Smockshop Band 'Spring Ephemeral' Wines

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In addition to creating wines from their property at Hiyu Wine Farm, Nate and China produce wine under a second label, Smockshop Band. In their own words: "Smockshop Band is an exploration of the Columbia Gorge by the team at Hiyu Wine Farm. The Gorge contains a diverse range of landscapes within a small area. It was this multitude of potential terroirs that drew us to the Gorge. We've been working on developing relationships with growers and landowners who share our vision of farming. We now lease and farm twenty acres of land outside of Hiyu and purchase fruit from an additional few more. All of the vineyards are farmed naturally and allow us access to the full spectrum of possible flavors from high altitude, cool climate sites on the western end of the Gorge to the more Mediterranean, desert-influenced sites to the east."

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2016 Smockshop Band, White Zinfandel 'Spring Ephemeral', Columbia Valley, Oregon $45

 

From a 2.5 acre block of Zinfandel, propagated with pre-prohibition cuttings from 'The Pines' in the Dalles.  This was picked early November from Zinfandel grown at Scorched Earth Vineyard. Like all the fruit from this year the aromas was literally spilling out of the bins as it was picked.  One lot was pressed directly while the other two saw two to four days of skin contact respectively.  The wine was basket pressed into older barrels where it fermented and aged for six months prior to bottling.  

This is a fresh, vibrant and yet still textural Rosé. It’s unusually complex and salty for this sort of wine and finishes with very clear aromatics of dried herbs and pepper.

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2016 Smockshop Band, Pinot Noir 'Spring Ephemeral', Columbia Gorge, Oregon $63

 

This is from a 7 acre vineyard at 625 feet just below panorama point in the east hills of the Hood River Valley.  There were three different fermenters. Two were tread by foot with 100% and 50% whole cluster and 21 days of maceration before pressing. The third was fermented with a submerged cap and 35 days of maceration.  The wines were bottled after 7 months to preserve the fragrance of this early moment in the elevage.

 

2016 Smockshop Band, Red 'Spring Ephemeral', Columbia Valley, Oregon $63

 

This is a very pale, delicate and perfumed blend of equal parts Grenache and Syrah from Scorched Earth Vineyard. The site is located on the banks of the Columbia in the warmer, more desert influenced, eastern side of the Gorge.  The wine was tread gently by foot with 50% whole clusters and pressed after 20 days on the skins.  It was aged in older puncheons.  

Our dinner at Cure Farm will be centered around Nate and China's Smockshop Band 'Spring Ephemeral' wines. Ideally, you'd have one of each of the three wines among your party. Ultimately, of course, your purchase must suit your taste and budget. (Do keep in mind that we will save corks so that you can take unfinished bottles home with you). The wines are available for purchase from the Boulder Wine Merchant, and will be delivered to you at the table. A small delivery and handling fee has been added to the retail price of the bottle. 

 

For insurance reasons, guests may not bring their own alcoholic beverages to a farm dinner.