Swick Wines "Only Zuul" Oregon, United States 2022

FROM SWICK WINES:

THE WINE: 50% Pinot Gris. 50% Gewurtztraminer. Both grape varieties were fermented separately, but vinified the same way: macerated on the skins for 60 days before being pressed and aged in a mix of neutral French oak and concrete eggs for ten months. Sulfur at bottling is the only addition to the wine.

THE PRODUCER: A native of Oregon, Joe returned to his home state in 2013 after a decade of working harvests and making wine across the globe. Joe’s ethos is rooted in showcasing the unique cold climate terroirs of the Pacific Northwest using a hands off approach. Swick partners exclusively with organic and biodynamic growers to develop wines that he himself would like to drink -- fresh, lively acidity, with no conventional additives, only adding modest amounts of SO2 on select wines when absolutely necessary.

Swick Wines integrate themselves into a movement looking to rewrite the history of West Coast winemaking. Joe uses a number of minimal intervention techniques from experimentation in skin-contact to field blends to Pét-Nats. Swick works with historically farmed regional varieties such as Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc and Grenache and experiments with non-native grapes such as Verdelho, Melon de Bourgogne and Touriga Nacional. What ends up in the glass are energetic, vins de soif with a freshness and balanced acidity that reflect their artist, terroir, and space in time -- each year bringing new wines and a new approach. You never know what surprises you might find with Swick.