Momtazi Vineyard is located in the McMinnville AVA, 7 miles west of McMinnville, Oregon. This Pinot noir came from a high altitude block of Pinot noir 115 planted in 1999 and farmed biodynamically.
Production Notes
The grapes were whole cluster pressed and the barely colored juice was fermented at 65°. The fermentation was stopped just short of dryness to enhance the freshness and fruit aromas.
Winemaker Notes
2021
Food Pairing Notes
Enjoy all summer with fried chicken, charcuterie, cheeses, potato salad and grilled sausages.
Production
139 cases
Other Notes
Release Date: May 2022; Production xxx cases. Originally made in 2011, the fruit came from a block at Momtazi Vineyard that abruptly lost all of its leaves far short of being ripe enough to produce red wine. In desperation, I decided to make a "white Pinot". Gently whole-cluster pressing the barely-ripe Pinot noir, I took only the first clear juice, cold fermented it, and left a touch of sweetness. The name came from the pale pink or "Eye of the Partridge" color. After release the following summer, it became a delightful summer sipper and picnic wine. It sold out in five weeks.
In subsequent vintages we made OdP from other, less precious, fruit. While enjoyable, it was never as focused as the original wine. In 2019 I decided to make it from the original block of Momtazi. Because this is fruit normally used for Momtazi Pinot noir, I could only bring myself to sacrifice four bins or 1.8 tons to make OdP. The production is tiny and the wine is fabulous.
