Grochau Cellars, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Commuter Cuvée (2016)

Grape: Pinot Noir

Geography: Oregon, United States

Appellation: Willamette Valley

Features: Sustainable

Grochau Cellars was founded in 2002 with the goal of producing wines true to their terroir with minimal intervention and manipulation of winemaking technique. Grochau Cellars is the project of John Grochau and his wife Kerri. After more than 13 years working as a sommelier in Portland, John made the leap into winemaking, first at Oregon pioneer Erath and then as Doug Tunnel’s assistant at the esteemed Brick House Wines for four years.
With vineyard selection, Grochau seeks out vineyards dedicated to non-interventionist farming techniques (organic when feasible, sustainably focused, environmentally sensitive) and work closely with the growers so that their fruit sources can become the wines Grochau strives to make. In the cellar the philosophy is pretty simple. As John says “Don’t screw it up. Resist the urge to do too much.” Modern winemakers have such an array of options available to them it’s staggering. Micro-oxygenation. Wine concentrators. Enzyme addition. Not to mention the temptation so many indulge to beat an otherwise fine wine over the head with a battery of new oak. Grochau eschews all this. Minimal handling, native yeast fermentation, no enzyme additions, minimal use of new oak: these are the hallmarks of their wines. Honest, accurate, true to their roots and to the wonderful subtleties of vintage variation.

Sustainable. Sourced from 8 different Willamette Valley vineyards, all farmed organically or sustainably, with an emphasis on the more floral, delicate side of Pinot Noir. Hand-picked, sorted, and de-stemmed and placed in stainless steel for a 4 day cold soak. Native yeast fermentation with no additions. Aged for 7.5 months on its lees in 90% used French oak and 10% stainless steel and then racked directly to tank just prior to bottling.

TASTING NOTES: A nose of kirsch, bring cherry and notes of lavender and violet. Bright and juicy on the palate with tart cherry, cola, baking spices and earth. Lingering finish with good acidity.

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Croci, Colli Piacentini Campedello Bianco (2018)

Grapes: Malvasia, Trebbiano, Ortrugo, Marsanne, and Sauvignon Blanc

Geography: Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Appellation: Colli Piacentini

Features: Organic, Pétillant naturel

The passion for the land is handed down from generation to generation in the Croci family.
Climbing along the Val d’Arda, on the first hills of Piacenza, right in front of the medieval town of Castell’Arquato, is the Croci wine estate. Surrounded by a beautiful panorama, the young proprietor Massimiliano together with his brother Giuseppe, assisted by his father Ermano, run the family business founded in 1935; for three generations the Croci family has been committed to cultivating this land, lovingly respecting nature.
The company is located on the hill of Monterosso in the Val d’Arda, 250 meters above sea level and overlooks the Piacenza plain.
The position favored by the sun’s rays and the characteristics of the soil, lapped millions of years ago by the sea, make it possible to obtain characteristic wines.
The hectares are 16, of which about 10 are cultivated with vines, all the land is certified organic, the vineyards are trained on the Piacenza style Guyot, in the vineyard grass is practiced and no toxic substances, herbicides and fertilizers are used to respect the territory , the vine and its natural cycles. The harvest is done by hand; the time between the harvest and the pressing is minimal, the grapes are placed in small crates and then processed in a traditional way to maintain all the characteristics and properties of the grapes.

60% Malvasia di Candia Aromatica/20% Trebbiano/15% Ortrugo/3% Sauvignon/2% Marsanne. Campedello is the name of the hillside site whose grapes go into this wine. The co-planted vines are planted on sandy limestone soils rich in fossilized seashell material and are farmed organically; everything is done by hand, including weeding and harvest. The fruit is destemmed and left to ferment spontaneously in vat, with about 2 weeks of maceration with the skins before pressing. The wine rests in concrete vat through the winter, undergoing partial malolactic fermentation, and is bottled generally in March with about 15 grams/liter of sugar and a tiny dose of sulfur. Re-fermentation begins as the spring air warms the cellar; the wine is held in bottle for a minimum of 10 months, ending almost completely dry. It is not disgorged or filtered.