Pick of the Palate
Wednesday | 06 January 2010
Our choice of an intriguing wine you should know about
There’s much buzz about biodynamics in the Northwest wine world. A kind of über-organic agriculture discipline, it sees the farm as a holistic energy system, and demands extra time, care, and commitment from the farmer. If you want to know how good biodynamically grown and made wine can taste, seek out this wine from Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley.Spiral 36 (named for the winery’s logo and the two vineyard blocks the grapes came from) is Cowhorn’s Rhône-style white blend of Viognier, Roussane, and Marsanne. It is a delightfully complex wine, with clean pear, apricot, and apple fruit components surrounded by distinctive minerality and herbal notes. It is bright and fresh, with taut acidity and an almost electric character that evolves remarkably in the glass. A touch of new oak and plenty of fruit flavors make for an integrated and deliciously balanced wine.
Owners Bill and Barbara Steele purchased their property in 2002. After extensive testing and learning about their site, they established their 11-acre vineyard in 2005 on one soil type, followed in the next year by produce gardens and orchards on another soil set. The gardens, vineyard, and winery are all Demeter-certified Biodynamic®, the only such farm in Southern Oregon.
Though still a young enterprise, Cowhorn (named for the biodynamic practice of burying herbal tea-stuffed cow horns) has produced early wines that are impressive, regardless of how they farm. It is well worth a trip to visit their tasting room, if only to get your hands on some of their tiny production.
» Download page PDF from Northwest Palate
