Wine Photos: Planting the Biodynamic Preparations at Troon Vineyard
One of our main goals in practicing biodynamics in our pursuit of regenerative agriculture is to minimize inputs from off the farm. So we are planting and using the components to make the biodynamic preparations from plants that we grow ourselves.
Winemaker Nate Wall and assistant winemaker Sarah Thompson planting valerian to make biodynamic preparation 507 in the Troon Vineyard biodynamic preparations garden and area. We also make our BP 500 an 501 at this spot.
Rainy Oregon Harvest Dawn
Rain clouds roll over the Siskiyou Mountains with the Applegate River in the distance. In front are Troon Estate Vineyard Tempranillo vines. There's not enough rain to be causing us any real problems and harvest continues on schedule.
Oregon Troon Vineyard Applegate Valley Harvest 2016 Estate Vermentino
Picking Troon Vineyard Estate Vermentino just after dawn in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon
Oregon Applegate Valley 2016 Harvest
Perfectly ripe Troon Vineyard Estate Vermentino ready to be harvested tomorrow morning.
Troon Estate Vermentino framed by the Siskiyou Mountains
Fall Napa Valley
It finally feels like fall in the Napa Valley. Some actual rainstorms and cool dew on the leaves in the morning. All the grapevines changing colors are beautiful with each variety having its own distinct hue.
The Pineapple Express Arrives in the Napa Valley
The arrival of a storm brings welcome rain and beauty to the Napa Valley
Clouds at dawn signal the arrival of the "Pineapple Express in the Napa Valley. Soon the spring mustard and the vines will get a good drink
Stunning twisting cloud formation at dawn over the Napa Valley vineyards of Yountville
Pre-Storm December Dawn Napa Valley
Stormy December dawn in the vineyards just east of Yountville in the Napa Valley
Giving Thanks: Napa Cab, Willamette Pinot
November in Oregon's Willamette Valley
Just in time for Thanksgiving I’m excited to share my new Cornerstone Oregon releases with you. Certainly there is no better match for the traditional cuisine of this American holiday than wines from America’s premiere pinot noir and chardonnay region: Oregon. With the 2014 vintage I passed my first decade making wine in Oregon and I am more convinced than ever that it is here in the United States that pinot and chardonnay can best show their true personality.
For this reason at Cornerstone Cellars we do not make any chardonnay or pinot in California as, while there are a few examples of wines that are true to these varieties, the vast majority of wines produced in California from pinot and chardonnay speak far more of winemaking than terroir. I believe in pinot and chardonnay grown in the Willamette Valley just as fervently as I do in cabernets, merlot, syrah and sauvignon blanc grown in the Napa Valley.
Very soon Cornerstone Oregon will be at the same production level as Cornerstone Cellars in the Napa Valley (about 5,000 cases each) and so these wines are of the highest priority to me.
As from the beginning of Cornerstone Oregon in 2007, our wines are a collaboration between myself and my friend and the Northwest’s premiere winemaker, Tony Rynders. The style of Cornerstone Oregon reflects my over three decade immersion in the wines of Burgundy and Tony’s two decades in the Northwest, which includes stints as the red wine winemaker at Hogue and a decade as winemaker at Domaine Serene. The wines of Cornerstone Oregon are a synthesis of our perspectives and together we are crafting wines with a classic structure intertwined with a vibrant New World personality. As always, all of the wines of Cornerstone Oregon are grown, produced and bottled in Oregon.
This Thanksgiving I am giving thanks for the privlege of making cabernet in the Napa Valley and pinot noir and chardonnay in the Willamette Valley. Certainly this is having the best of both worlds.
In Spite of the Fact...
Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Yountville 8/9/14. Beautiful in spite of the fact this is no place to grow chardonnay.
