Description
Division Winemaking Company is Portland, Oregon based urban winery founded in 2010 by Kate Norris and Thomas Monroe. Inspired by the wineries of Loire, Beaujolais, Burgundy, and the Northern Rhône (where they first learned winemaking and viticulture), Division crafts approachable and balanced wines though minimal manipulation. Tom and Kate have a passion to work with well-farmed, terroir-expressive vineyards, many of which are organic and/or biodynamic, celebrating the varietals the winemakers loves to drink.
Our Pinot Noir vineyards are farmed with a focus on sustainability, and our mission to work with only organically and/or Biodynamically farmed and 100% free of herbicides sites is a point of great importance to us - with all but one vineyard in this bottling being so . Our oldest vines and first site, the Eola Springs Vineyard has completed its multiyear transition to Biodynamic and organic principled farming while still being treated conventionally for Phylloxera (there’s no organic treatment) in the old vines.
All the separate Pinot lots were fermented either spontaneously or via a pied de cuve (vineyard native yeast cultivation) build up. We utilized varying techniques, including a significant portions of whole cluster in some of the Cassin, Bjornson, Eola-Springs and Armstrong ferments and an all whole cluster carbonic fermentation with one each of the Johan and Cassin ferments - aiming to diversify the styles and texture of the juice and provide more spice, nuance and nerve in the wine. The Old World dynamics of 2019 were as perfect as we’ve seen and in play with out winemaking style shines through in this bottling.
We aged the wine in French oak and a small amount of Austrian Oak, approximately 15% in new barrels and puncheons, for 9 months before being racked to concrete tanks for about one month before bottling. We made only two very small sulfite additions during the Spring and again just before bottling.
The aromatics are savory and significant while ethereal at the same time. A deep spicy earthy undertone in the nose of the wine features ripe strawberries, cherries and dark earth tones. The palate is lithe and unique with a balance of fresh herbs, wild berry concentration and mid-palate minerality—it really delivers for a base level Pinot. Drink up now or wait a few months, years, etc., but don’t miss this one!
