| Producer | Antiquum Farm |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Oregon |
| Subregion | Willamette Valley |
| Varietal | Pinot Noir |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 03915 |
| Size | 750ml |
| ABV | 14.30% |
Organic/Bio While Stephen Hagen and his team are fine winemakers, the real story here is winegrowing. Stephen’s unique “grazing based viticulture” replaces herbicides, mowing, plowing and fertilizers with something more alive: a rotating cast of sheep, geese and pigs to crop the between-rows grass, gently turn over the soil, and give the soil and vines the energy they need to do something very special.
Juel puts the story of this unique vineyard in the southern Willamette Valley right into your glass. It’s one six-ton fermenter filled with fruit picked from all four corners of the vineyard on the first day of Pinot Noir harvest with about 25% whole clusters plus selected lots of destemmed fruit wine added for layering and complexity. Native yeast set the juice fermenting and then went as long as it took with very gentle extraction of color and structure. A gentle decant into French oak (about 29% new) and 10 months rest preceded bottling of just 1,800 cases of finished wine.
Although “finished wine” suggests that it’s “done,” and nothing could be further from the truth. This wine is very, very, much alive and active. Sure, it’s ripe and full of sweet raspberry coulis, tangy cherry juice and a bit of pomegranate bite with accents of raspberry blossom and earth. And the exotic passionfruit note that used to only show in Passiflora makes a welcome, freshening appearance, too. A savory, almost soy-like, element in the core and the intense energy and fine tannic grip on the long finish push the wine to new heights. This is absolutely delicious right now and do let some rest for a bit and begin enjoying the full impact from 2026-2032+.
For You If: You enjoy more body and texture on your Pinot than often found in the Willamette Valley – Stephen Hagen’s grazing based farming approach gives Pinot that really fills your mouth with fleshy richness while still delivering solid dose of refreshing acidity.
Not For You If: You’re after innocuous or thin Pinot – this is intensely flavored and uncommonly rich and deep.
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