This 2017 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot gris The Eyrie presents the character of the grape varietal and the vintage as vividly as possible — by working as minimally as possible. Freshness, depth, and vitality are the goal here. The grapes come from the first Pinot gris vines planted in the New World, and we’ve given special attention in order to pay homage to these old vines.
The desire to stay true to place and to limit our impact on nature educates all of Eyrie’s viticulture and winemaking practices. Insecticides, herbicides, or systemic chemicals have never been used in the vineyards. Today we are not just practicing organic, but certified organic.
Like all of our smaller fermentations, the wine was transformed from the juice by wild yeasts. Aged in specially made drums, the wine was bottled without sulfur. In addition, we chose to retain the natural crystals that form in the bottle when it is chilled. These crystals and the lack of sulfur are part of the natural expression of the grapes that came into the winery, and help support the ageability of the wine.
Record breaking precipitation fell in February followed by heavier than normal rain through the spring. The summer was dry and quite warm; fortunately, our deeply rooted vines weathered it well, drawing on the spring rains soaked deep in the soil. Of some worry was late-summer smoke from forest fires in the Columbia Gorge many miles away, but a burst of rain two weeks before harvest washed the vines and refreshed them - and put out the fires in the Gorge. At the end of September, harvest began as moderate temperatures moved in. This vintage was closest to “normal” of the last five years, starting just before our historical average of October 5.
