NICHE NICHE VISITS THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY
The Wines…
OVUM BIG SALT 2020
Established in 2011 by Ksenija Kostic and John House, Ovum was founded in hopes of producing Oregon white wines that are honest reflections of time and place. Our low intervention production method is a commitment to letting the vintage and vineyard shine, not the vintner. Fruit comes first - our top priority is finding farmers that share our beliefs, and then getting out of the way so their hard work can be tasted. Ovum is solely committed to the production of white wines, mainly Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Muscat.
Big Salt is a co-fermentation rather than a blend – meaning they allow mother nature to create complexity rather than attempting to blend the wine after the fact. Starting in mid Sept, Gewurz is soaked on the skins then pressed to tank. As that juice begins to ferment, they incorporate Early Muscat, followed by Riesling, then an additional pick of Gewurz, followed by Pinot Blanc and Riesling. Native Yeast, and additive free minus a bit of S02.
Big Salt is the culmination of the myriad of climates Oregon vineyards have to offer in each vintage, using up to 10 vineyards – certified organic or practicing similar farming. Average vine age = 35 years. AVAs include: Columbia Gorge, Willamette Valley, Elkton, Dundee Hills, Rogue.
GRAPES: 45% Riesling – 35% Gewurztraminer
11% Pinot Blanc - 9% Early Muscat
1% others.
Walter Scott Freedom Hill Chardonnay 2018
Owners Dan and Helen Dusschee planted the iconic Freedom Hill Vineyard in 1981. Their son, Dustin, has recently taken over the farming responsibility in yet another generation of sustainable stewardship, maintaining the family legacy. Freedom Hill Vineyard is tucked into the coast range on a gentle southeast slope. Protected from the Van Duzer coastal winds, this vineyard has a warmer climate than those of the neighboring Eola-Amity Hills. Located in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range, Freedom Hill Vineyard is planted on Bellpine loam soil. Ken Pahlow of Walter Scott worked with the Dusschee family throughout his time at St. Innocent and has always considered Freedom Hill and its stewards to be some of the best in our business. In 2012, they were thrilled to gain access to a single block of Pinot noir and Chardonnay from this vineyard. Today, Walter Scott has been granted the opportunity to work with two blocks of Pinot Noir and three blocks of Chardonnay with varied vine ages and clones.
The soils here are a sedimentary, uplifted seabed and are thought to be among the oldest in the region. These ancient soils, combined with the vineyard’s microclimate are now recognized as part of a new sub-appellation within the Willamette Valley called Mt. Pisgah.
GRAPES: 100% Chardonnay
- Yeast: Ambient, minimal bâtonnage
- Fining/Filtration: Casein & Bentonite, filtered for clarity
- French Oak: Fermented and aged in 500 & 350-liter barrels for 12 months & finished for 3 months in stainless steel tank. 35% New Oak
Ken Pahlow also made his very first vintage trading labor for space at our next winery!
Patricia Green Freedom Hill Pinot Noir 2019
Patricia Green Cellars is the largest producers of Pinot Noir from this site in the state. They get five sections of Freedom Hill Vineyard covering three clones (Pommard, Dijon 115, and Coury). Freedom Hill Vineyard was planted by Dan and Helen Dusschee in 1982. For the past 30+ years they have lived on and farmed this historical and great Oregon vineyard. Their son Dustin works with them now on the 100+ acre site. Only a handful of vineyards in Oregon could claim to have produced as many excellent wines from a wide diversity of winemakers dating back into the 1980s.
The Eola Hills, and its northern extension, the Amity Hills, are part of a North Willamette Valley hill chain that developed out of intense volcanic activity and the collision of the Pacific and North American plates. The main ridge of the Eola Hills runs north-south and has numerous lateral ridges on both sides that run east-west. The majority of the region's vineyard sites exist at elevations between 250 to 700 feet.
There is a range of fermentation techniques from completely de-stemmed to over 50% whole cluster across the different clones that adds complexity and shows the broad yet well-defined character of this great Oregon Pinot Noir vineyard.
100% Pinot Noir
15% New Oak aging
EYRIE Pinot Meunier 2017
In February 1965, David Lett rented a temporary nursery plot near Corvallis, and planted the 3000 vinifera grape cuttings he gathered from UC Davis and selected growers and brought with him to Oregon. This was the first planting of Pinot noir and Chardonnay in the Willamette Valley, and the first “New World” Pinot gris.
In 1966, David finally found what he was looking for – a gentle 20-acre south-facing slope at the south end of the Dundee Hills. That fall, David and his new bride Diana began the process of pulling out the old trees in the derelict orchard, preparing the ground, and moving the young grape plants up from their temporary nursery site.
David Lett was the first to plant Pinot Meunier in Oregon in 1965, According to his son Jason, he might have been entertaining the notion of making sparkling wine back in the 1960s. It has an attractive bouquet with red cherries, strawberry and a light sea-spray element.
100% Pinot Meunier
Eyrie lets fermentations proceed naturally and slowly. Native yeast fermentations in reds, skin contact on whites, and full natural malolactic to promote the most complex expression of varieties.
This means minimal racking, extended lees contact, complete and spontaneous malolactic fermentation, no fining, and minimal filtration. This gentle treatment creates wines that are both approachable when young, and legendary for their ability to further unfold with age in the cellar – often for decades.
