When life hands you lemons, make Lemonade! We were contracted for 25 tons of Pinot noir from two vineyards in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, intended to be a red wine. When wildfires broke out near the vineyards we took a close look at our options. It was extremely important to keep our commitments to our growers - and these two organic sites held particular significance to me since they are owned and operated by single women like me (one who is also a single mom). Getting juice off the grape skins quickly can dramatically minimize smoke effect in wine, so instead of making a red Pinot noir from these sites, we very gently pressed the fruit, settled it many times, and fermented it in the fashion of a white wine off of the skins. Like the rest of 2020, we made the best of a difficult situation and thankfully, the results are delicious. Strawberry, grapefruit and candied cherry blossom with a bright flinty finish. All of our wines are crafted with an attention to detail that allows us to impart a minimum level of intervention in the winery. Our grower partners all practice biodynamic and/or organic methods in the vineyard. We take what the vineyard and vintage give us and allow nature to do its thing. 100% Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir *Natural and Organic Staff Review: " 'When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.' When the Pinot Noir grape skins were 'basically' ruined by the smoke taste, as a result of wildfires, grapes were fermented in the white wine style. Light wine with a strawberry, grapefruit and cherry flavor. Nice on the palate. " "This opportunistic rose is a delightfully juicy and tart sipper, and boasts a lovely tropical fruit punch! This is what you have when life gives you lemons. Enjoy with some brie & jam! (Our artisan cheese plate is the perfect pair for a party!)"
