Northwest Passage
Day wines Babycheeks Rosé
the place
Applegate Valley
the grapes
Malbec, Cab Franc, Tannat
the process
Grapes were direct-pressed, with minimal time on skins, into a stainless- steel tank to settle overnight. No sulfur was added at the press pan. Juice was then racked off gross lees into neutral French oak barrels to ferment, which was low and slow due to the amount of acid in the wine. The wine went through partial malolactic fermentation and has 2 g/l residual sugar - both of which help to round it out and give body. It was racked and consolidated into a stainless-steel tank where is was cold stabilized.
the price
$29
patricia green cellars “marie”
the place
Eola-Amity
the grapes
Muscat Ottonel
the process
Whole cluster fermentation. The ferment was pigeaged 1x/day from the day it arrived until pressing. Unlike Pinot Noir there was no pre-alcohol maceration. The fermentation was warmed up to allow native yeasts to activate. Over the course of 12 days the fermentation went from 17.5 brix to dry. The wine was pressed and allowed to settle for 72 hours. It was then racked to a 250 gallon concrete tank where it underwent elevage for nearly a year going through a full (albeit small) malolactic fermentation. Prior to bottling it was lightly filtered to clarify the wine.
the price
$26
aberrant cellars confero
the place
Willamette Valley
the grapes
Pinot Noir
the process
Fermented for 17 days. 10% whole-cluster use. Each Vineyard and clone fermented separately. Post fermentation maceration: 2-4 days (dependent upon vineyard/clone). Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel. Then aged for 11 Months in French Oak.
the price
$27
occams razor
the place
Columbia Valley
the grapes
Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon (small amounts of Sangiovese, Malbec and Merlot)
the process
Sourced from some of the finest sustainably farmed vineyards in the Yakima Valley, Red Mountain, Walla Walla and Columbia Valley. Harvest is by hand. Pre-fermentation macera- tion for about 6 days. Native fermentation for 75% of the blend. 25% whole cluster to add structure. Post fermentation maceration for 3 days. Punch downs by hand twice daily. All individual wine components, including free run and press fractions were kept separateuntil final blending. Matured in20% new French oak and 80% neutral French oak for 30months. Unfined and very lightly filtered to capture any remaining lees.
the price
$23