USA / Oregon
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2017 Division-Villages Béton

Division Winemaking Co.

Oregon

Lightly smoky and peppery nose with gorgeous dark berries across the mid-palate and mouth-coating tannins that are grippy but not overwhelming. Juicy and low alcohol with the spirit of a red blend from the Loire Valley.


Viticulture

The Applegate Valley AVA in southern Oregon has become a favorite for us due to it’s unique granitic bedrock and it’s microclimate that is warmer and drier than the Willamette Valley, but cooler and wetter than the greater Rogue Valley to the east. The Applegate has proved to us to be a perfect region for the Loire clones of Cabernet Franc we have come to love so much. Herb Quady is one of the best growers in the region, if not the state, who is doing all the right things for the terroir there, including organic farming techniques and very well thought out and judicious irrigation use. His own Quady North Vineyard and the Serra Vineyard, which he also farms, sit in the hills above the Applegate river. We anchor our Béton bistro style red blend with Cabernet Franc from both of these, as well as the Côt (AKA Loire Malbec) portion from the Serra Vineyard. The Gamay component comes from Rebecca’s Vineyard, planted in 1987, which located in the northern Umpqua, has been a quiet beacon of the Gamay grapes’ capabilities outside of the Willamette Valley.


Vinification

With the winemaking for the “Béton,” we independently fermented most of the components, including one carbonic fermentation (Serra Cabernet Franc in concrete) and three traditional destemmed fermentations (Rebecca’s Gamay, the Quady Cabernet Franc, and the Serra Côt) to create a balance between the fruity carbonic wine with more nuanced and finessed traditional fermented wine. For the all the lots, we utilized spontaneous fermentation or a pied de cuve buildup from the native flora in each vineyard. Each of the ferments were fairly lengthy (with the exception of the Côt) and lasted about 25-35 days on the skins, with the wines being pressed off ranging from early to late October. Per the name of this of this Loire style red, all of the parts were blended post pressing and aged in concrete (AKA Béton).