We could make the wine
equivalent of elevator music or a pop song. But we only make a small
amount of wine each year, so we don't need to make it for everyone. Why
bother?
Instead we choose to make wines we love to drink. Wines vinified
with respect for traditional winemaking. Wines bursting with
personality. Wines that highlight the distinctive character of our
vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains. Wines that require an evening to
appreciate, not just the ten-second swirl, sniff, swish and spit that
has become the hallmark of the mp3-single-downloading,
tidy-100-point-scale-obsessed consumer that every marketing genius
tells us we need to target.
We like to get to know our customers, so we try to make it easy for
them to purchase our wines directly from us. (More on this.)
The fruit for our wines is sourced
exclusively from our own vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains. (We've
always found a good solo act more intriguing than an orchestra.) The
vines are grown in good dirt - essential for good wine. We keep
the soil healthy because that leads to healthy vines. Healthy
vines make better wine. We pay a lot of attention to the vines
and help them to produce the best fruit possible. When the fruit
is finally ripe, the grapes are carefully harvested by hand, and the
wine is aged in French oak barrels. We take a minimalist approach to
winemaking.
We don't seek to mask the uniqueness of each vintage - rather
we acknowledge and celebrate the inherent differences between growing
seasons in the Willamette Valley.
While our wines drink fine on their own, they really shine when paired
with your favorite meal. Try
them with salads, pasta and steak, as well as wild salmon,
tofu and anything else you like to eat.
We'd be honored if you buy our wines,
and very pleased if you enjoy them. In any case, be yourself, be
responsible, and do
what you want to do.