FEATURE | ltd+ innovation Franc, consisting of two California clones that create flavors of blue fruit and olive, and one Loire clone, which brings raspberry to the mix. They use whole cluster fermentation on their Cab Franc. Since this fruit ripens later at the end of the season, the stems are ripened and brown, which bolsters the tannin profile, adding a nice sandalwood flavor without any green notes. Chad also uses just about every type of aging vessel imaginable: different woods, including French and Austrian oak, chestnut and acacia; different sizes of fermenters, including the first Chablis barrels; different materials, from stainless vessels and concrete eggs to clay amphorae. Everything is chosen to take advantage of lees and oxygen to maximize flavors and textures. They say climate, social contracts and economic issues are driving farming changes in the Willamette Valley. The Stocks are seeking a business model that uses both what works and what will be best for the environment, considering things like diversity, sustainability, yield and ways to sustain farmers and harvest crews. “Focusing on monoculture grapes creates
a bottleneck economy for labor,” Bree says. Just looking at harvest, since Pinot Noir all ripens around the same time, it puts a strain on picking crews and migrant workers to harvest the grapes all at roughly the same time. But planting grapes like Cabernet Franc, Grenache and Mencia, which ripen at different times, creates year-long vineyard work and sustainable communities. And grapes like Chenin Blanc crop twice as much as Chardonnay, so harvest crews can make considerably more money since their pay is typically determined by how much fruit they pick. David Hill, with different grape varieties that all ripen at different times, has a sevenweek-long harvest season, beginning in September and continuing through the end of October, providing salaried positions with healthcare benefits, creating a more ethically equitable environment, one reason David Hill Vineyards became a certified B Corp, one of only seven wineries in Oregon. Chad is drawn to sites offer both a sense of history and innovation. Eola Springs Vineyard, planted in 1972 by Carl Stevens in the throat of the Van Duzer Corridor, is historic
Photo by Limited Addition
Chad and Bree Stock add dry ice to an amphora of Trousseau Noir from Eola Springs Vineyard in the Eola-Amity AVA to protect the grapes from oxygen before they start wild yeast fermentation; a process calling snowing.
Winter 2020 • Wine Press Northwest
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