Hiyu "Aesalon" Columbia Gorge White 2022

Winemaker’s note: “Even after eight vintages this wine continues to evolve in form and confound our expectations.  It began as something very exotic, wild and floral; a wine of hedonism in 2016 and 17. In the period from 2018 to 2021 the wine took on more power and rusticity. It become more profound, less purely fruity but also rustic, a country wine of meditation resembling the white wines of Trevallon or Emidio Pepe. In 2021 it started to shift and with this wine from 2022 the next transformation is complete. This vintage and the next have more fruit and purity than the 19 or 21, while retaining the power and soulfullness that is so captivating in those bottlings. It is even more dense and crystalline and reminds me of Dagueneau Silex in its level of polish.”

Vineyard: The parcel is in the far Southeast corner of the farm with an eastern exposure. We grafted it in 2016 from Pinot Gris to a field blend based on Spanish and Portuguese white varieties: Xarel-lo, Arinto, Verdehlo, Albarino, Trousseau Gris, Godello, Albillo Real and Macabeo. “This is the parcel where I feel most clearly the pulsing of energy that has emerged in the vineyard over
time,” says Nate, who adds that they spray teas in order to further draw out the aromas of the biodiverse vineyards. 

Grapes: From a field of Spanish and Portuguese white and pink varieties in the Southeast corner of the farm.

Making of: Grapes are hand-harvested, then macerated in a wooden vat for five days before being pressed by
foot into old barrels. They remain in barrel to age for 20 months before bottling by hand.

Personality: “Somehow in this wine it is as if the scent of apricots passed through this living substrate, becoming
more intense through the passing and taken on all the other flavors of the landscape; the petals of chamomile, the wings of insects and the sweetness that can be found on a cow’s back. Culture: Hemingway is reading Lorca in a bar,” says Nate.