ABOUT THIS WINE
Oak Ridge is planted on a hillside above the White Salmon River on the way to Trout Lake. It is the Northernmost vineyard in the Columbia Gorge and the one most impacted by weather systems from Mt. Adams. It is farmed in a gentle and thoughtful way by Thomas and Marlene Woodward.
The wine from the site is Alpine in a way that transcends its identity as Pinot Noir, and this is truer than ever with the 2021 vintage. The wine is shimmering and ethereal but also slightly cloudy, electric, juicy, and slightly raucous in a way that suggests Gamay, Pineau dAunis or some strange mountain grape. It is a perfect counterpoint to the Hiyu 2017 Halo Perennial. Both are compellingly wild and savage, but in one instance this is coming from age and patina and in this one from the vibrancy of youth.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
Its leaders Nate Ready, a former high-profile sommelier (think award-winning restaurants like Thomas Keller’s French Laundry or Frascain Boulder, CO) and China Tressemer, a talented artist and culinary guide, have gradually built a flourishing mixed farm and tavern where not just vine and crops, but all sorts of natural life cohabit in what Hiyu calls the wild side of permaculture.
Their approach to viticulture is similarly wild, in the best sense: the estate is divided into many small blocks, each planted to a field blend from a different place or moment in the genetic history of the grapevine, from Alpine grapes to Southern Italy or Central Europe. This IRL grape variety atlas, consisting of a whopping 100+ different varieties and clones in total, is being transformed into boutique quantities of truly singular wines that Nate describes and contextualises using his vast tasting memory and cultural experience. There’s a lot of freedom, art and philosophy involved at Hiyu Wine Farm.
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