Winemaker Notes
Some do not see how the use of draft horses, grazing livestock and poultry in the vineyard, or infinite hours of meticulous hand labor can create a wine that is more unique, intense and full of life. Stephen doesn't understand how it couldn't.
Stephen often says his wines are made cluster by cluster. Growing wine one cluster at a time is a mentality, and a different one at that. It means starting small and staying small. It means countless hours of work that can only be done by hand. Going slower. It means that many times a season he personally touches, inspects, admires and yes, loves every single beautiful cluster. It means rigid culling without regard to my pocketbook.
This attention to detail is inspired by love for his life's work. Stephen is not a landowner overseeing the operations of a vineyard. He is the operations and a part of Antiquum Farm.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.