“The ‘Tradition’ wines are an ode to the winemaking style being employed at Gobelsburg in the early 19th century – specifically the years between 1800 and 1850. This period is characterised by the era of baroque, where intense aromatisation in vinfication was being practiced.” – Winery note
We wine industry nerds love to talk of wines as “hands off” in style or made “in the vineyard.” Yet these platitudes ignore that, lest the grapes be left for the birds, human intervention is required to make the liquid in your glass. Though the soil, climate, season, and vines bless us with their fruits, it is the labor of many hands that craft them into wine.
Perhaps by running away from industrial wine, we have allowed the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction.… Read the rest
Familia Nin-Ortiz 1-16-24
Familia Nin-Ortiz
Two-Day Sale Starts Now
Two-Day Sale Starts Now
“[Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz] make characterful wines, among the best in Priorat.” -Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Familia Nin-Ortiz is one of the leading lights of “New Priorat”. Both Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz are renowned viticulturists (Ester, notably, was the vineyard guru behind Clos i Terrasses/Clos Erasmus and previously worked at Mas Martinet). They were some of the earliest proponents of biodynamics in Priorat, but what they’re doing together on the winery side is stunning indeed.
They combined their personal purchases of esteemed vineyards in Priorat, Nin bought a small parcel of old-vine “Garnatxa Negre, Peluda, and Carinyena in Mas d’En Caçador– the famed vineyard on the border between Porrera and Gratallops” in 2004, per European Cellars, and Ortiz purchased “nearly 5 hectares of vineyard land outside Porrera called Finca Les Planetes.”… Read the rest
Vinopolis Newsletter – Monday 1/15/2024
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Is Cabernet Franc the Quintessential Red? 1-14-24
Cabernet Franc grapes on the vine
When choosing a red wine to drink, one is faced with a plethora of flavor profiles and stylistic differences to consider. Do I desire a wine capable of deep extraction where the fruit and texture of the wine are the focus? Do I need a red that shines through its aromatic intensity and overall approachable structure? What about reds that cut through a meal with a vein of acidity and refresh the palate? I’m here to tell you that Cabernet Franc is all of these things in a way that no other red can be. Don’t believe me? Let’s discuss.
… Read the rest Cabernet Franc along with Sauvignon Blanc is a genetic parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape is noticeably more thin-skinned than its offspring, and ripens earlier in the growing season which has long made it a dependable variety for the production of fine wine.
New Arrivals from Hundred Suns 1-13-24
Both Renée Saint-Amour and Grant Coulter were raised to appreciate Oregon wines, despite hailing from out of state. Their mutual interest and love of adventure brought them to the Valley. Grant worked with Hamacher before joining Beaux Freres and eventually becoming their winemaker under Mike Etzel’s tutelage. Today, Grant is the winemaker at Flaneur, an incredible estate that releases beautiful and utterly delicious wines similarly focused on sustainability.
Together, this wife-and-husband team launched Hundred Suns as a boutique winery and eventually scrapped together enough cash to purchase Breaker Vineyard, a fifty-year-old site in the Eola-Amity Hills and now home to them, their kids, and their winery. They everything by hand, from crafting their wines, distributing in town, and even their stunning label-design.… Read the rest