Howdy from rainy western Oregon!

We hope this finds you healthy and happy. We are a little soggy after a very wet winter but looking forward to a great 2016 after an amazing 2015. We are excited to have new wines to show and sell this spring! Our 2013’s were well received and we watched the last of them walk out the door a couple months ago, so we have rested up and are ready for a (hopefully) busy spring and summer.

2015 ended with a bang for us. Harvest was fantastic; we had a great team, thank you to all! And especially Clare, who fed the whole gang. The fruit was perfectly ripe and bountiful and I hope/think we have succeeded in making some nice wines. I will let you be the judge of that, soon, our Laughing Pig Rose will be bottled April 8 and ready to ship shortly thereafter. And then… one rainy December morning our phones started ringing… and didn’t stop for two days. Our 2012 Willamette Valley Pinot noir had been selected as #11 on the Wine Spectator top 100 wines of the year – we had no idea this was coming until the first congratulatory phone call. I am still stunned and honored to be estimated for inclusion on such a list, and so near the top.

Additionally we have received tons of great press from many others, best to check it out on the website lest my head get to big recounting it all.

We have settled into the winery nicely, our second vintage was much smoother than the first, the kinks have been ironed out and all the details that make a difference were in place.

2014 — An Early Harvest

The wines we have to present to you this spring are the 2014 versions of wine we have been making for a few years now – Willamette Valley Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Pelos Sandberg vineyard Pinot noir and one new addition, a southern Oregon Syrah.

The 2014 vintage was early, warm and large… and fantastic! An early harvest is usually determined months in advance by early bud break and bloom, so we knew it was coming. We had great fruit set, so we left a little more fruit on the vines to lengthen the ripening process – which was aided by the warmth. A timely rain at the end of September gave the vines just enough of a boost to finish ripening and toned down some of the sugar that accumulated during the warmer days in the beginning of the month. The resulting fruit was perfectly ripe - skins, seeds and stems, all of which come into contact with the juice, which was an equal perfection of sugar sweetness buffered by acidity, fermenting together to bring a sensorial exuberance to the final wines. My concern during the vinification process was too much of a good thing, so a gentle hand was used to extract enough but not too much. The resulting wines are rich and powerful and at the same time balanced and delicate. As young wines they are still evolving and are very exciting – they have much to offer and can differ dramatically from moment to moment as they open in your glass and through out the evening in bottle. We have enjoyed getting to know the 2014 wines, we hope you will too!

The bounty of the 2014 vintage has given us the opportunity and fodder to select and blend a few barrels each of chardonnay and pinot noir that exemplify what Clare and I feel represent our best efforts. These barrel select wines will be available in the near future.

The Wines of Our Spring 2016 Release

2014 Willamette Valley Chardonnay – warmer vintages present great opportunities to capture the best that chardonnay has to offer. 2014 saw the addition of fruit from the Shafer Vineyard, planted in the early 1970’s. I have finally convinced Miki Shafer that we are worthy of her fruit. The older clone planted on her property maintains it’s acidity as it ripens, much like the chardonnay from the Wirtz vineyard. I think these older clones blend amazingly well with the newer plantings found at Durant, Yates Conwill and Bieze vineyards. Our basket press was used along with piseage a ped (foot stomping) which has changed the nature of our wine. The brief contact of skins, stems and juice has given our white wines a slight “grip” that I think has taken them to a whole new level of delicious. All other aspects have remained the same – barrel fermented, some new but mostly used, batonage, malo lactic complete and the wine went from barrel to bottle as directly as possible. The chardonnay offered today is sure to please. 680 cases of our Willamette Valley chardonnay produced – adorned by bee boxes. 45 dollars/bottle

2014 Willamette Valley Pinot noir – this wine is a stunner, which is good because it is our largest production to date! There should be enough for everybody at 2200 cases, yet I can already hear the pleas come July of “are you sure you don’t have anymore?” Per usual this wine exemplifies the maxim the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

While anchored by amazing pinot from Bieze, Johan and Coats and Whitney vineyards, it sees additional barrels from all the vineyards we work with, so it is a true Willamette Valley blend. One of our cutest pigs to date will make you smile on the outside as you grin ear to ear on the inside while drinking this wine. Bert, an American Guinea hog, 42 dollars/bottle

2014 Pelos Sandberg Vineyard Pinot noir – working with my friend Don Sandberg is just plain old fun. He is a constant perfectionist yet doesn’t take himself too seriously. Consequently he grows damn good grapes and shares them with us. I try not to fuck up his good work. In 2014 he offered us half an acre of Wadensville, in addition to the acre each of 777 and Pommard we have been buying since 2010. I was so excited I didn’t even check with Clare, I just said yes. The addition of the wild and brambly Wadensville clone has given this normally hedonistic wine an air of nobility – but don’t worry – it still has all the fruit, spice and silkiness of past vintages. Don got a new tractor that he was proud of so we put it on the label. 334 cases produced, 48 dollars/bottle

2013 Syrah – we have always had a soft spot for syrah, maybe even an Achilles heel, so we jumped when the opportunity came to work with Oregon fruit. The Rogue valley in southern Oregon is much warmer and dryer than our home in the northern Willamette, and gives this thick skinned variety what it needs to ripen. The 2013 vintage was an entirely different animal is southern Oregon - long and warm – the fruit came in well after we had put all the Pinot into barrel. Dark fruits, balanced acid, tannin and richness make this a beauty. And back to the beginning, knife, fork and spoon on the label. 195 cases produced, 48 dollars/bottle

Other Announcements

Over the past couple of years most of you have come to know Tiffany Stevens and her adept abilities of seamlessly getting your wine to you, navigating each of your state’s shipping, licensing, taxing and weather intricacies. Sadly she is moving to greener pastures, we wish her only the best.

We hope that 2016 is fruitful and fun for all – we look forward to seeing you at one of the many events we are participating in (or hosting). July 9 we are hosting Outstanding in the Field again. We will host a spring release dinner again at Simpatico dining hall, date still TBD. Clare will be in Chicago and the Midwest this spring and I will head to Atlanta for the High Museum wine auction end of March. There is more in the works that we will apprise you of in our next missive for the Laughing Pig Rose early April.

Thank you for continuing to enjoy our efforts, we cannot do it with out your buying and drinking our wines. We are truly amazed at the success of our Oregon adventure, thank you again. From our table to yours, cheers! Brian and Clare

ps. You can read more about our 2016 spring release by clicking here.

Howdy from western Oregon!

We hope this finds you well and enjoying the last days of summer! I am writing you today to let you know that our single bottlings of 2013 Pinot noir are now available as well as two ‘whites’ from 2014, 6 wines total! And to share all the goings on since I last wrote. Per normal we have been busy, welcoming so many of you to our little corner of earth, selling our wines and introducing animals, projects, and of course the new winery to old and new friends/customers alike.

Summer of 2013

The 2013 growing season resulted in grapes that were deceptively ripe – the metric commonly associated with ripeness ‘brix’ or measure of sugar, never materialized. What happened? The summer of 2013 was beautiful, a good sleeping summer I overheard someone describe it. It never got too hot or too cool, perfect for ripening grapes, and that is exactly what happened. However, September was exceptionally cool, so the normal accumulation of sugar that happens as the grapes finish maturing – didn’t. So we had ripe fruit without a lot of sugar. This translates into wines that have wonderful fruit, almost transparent tannins and for our fall release range in alcohol from 11.2 to 11.8.

We have begun to show the wines here at the farm as we have begun to sell out of the spring wines and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I chose not to chapetalize (add sugar, both legal and common) because I thought the fruit was complete – it needed nothing. This was a gamble that I believe has paid off – the wines are delicious and yet fall below the ‘acceptable’ level of alcohol of 12%. These wines are charming companions with food and we hope they find their way to your table.

The 2013’s we released in the spring have gathered considerable accolades, 90+, from the usual suspects. These fall wines were made with the same care and gentle handling. The fall wines range in production number from 136 to 211 cases. This is not a lot of wine so please don’t hesitate if you are interested in buying these wines. That being said we did make significantly more Willamette Valley Pinot noir and chardonnay, so we do still have some of those wines available.

Fall 2015 Release — The Wines

2013 Wirtz Vineyard Pinot noir –this was the first year we were entrusted with the farming of the entire Wirtz vineyard by brother and sister Ben Hawes and Megan Lockheart. With new ventures comes excitement and enthusiasm as well as learning by experience – fortunately the 40 plus year old vines knew exactly what to do and we picked our first fruit of the vintage from the vineyard September 18. I was duly impressed with what came into the winery and harvest began in earnest from all our other sites, allowing us to avoid the downpour of late September.

The resulting wine is beautiful – heady fruit and spice aromas lead to more of the same on the palate with a satisfying finish that begs you to take another sip, or another bite. Clare continues to draw fabulous labels, hazelnuts for 2013. 157 cases produced, 48 dollars.

2013 Cattrall brothers Vineyards Pinot noir – this is our fifth year working with Tom and Bill Cattrall, and the same block from Tom’s vineyard which sits high in the Eola Amity hills and is one of the coolest sites we work with. The own rooted wadensville clone has been organically farmed from the beginning. We process the fruit with a hands off approach that would allow us to label as such with the exception of SO2. We add a little after fermentation is complete, an amount that would be allowable under EU organic rules, but not in the US.

All that aside – this is a compelling wine – red fruit and spice run from beginning to end all on a frame of 11.2%. As we have begun to introduce this wine to many here at the farm the responses have been enthusiastic and positive, and yes it is true, when we run out of wine from a previous release we pre- release here at the farm. Bill and Tom have an amazing array of equipment that continue to inspire drawings by Clare, this year a different persepective of their grape delivery truck. 136 cases produced, 48 dollars.

2013 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot noir – visiting Lucy and Tom is always a refreshing experience. They take utmost care of their vineyard, deliberating course of action with equal parts education and experience – they have been tending the same vines for over thirty years. The evidence of their work and care is clear – not only in the appearance of the vineyard but the quality of fruit they produce and subsequently the wines. 2013 is no exception, the wine is substantial with all the trappings of past vintages, dark fruit, firm but elegant tannins and fullness yet weightless, all at 11.5%. We enjoy watching chickens here at the farm, we call it chicken TV. Clare has attempted to capture one moment of that here. 211 cases produced, 48 dollars.

2013 Yamhill Carlton Pinot noir – this is a new offering from us and represents the best of what our neighborhood produces. Our property is within the YC AVA and our hope is that the fruit from our property will eventually end up comprising a portion of this wine, although that means we need to get off our asses and plant some vines. For 2013 however the wine is comprised solely from the fruit of the Coats and Whitney vineyard farmed impeccably by Daniel Fey and the team at Results Partners. My two favorite clones are planted on the 7 acre vineyard, pommard and wadensville and a mix of new and used French oak barrels along with some whole cluster fermentation make a distinctive wine. Clare has chosen a theme of Barn drawings for the wine – structures that grace our local landscape and the site of which we cherish. 160 cases produced, 48 dollars.

In contrast to 2013 – 2014 was also a beautiful summer but September was warm and mostly dry, punctuated by a late rain that gave the vines just enough of a drink to finish ripening perfectly. Our first release of 2014, the Laughing Pig Rose is sold out, but not to worry there more wines to come, our Pinot Gris and Edelzwicker are available now, and are just as gorgeous, both from the Wirtz vineyard.

2014 Edelzwicker is the same as 2013 – yet different. For one we bottled it in April but have held on to it until now – something we learned from our first vintage of this wine, 2013, a little time in bottle does wonders and the 14 has proven to be no different. Additionally, while still from the same blocks of Riesling, gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris the ratio of the three is slightly different, there is a little more gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris than Riesling, giving the wine a warm spice component to go with all the floral and fruit components. Barrel fermented in neutral oak to dryness and malolactic complete and per usual bottled without any filtration or fining. Pear blossoms (with a little color) adorn the label. 451 cases produced, 28 dollars.

2014 Pinot gris – we continue to make this wine in the same fashion since 2010. Five years in we still think that using everything the grape has to offer is best. Henceforth it is fermented on the skins and stems, the reddish/grayish grape makes an orange wine that explodes with fruit, body and texture and salinity – seafood, especially fattier versions have always been an amazing accompaniment, I fully expect the 2014 version of this wine to hold up its end of the bargain. Erosion control plants after the construction here at BTF grace the label. 162 cases produced, 32 dollars.

The Farm and Goings On

Spring and summer have been amazing! We have been at BTF now for 9 years this fall, amazing how time flies. Our team has doubled in the last couple years – Tiffany is moving into year three and does a fantastic job, I am sure many of you have heard from her as she keeps the right wine moving in all the right directions. Jeff has helped us in the winery and farm for just over a year now, we depend on both for their hard work to keep things afloat.

We hosted Outstanding in the Field for the second time July 11 and it was maybe even more inspired than the first. The weather was perfect, food amazing and staff exceptional. The wine was OK. Feeding 160 people at one big outdoor table is no small feat. We also participated in the International Pinot Noir Celebration as a featured winery at the end of July, it was great to see old and new customers alike, and is a super event. We poured the Laughing Pig Rosé at Drink pink at Patton valley vineyard to finish the month, also a super fun afternoon focused on rosé.

Thank you to all who have bumped down our dusty road to say hi and buy our wines. I am truly amazed at the steady stream of people who come to see us.

Thank you and cheers! Brian and Clare

For Customers

And for all you loyal fans out there, we have another exciting announcement: We’ve just upgraded our e-commerce system to a new platform that will help us better manage everything from our mailing list to order fulfillment.

What this means for you: your customer accounts will be more secure, the wine ordering process will be simpler, and it will be easier for you to manage your account. To get your account up to date, you only need to do one thing: change your password.

If you are a returning customer of ours, go to this page and enter your email address so that we can send you a link for re-setting your password. Please do this before you shop; it’ll make the checkout process much easier for you!

If you're a new customer, you can create a log-in during the checkout process (after you’ve added wine to your cart and proceeded to checkout).

As always, we thank you so much for your patience and support.

Take a look at the wines we have in stock or go straight to the online wine shop