of their estate wine until 2013 when they started the Amphorae Project.

We will continue our visit with Annedria and Andrew Beckham with a pod cast speaking with her about the addition of their riesling, their inspiration in the Jura and the Amphorae Project

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Illahe Vineyards – Into the Winery

Feb 28, 2019

Last July we made the drive out to Illahe Vineyards in the southern part of the Willamette Valley. The vineyard is south west of Salem, Oregon, in the proposed Mt. Pisgah/Polk County AVA. Kathy Greysmith, the tasting room manager, took us through a tasting of the white wines and then Lowell the owner and grape grower walked us out front to look at the view of the vineyard. We then made our way back into the winery space.

Wines for the people

Here at Illahe they have a wide range of wines and one of the things they find important is keeping their wines at a price point that makes them accessible. They want people to be able to buy 2 bottles rather than just one and they wanted the wines to be at a price point that their neighbors could afford.

When they released their 2004 vintage in 2006 they priced their Estate Pinot Noir at $19 and the price has only increased to a still very affordable $25 for their Estate Pinot Noir. The white wines across the board are $19. Do they have more expensive wines? Well yeah! These are the specialty reds and the block designates. But even so, these wines are affordable.

2016 Bon Savage

Illahe Vineyard 2016 Bon Sauvage Pinot Noir

At this point we were tasting the 2016 Bon Savage, https://www.illahevineyards.com/our-wine/illahe-bon-sauvage-estate-pinot-noir-2015 which spends 16 months in barrel. It was bottled in the spring so it was still quite new as we tasted it. This is a barrel select wine from the lower vineyard sections. This lower section is less influenced by the summer sun and is lighter. They age in 25% new oak and get a more Burgundian style from this wine. There is oak influence but you get a lovely cedar on the nose. This does have some tannins that will make this wine age worthy.

Simple Gravity Flow

Kathy gave us the tour of the winery, with the Barrel room to the side, the tasting room is on the winery floor. During harvest the tasting bar is rolled away, the barrel room emptied and the winery floor is busy. The winery is a very simple gravity flow design with the grapes coming in at the higher back level and sorting tables there, they come down into the winery floor through a garage door high on the back wall and drop into bins for fermentation.

Gravity flow is just smart design. It allows for less energy use (use gravity to move things), it’s easier on people, (again gravity is your friend, moving things down is less work) and it tends to be easier on the grapes. For more on Gravity Flow Wineries, check out the article below.

https://www.crushedgrapechronicles.com/wine-education/gravity-flow-wineries/

The Percheron and the 1899 Pinot Noirs are foot stomped in the wooden fermentation tanks. Everyone takes a turn. Well almost everyone, there is a height requirement for safety sake and Kathy sadly is not tall enough to see over the top of the tank when she is stomping…so she is out when it comes to stomping.

Games you don’t really want to win at harvest

We mentioned that this is a family affair, with the extended team included as family. During harvest they have a team board and have a bee sting contest, which Assistant Winemaker Nathan won easily. They also have the beer board. If you do something stupid, you are required to bring a 6 pack. Sadly, Nathan won this also this year. (Rough year Nathan).

We headed up the steps to the upper level and Kathy pointed out the wooden basket press they use for the 1899.

Feel like you are standing in a barrel!

As we got to the top the open-air crush pad was stacked with bins and equipment as well as a tank that was doing cold stabilization on the 2017 Estate Pinot Noir.

The shape of the roof is curved and immediately you feel as if you in a giant wine barrel.

I asked about bottling, did they bring in a bottling truck? Up to this year they had hand bottled. This year with the growth they have seen they updated to a bottling system. A bottling truck is limiting. You have to schedule in advance and who knows if that is really when the wine is just right for bottling?

So they had a local company design a bottling rig on a trailer. They keep it in a storage building below the vineyard and bring it up when they are ready to bottle. It can be easily moved and allows them control on their bottling.

Next we will head over to the cave!

Where and how to find Illahe Vineyards!

Illahe Vineyards is located at 3275 Ballard Rd, Dallas, OR 97338.

Give Kathy a call for an appointment at 503-831-1248 or drop her an email at [email protected].

Tastings are $25 per person and are waived with a $100 purchase.

While they don’t serve food, they have a lovely patio with tables overlooking the vineyard, where you can bring your own lunch and enjoy the view.

explore Oregon Wine Country

Nov 29, 2018

Oregon Wine Country

Join us on our exploration of Wine from across the Oregon Wine Region. Interviews with winemakers. Wine Festivals. Explore the AVA’s and discover the Terroir, The stories, The Wine, all across Oregon Wine Country beginning in the Willamette Valley. Follow us at Crushedgrapechronicles.com for your Oregon Wine Adventure.

Wine travel

Walla Walla Wine Month

Earth Month and sustainability at L’Ecole No. 41

Salmon-Safe

Compost tea

Sap flow sensors

Falcons

On to the wine…

2018 L’Ecole No. 41 Syrah Estate Seven Hills Vineyard

Syrah in Washington State

So wait? What does this Syrah taste like?

Earth Month Pairing for the 2018 Seven Hills Syrah

Sources Resources and further reading

More on L’Ecole No. 41 from Crushed Grape Chronicles

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Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout Recipes

Youngberg Hill

2016 Youngberg Hill Natasha Pinot Noir

2017 Youngberg Hill Cuvée Pinot Noir

Rainbow Root Vegetable Gratin and Baked Rainbow Trout

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information

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Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Information

Yield

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Did you make this recipe?

How to find Youngberg Hill?

For more information on this region visit

Or check out some of these pieces right here on Crushed Grape Chronicles

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Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis

Grilled peach, roasted chicken, and tarragon salad paired with the Tertini Arneis

Peach crisp

Finding Tertini and the Arneis

Sources and Resources

More by Crushed Grape Chronicles on Tertini and Southern Highlands

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Peach crisp

What to Pair?

Tertini 2018 Private Cellar Collection Arneis

Time: 45 Minutes

Yield: 2 people

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Peach crisp

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Peach crisp

Watch our quick video for the highlights.

Peach crisp with Tertini Private Cellar Collection Arneis

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