Clik here to view.
Tucked away on a country lane in rural Lane County, most visitors to Oregon’s Willamette Valley will never venture this far south on their search for hidden gems. Antiquum Farm is a true working farm, where bio-diversity isn’t just a buzzword, but a way of life.
Known for their pinot noir, as well as several other unique wines, the farm sits on several acres of cross-functional farm use; from sheep to Pinot Blanc, to pigs and veggies, this true agri-diversity. Practicing “grazing based vitiiculture”, each member of the family, from animal to human, contributes to the ecosystem and sustainability of this working farm.
Practicing sustainable farming means something slightly different for many people, but here at the Farm, sustainable means that everything works together, and everything works as a living, breathing part of the farm.
Creating and maintaining a closed ecosystem that is at it’s core a working vineyard and winery has its challenges. Finding the right balance has been a tricky process that is constantly evolving.
In the vineyard, clever use of cover crops as food for farm animals are thoughtfully chosen to not only feed the grazing animals on the farm, but also to feed the vineyard.
As the animals feed, the below ground root mass decomposes, leaving a rich microbial village that supports the next cycle of grazing plants, but also feeds additional flora and fauna, adding to the biodiversity – and over, and over and over, creating a living, breathing soil base – eliminating the need to add chemical fertilizers, soil treatments, and other chemicals that alter the local ecosystem.
Biodiversity in action
Creating this diverse microbial populations, they are constantly changing and adapting to the changing conditions on the farm. This moving target mimics the natural environment in a wild piece of land, something that is foreign to most commercial farms (wine farms included).
Over time, the unique microbial diversity changes and adapts to the specific conditions in the vineyard, and they are not being homogenized by chemicals and additives that are traditional in the winemaking world.
Each pocket, each elevation, each vine – make unique microbial cultures, which changes the vines and the grapes. This gives you specificity that is so unique to the area, sio specific to the site, that something truly magical occurs.
This diversity goes against the prevailing practices of homogeneous ecosystem, using the same treatments all over the world – creating environments that are homogenous and the same, whether in Burgundy, Oregon, or Sonoma. That practice mutes the flavors – the terroir – of wine, which is why you can create a varietal wine anywhere (within reason) in the world that mostly tastes the same.
Terroir, however, is a living thing. To encourage this, over time, the living microbial colonies are creating microscopic subway stops on a train flying through he countryside – small pockets fo completely diverse ecology in different pockets of the vineyard. And thus, micro terroirs are created and diversity and mutate over time.
All of these factors contribute to the mutations unique to the farm, where the vines are adapting to the environment – as they should.
The resulting fruit, and therefore the resulting wine, are truly magical.
This, ladies and gentlemen, THIS. THIS is what we speak of when we say terroir and why the French say the word cannot be fully defined.
Terroir. The complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. The characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced.
A little something different
Ever the creative, winemaker, Andy Bandy-Smith decided to approach the Pinot Gris a bit differently. Taking clues from the production techniques of Sherry, a solera system was devised with the intension of showcasing the terroir of Antiquum Farm.
The Pertptua Album is a blend of Daisy, Arossa and Alium – each with a different site, and different ripening times int he harvest cycle. The combination of these three sites creates a unique blend. But it doesn’t stop there.
Much like a solera aged Sherry, this Pinot Gris is a fractional blend of several vintages – taking bits of 2019 and 2019. The goal is to eventually be able to show several decades of vine age, as the vineyard matures, and crate a blend of fruit from 10, 20 and 50 year old vines.
Perpetua Album started as 1000 liters of Daisy Pinot Gris. That first year 50% was pulled out, and replenished with 50% of the next vintage. Each year after that, 75 cases is pulled out and replenished with the current vintage.
Here, with a perpetual wine, the path is paved for future generations to connect with the past in a single bottle. That’s what I call generational agriculture.
To say this wine is different doesn’t do it justice. Yes, it has classic Oregon Pinot Gris characteristics, but it’s also not at all classic Pinot Gris.
The brilliant golden color is a freshly cut pineapple, and the flavors and acidity cut through the viscosity and leaves a minerally crisp finish. Full of pineapple and mango, as well as preserved lemon, the mineral finish is dusted on a piece of juicy-fruit gum.
A hint of salinity comes through on the finish, with crisp Asian pears.
It is really a wine that requires some thought to drink, but is worth every minute.
What we've discovered over time is that if you truly can isolate your place, and forget about adding soluble nutrient inputs, forget about tillage, forget about herbicide use, that your vineyard can become untethered from expectations around region or varietal and things will truly begin to behave in way s that are completely unexpected.
In addition to the Perpetua Album, there is a Perpetual Pinot Noir, and three distinct Pinot Noirs that come from specific sites on the vineyard.
Perpetua Rubrum Pinot Noir I is the sister to the Perpetual Pinot Gris, where previous years of Pinot Noir are blended with parts of the current vintage to create a blend.
Finally, the Perpetua Rubrum follows the methodology of the Perpetua Album, where a multi vintage “best of the best” selection is blended to highlight the best of the terroir. Made in a 1000 liter barrel, 50% is bottled each year. After that, it is replenished with the current vintage, and so on.
The Perpetua Rubrum was made to intentionally look deeply into the heart of terroir, tracing the perpetual line of both grape and vine. Making wine from every section of the properties Pinot Noir vines, it is a fascinating look at the local flavors.
The Juel showcases the Pinot Noir sites, with specific areas picked to represent the site, at the peak of harvest. After this first pass, the bulk of the crop is picked later in the harvest season, which creates a happy average – known as the Enchilada.
A ton (literally) of this is picked to form the base wine, and then the final pick or the Passaflora is done with the intention of being the spice rack for the wine, or “optimizing picks”. Coming from two opposite ends of the vineyard, picking each of two of the highest elevation points, with shallow topsoils.
Tbe canopies here are very well balanced and managed with the crop. Removing leaves and the green material help balance the fruit and bring a bright and clear fruit aspect to the finished product.
Typically, the Juel is two or three clones, but with the Passaflora, the floral, high toned, passionfruit and tropical citrus focused Pinot Noir. Classically, blood orange and citrus high tones are not found outside of hte region and have made Antiquum stand out.
Passiflora captures the most ethereal and eccentric voice of Antiquum Farm in a stunningly elegant profile. From the highest elevations of the site displaying floral and tropical tones, this wine is a Pinot Noir unlike any other.
Juel Pinot Noir – Juel is a cross-representation of the Pinot Noir sites, but unlike the Pertpetua, it is a single vintage each year.
Named for our son, Juel, this wine is a testament to his staunchly individual spirit, creativity, and joyous heart. It is a blend of the six selections of Pinot Noir grown at Antiquum Farm, which convey the many dimensions of our vineyard in a complete estate wine.
The Juel showcases the Pinot Noir sites, with specific areas picked to represent the site, at the peak of harvest. After this first pass, the bulk of the crop is picked later in the harvest season, which creates a happy average – known as the Enchilada.
A ton (literally) of this is picked to form the base wine, and then the final pick or the Passaflora is done with the intention of being the spice rack for the wine, or “optimizing picks”. Coming from two opposite ends of the vineyard, picking each of two of the highest elevation points, with shallow topsoils.
Tbe canopies here are very well balanced and managed with the crop. Removing leaves and the green material help balance the fruit and bring a bright and clear fruit aspect to the finished product.
Typically, the Juel is two or three clones, but with the Passaflora, the floral, high toned, passionfruit and tropical citrus focused Pinot Noir. Classically, blood orange and citrus high tones are not found outside of hte region and have made Antiquum stand out.
Passiflora captures the most ethereal and eccentric voice of Antiquum Farm in a stunningly elegant profile. From the highest elevations of the site displaying floral and tropical tones, this wine is a Pinot Noir unlike any other.
The post Antiquum – Past, Present and Future of Wine Farming appeared first on Luscious Lushes.