Pinot Gris Drueskall

Grape Varieties

Winemaker Notes

: The Drueskall (“grape skin” in Norwegian) is a skin fermented white wine made from the Pinot Gris grape. Our goal is to craft a wine that has the structure of a red wine combined with a full range of tertiary white wine aromas, which allows for a very versatile pairing on any table. We continue to refine the vinification of this wine, incorporating both whole berry fermentation and carbonic maceration, with the duration of skin contact ranging from 10 to 30 days. After finishing primary fermentation, the wine is pressed then aged for in barrique, to coalesce fruit, tannin, and acidity before bottling this complex and exotic expression of Willamette Valley Pinot Gris. The Vintage: We had an early bud-break and consistent warm temperatures throughout the summer. In late September, however, Mother Nature threw us a curveball in the form of a six-inch torrential downpour over four forgettable days, referred to in the wine industry as the great ‘monsoon’. Despite the challenge of this unseasonable weather event the fruit held up remarkably well. In hindsight, the monsoon also had its advantages because it represented a welcomed shift in weather patterns. The daytime temperatures dropped significantly after the rains, slowing down the ripening process. This was a much-needed change after having experienced a very warm summer with accelerated ripening. The cooling provided us with another three to four weeks of “hang-time” for our grapes, giving them time to develop more complex flavors.