Owners: Jerry Sass,
Susan Gage Winemaker: Jerry Sass
Training: Worked
crush 1989-1993 Evesham Wood Vineyards, Salem, Ore. Worked crush 1994-95
at St. Innocent Winery, Salem, Ore.; numerous short courses at University
of California-Davis; seminars through Oregon Winegrowers, Oregon State
University.
Appellation: Oregon,
Willamette Valley.
Winemaking techniques:
Pinot Noir hand-picked into 40-pound fruit boxes; hand-sorted; fully destemmed;
minimal sulfur additions; 2-5-day pre-fermentation cold soak; clones fermented/barrelled
separately; 3-5 different yeasts (including indigenous) used; temperature
controlled fermentation in 1-ton, open-top fermenters; 14-21 days crush
to press; gentle press; punched down twice daily during fermentation;
pumped only 1-2 times total; full malolactic fermentation; never fined
or filtered; 10-28 months in 30-50 percent French oak (Francois Freres,
Remond). Pinot gris/pinot blanc fermented in stainless steel or neutral
oak; totally destemmed; minimal sulfur additions; cool fermentation; full
malolactic fermentation. Chardonnay barrel-fermented; totally destemmed;
cool fermentation; full malolactic; 12-14 months in 30-50% new French
oak.
Vineyard practices:
Closed spacing (1,800 per acre); vertical trellis; target 2 pounds of
fruit per vine; shoot thinning; leaf-pulling in fruit zone; crop dropped
when necessary; no herbicides, pesticides, sustainable agriculture.
This is the best guide, bar none, to Oregon's
wines. Insightful articles, interesting reviews, in depth interviews- you'll
find them all here. Worth every penny if you're interested in Oregon wine.
Winemaker
and winery owner
