‘20 Syrah
My inaugural 2020 harvest and formal transition from the engineering world to professionally making wine was a single ton of Syrah co-fermented with 2% Viognier. Hand-picked from Herb Quady’s Mae’s Vineyard in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley. The fruit was fermented with a native starter culture from the same vineyard in the name of flavor complexity. After 18 months in French oak and 11 months in bottle, 58 cases are being released for your enjoyment.
The ’20 Syrah starts off with mocha-dusted blueberries followed by fresh fig and spice notes framed by supple tannins making for a surprisingly approachable Syrah.
’21 Grenache
The ‘21 Grenache is a time capsule retelling the story of the growing season in the Rogue Valley. Significant draught pressure had a lot of growers trying to adapt to uncertain water availability. For the little bit of Grenache that was able to be harvested from the Frink Vineyard, the berries were half their usual size, leading to near Bordeaux fruit level of intensity. As with all our reds, it was fermented with a native starter culture from the vineyard for early fermentation diversity. Aged in neutral oak for 17 months.
Many southern Oregon Grenaches are pretty and ethereal. Not this one! A brooding, concentrated mix of dried plum and strawberries layered among leather and crushed gravel with a hint of rosemary. A perfect pairing for fall nights and roast pork.
’22 BDG
My ’22 Blanc de Grenache, BDG, is Twelve 32’s first white and the launch of the experimental series. The experimental series is for the more adventurous or one-off wines. My original idea was a rose, but this wine had a better plan.
To maintain the refreshing acidity, the fruit was harvested from the Padigan vineyard at 17.8 brix, just as flavors were maturing. The juice was fermented with two yeast strains for additional flavor complexity. After fermentation I trialed adding a touch of my red Grenache to pink it up. In the end, I let it be the white wine it wanted to be, and BDG was born. BDG is startlingly aromatic with grapefruit, nectarine, and white flowers followed with wet stone minerality packed in a bone dry, crushable 10.5% package. Perfect with your seafood and Tuesday nights.
’22 Confluence
Born of my happiest winemaking accident, Confluence is the rogue blend resulting when a bin of Early Muscat snuck into the party with a group of Chardonnay bins on the way to the press.
The fruit comes from the amazing Layne Vineyard, one of the earliest vineyards in the Applegate Valley and Southern Oregon. Confluence was barrel fermented giving a little extra body but racked to tank before the oak could announce itself. With 17% Early Muscat, the aromatics bring it in this blend. Orange blossom and lemon peel fly from the glass then joined with pear and honeysuckle leading to a laser-focused crisp finish.
This happiest of accidents likely will never be repeated. Don’t miss out on it as only 78 cases of this beauty were made! A versatile pairer, everything from fresh seafood to spicy Thai food are fair game.
‘23 Albariño
We fell in love with Albariño on a trip to Portugal several years ago (they call it Alvariño). It fits perfectly with the style of whites I like to make… A little off the beaten path, acid leaning along with some aromatic intrigue. The ’23 Albariño was made from the beautiful, LIVE certified, Crater View Vineyard which has just two rows of Albariño. It was fermented in stainless steel for three long months at a cool temperature to retain the fresh aromatics Albariño is known for.
On the nose, lemon zest is backed up by grapefruit, honeydew, with a touch of florality. On the palate, lemon curd acidity gently gives way to a surprisingly long supple finish. If you like Viognier but wish it had more acidity, Albariño is for you. It’s my go to wine pairing for all things seafood, and in particular, paella.
’23 LIFT Pinot Noir
The first red in the Twelve 32 Experimental Series, the idea was a Beaujolais-meets-Lambrusco take on Pinot Noir. Casual, fruity, with a little lift on the palate from the near semi-sparkling residual CO2 levels.
The Pinot Noir was sourced from Block 3 of the Kenyon Vineyard known for its gentler fruit driven profile. It was handpicked then sorted and destemmed directly into a stainless tank. After a couple days of cold soak, I opted to forgo the normal for Twelve 32 native starter approach, leaning instead on using two commercial yeasts to get a little extra complexity while keeping it as clean and fruity as possible. It was fermented at cool temperature, never above 70°F, to minimize tannin extraction. Similarly, it was pressed slightly before it was fully dry to limit further tannin extraction then allowed to complete fermentation off the skins. The wine was then chilled to hold on to as much of that naturally dissolved CO2 left over from fermentation.
On the nose, cranberry leads the way followed by potting soil and a kiss of cedar. The palate confirms the nose while bringing along pomegranate and a touch of graphite. The residual CO2 provides the lifted texture it’s named for. Enjoy chilled (45-50°F) with just about anything or all by itself.