Impossibly Tan 2019

This is a Pinot Grigio of a different color. We mean that quite literally—the wine was made with 16 days of maceration on its skins, just as a traditional red wine would be. The result is a bottle that rides the dividing line between light red and “orange” wine. After all, Pinot Gris/Grigio (the grape) is neither red, like Pinot Noir, nor white like Blanc.

Ultimately, this is a wine that’s both fascinating and delicious, categories be damned. A light red/orange color belies a serious structure, with present tannin and zesty acidity, which frames dried-strawberry fruit meshed with savory herbs, minerals and a bit of earthiness. The slight, negroni-like bitterness makes for a wine that excels with food, and has turned into our secret-pairing-weapon since bottling. You could drink this with anything from a salad to a pork roast and the wine will make it taste better.

The grapes for Impossibly Tan come from Yamhill Springs Vineyard, a site that lies in the foothills of the Willamette Valley’s coast range, with the cool climate that implies. It’s been organically farmed since it was planted in the early 90’s, a benefit to our hands-off approach in the cellar.

The grapes were fermented with native yeasts in an open-top fermenter on their skins, giving up their color and tannins over 16 days, before pressing. We then aged the wine for ten months in older oak barrels to allow for complexity to develop before bottling in September 2020.

68 cases produced - (Sold Out)