FRIENDS & FAMILY FALL 2023 ALLOCATION

Hello Friends and Family -
 
Greetings from the Hazelfern fam! We hope that you had an amazing Summer and are as excited for the Holiday season as we are. 

Here at the winery, we’re grateful that harvest 2023 is officially a wrap! After a warm and very dry summer here in the Willamette Valley, we had an earlier than average harvest this year. We had two amazing interns join our team in August, and we literally started picking fruit for our first ever sparkling wine the day after they started – ready, set, go! After last year’s incredibly late harvest that went into November, we are thankful to be done before Halloween this year. All the new 2023 wines are resting in barrels, and we’re excited to cozy up for the holidays, enjoy some delicious wine, and share some amazing food with good people!

Enough about this year – let’s talk about the amazing new wines we have to share with you this Fall from the 2021 vintage (one of my faves!).

Follow along on Instagram for regular updates from the farm!
 
Fall Friends & Family Wine Allocation:
 

First up is our second-ever bottling of Pinot Noir from the vineyard Bryan and I planted here at the Hazelfern barn. It’s been so fun to see this dream of growing our very own wine from the vines we planted become a reality, and we’re SO EXCITED to share the delicious results! The 2021 “The Hazelfern Vineyard” Pinot Noir is another stunner (and was just awarded 96 points in it’s very first critic review!).

We’re also excited to share a very special Pinot Noir from Flanerie Vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA. This is our first Pinot we’ve produced from Ribbon Ridge, and we love the old-world elegance, rustic spice, and minerality this wine brings to the dinner table. This wine is a special one-off, so enjoy it while it lasts.

This Fall, we're also excited to share two special bottles of single-vineyard Syrahs from the Walla Walla Valley. As much as we love Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, we have also fallen in love with terroir driven, single-vineyard Syrah, and we love having a red that's just a little bigger than Pinot Noir on our holiday tables.

Your first bottle of Syrah is our next rendition of Syrah from Les Collines Vineyard – a high elevation vineyard in the Blue Mountains east of Walla Walla. We pick our Syrah from this vineyard on the early side to retain freshness, acidity, and elegance, and the new Les Collines Vineyard Syrah will be a delicious addition to your dinner tables.

Your second bottle of Syrah is from Stoney Vine Vineyard in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, a nested AVA in the Walla Walla Valley on the Oregon-side of the border. The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater was recently named by Wine Spectator as the most distinctive wine growing region in the United States, as the vines are literally planted on the cobblestones of the old Walla Walla River bed. The vines really struggle here, and the grapes are small and concentrated. We love the texture of this wine, and the stoney and savory tones as a contrast to our Les Collines Vineyard Syrah. This is a very limited bottling from Hazelfern (just 40 cases!), and we really hope you enjoy it.

We also have a few very limited new wines for your holiday tables that we’re offering to our Friends & Fam: 2022 Winter Rosé, 2022 Trousseau, and our 2022 Gamay Noir. Due to the frost in 2022, quantities are smaller than ever, so don’t sit on these beauties as they are extremely limited.

Your Friends & Family Fall allocation includes six bottles from the exceptional and age-worthy 2021 vintage:

• (qty. 2) 2021 Pinot Noir, The Hazelfern Vineyard (Friends & Family $60/bottle)

• (qty. 2) 2021 Pinot Noir, Flanerie Vineyard, Ribbon Ridge (Friends & Family $50/bottle)

• (qty. 1) 2021 Syrah, Les Collines Vineyard (Friends & Family $50/bottle)

• (qty. 1) 2021 Syrah, Stoney Vine Vineyard (Friends & Family $50/bottle)

Be sure to check-out Bryan’s winemaking and tasting notes below.

In addition to the wines we’ve made for Friends & Family, we’re excited to offer some limited edition wines for your holiday tables including this year's release of Winter Rosé, and our brand new Gamay Noir and Trousseau! Due to the frost in 2022, quantities are smaller than ever, so don’t sit on these beauties as they are extremely limited (just 35 cases of Trousseau!!)

'Tis the Season for Winter Rosé!  Rosé isn't just for Summer you guys, and we've purposefully been making this barrel-aged rosé to pair with heartier winter meals since 2015. Winter Rosé features aromas of salted cranberry, rose water, orange peel, savory herbs, and hibiscus flowers. This barrel-aged rosé is fresh and fruit forward yet savory, with vibrant acidity and a fuller-bodied texture – perfect for pairing with roasted meats and winter vegetables. Winter Rosé is also perfect for Holiday gifting!

Additional wines available this Fall:

• NEW: 2022 Winter Rosé, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $20/bottle: Regularly $29/bottle)

• NEW: 2022 Trousseau, Chehalem Mountains (Friends & Family $35/bottle: Regularly $45/bottle

• NEW: 2022 Gamay Noir, Chehalem Mountains (Friends & Family $35/bottle: Regularly $45/bottle

• 2021 Chardonnay, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $30/bottle: Regularly $39/bottle) 94 Points

• 2021 Chardonnay, Prime Cut (Friends & Family $62/bottle: Regularly $75/bottle) 97 Points

• 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $30/bottle: Regularly $39/bottle)  93 Points

• 2021 Pinot Noir, Prime Cut (Friends & Family $75/bottle: Regularly $85/bottle) 98 Points

UPDATE YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS, CREDIT CARD, AND/OR ORDER ADDITIONAL WINES HERE

Fresh News:

• HAZELFERN'S NEW VINEYARD PROJECT!: This past Spring, we we're able to acquire a new property at the top of Shea Vineyard and Gran Moraine in the Yamhill-Carlton District AVA for future vineyard planting. This will be a very long-term project for Team Hazelfern (Laura and Bryan) as we develop the vineyard slowly and sustainably, and we'll be sure to keep you posted over on Instagram as we put in LOTS of sweat equity over in Yamhill.

• NEW HAZELFERN ACCOLADES:

  • International Wine Report, Oregon Report:

    • 98 Points & Editors Choice: 2021 Hazelfern Pinot Noir, Prime Cut - "This is a Pinot Noir that exemplifies how this varietal can be made in Oregon to compete with some of the best wines of Burgundy. Incredibly balanced and refined on the palate with silky smooth tannins and lush lemony acidity, leading to a finish that flirts with perfection"

    • 96 Points: 2021 Hazelfern Pinot Noir, The Hazelfern Vineyard

    • 96 Points: 2021 Hazelfern Pinot Noir, Three Cedars Vineyard

    • 93 Points: 2021 Hazelfern Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

    • 97 Points: 2021 Hazelfern Chardonnay, Prime Cut

    • 96 Points: 2021 Hazelfern Chardonnay, Rock Block

    • 95 Points: 2021 Hazelfern Chardonnay, Stormy Morning Vineyard

    • 94 Points: 2021 Hazelfern Chardonnay, Willamette Valley

We are truly grateful for all your continued support and enthusiasm for Hazelfern! Hope to see you back in the barn soon.
 
Thanks!
-Laura, Bryan, Adalyn, Ava, Gus & Sadie

About the 2021 Vintage in the Willamette Valley:

2021 will go down as a vintage of extremes that magically produced fruit with perfect balance in the end! 

The 2021 vintage was set-up with a warmer than average winter save for an epic ice storm on February 15th. That knocked out power to several areas of the Willamette Valley for over a week. With generally mild winter conditions, bud break occurred 2-3 weeks earlier than average here at Hazelfern on April 5th.

After a warm and sunny May, early June brought scattered showers during flowering. The rains knocked flowers off the vines reducing fruit set and naturally thinning yields to about 75% of normal. After the early June rains, the weather turned extremely warm and dry for the rest of summer with no rain for 95 days into early September. 

Heat Waves: The Willamette Valley endured two extreme heatwaves with temperatures reaching 116 degrees – hot enough that we attempted to fry eggs on the driveway here at the winery on June 28th! The second heat wave arrived in August, and we sprayed our vines with clay to retain freshness and shade the ripening grapes from sun burn. 

The magic arrived in September! Refreshing rains finally arrived in early-September just before the grapes had finished ripening providing the vines with a metabolism boost that resulted in ripe sugars balanced with perfect acidity. Despite the hot and dry summer, the 2021 wines are elegant, bright, age-worthy, very complex, and we’re so excited to finally share them with you! 

About the 2021 Vintage in the Walla Walla Valley:

2021 in the Walla Walla Valley featured warm temperatures like the Willamette Valley, lower than average yields, and overall good quality. 2021 is considered to be either the first or second warmest vintage on record (neck and neck with 2015).

Bud break was slightly early starting on March 31st. Extreme heat and warm winds during bloom led to lower yields, small berry size and smaller than average clusters. The rest of the growing season continued to be warm, and we harvested Syrah starting in early September.

Even though the vintage was warm, the grapes retained good acidity and we were able to make fresh wines by picking on the earlier side.

(qty. 2) 2021 Pinot Noir, The Hazelfern Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley
*$70 / $60 (Friends & Family)

I’m so excited to share our second-ever Pinot Noir from the vines we planted here at the Hazelfern barn in 2015. Our first Pinot Noir vintage was in 2019, and we skipped 2020 due to smoke impact. It sure has been rewarding to see these vines grow up and discover the personality of this wine.
 
Living here on the property and doing a lot of the farming myself, I get to interact with these vines every day throughout the growing season. Each year, I watch them grow and adjust to the weather, and I start to think about how I want to make the resulting wine starting early in the season. With 2021 having two weekends of extreme heat, I ended up spraying the vines in our home vineyard with clay to help them avoid sun burn and retain their quality and acidity.
 
The vineyard here is planted on Jory (volcanic) soil, and in the Willamette Valley, we like to say that red volcanic soils produce red fruited and elegant wines. Now that we’ve completed the 2023 harvest, and I’ve had a chance to make wines from these vines for several vintages, it’s safe to say that the consistent fruit profile is spiced red plum and the wines are showing good depth and minerality on the finish.
 
This wine represents our entire journey as 1st generation farmers and winemakers, and I really hope you enjoy it!

Tasting Notes:
 
Elegance and grace from our estate vineyard. Aromas of farm fresh black plums, wild red currants, rose petals, and dried thyme, are accented by savory tones of blackberry bramble, walnut shell, cardamom and a rush of baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.
 
Delicious with:  salty cheeses, mushrooms, and pork chops
 
100% Pinot Noir
13.0% alcohol

Geek out:

• Aged 12 months in 100% French Oak (25% new oak)

• Featured clones: Pommard, Wädenswil, Mt Eden, Dijon 113, 115 and 667

• 6-day cold soak

• 14-day fermentation

• pH: 3.60

• Unfined and Unfiltered

Vineyard Facts:

The Hazelfern Vineyard:

• Located on-site in Newberg, OR at the Hazelfern Barn

• Clones: Pommard, Wadenswil, Mt Eden, and Dijon clones 113, 115, and 667 planted in 2015

• Dry farmed and farmed using organic practices

• Soil: Jory (volcanic)

• Elevation: 475 feet

(qty. 2) 2021 Pinot Noir, Flanerie Vineyard, Ribbon Ridge, Willamette Valley
*$60 / $50 (Friends & Family)

In 2021, we had the chance to work with a block of Pommard clone Pinot Noir at Flanerie Vineyard on the eastern slopes of Ribbon Ridge, which is a short eight-minute drive from the Hazelfern barn. Ribbon Ridge is a nested AVA within the Chehalem Mountains, and wines from this area tend to be complex, rustic, and old world in style (my fave!). 
 
The vineyard was planted in 2003 on ancient Willakenzie soils (marine sedimentary), and the coarser grain, sandy soils lend themselves to wines with age-worthy structure and complexity. I decided to lean in to the rusticity of the site by fermenting a portion of the grapes as 100% whole cluster with all the woody stems included in the ferment. The rest of the fruit was destemmed and fermented in our typical style, and the final wine was a blend of those two ferments with 35% of the wine coming from the whole cluster ferment.
 
The resulting wine is very interesting and unique – I could smell it all day long. The color is very delicate, but the wine has plenty of liveliness, spice, and minerality on the palate with a very gratifying finish. She’s a beauty, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Tasting Notes:
 
She’s spicy, exotic, and luxurious. Red Santa Rosa plums, dried cherries, purple violas, and bergamot orange, are accented by herbes de provence, cozy spices, and sandalwood. Imagine the feeling of acquiring a new luxury handbag. Yeah, that’s this wine. ;-)

Delicious with: comté cheese, rack of lamb, poultry

100% Pinot Noir
13.2% alcohol
 
Geek out:

• Aged 16 months in 100% French Oak (18% new oak)

• Featured clones: Pommard

• 5-day cold soak

• 14-day fermentation

• 35% whole cluster

• pH: 3.64

• Unfined and Unfiltered

Vineyard Facts:

Flanerie Vineyard:

• Clones: Pommard planted in 2003

• Dry farmed using organic farming practices

• Ribbon Ridge AVA nested in the Chehalem Mountains

• Soil: Willakenzie (marine sedimentary) with glacial stones

• Elevation: 250 ft

(qty. 1) 2021 Syrah, Les Collines Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley
*$60 / $50 (Friends & Family)

I fell in love with wine as an ingredient on the dinner table shared with family and friends. With that in mind, I always like to have a "bigger red" in our line-up for pairing with heartier meals, and I'm thrilled to share our 2021 Les Collines Vineyard Syrah with you!

Les Collines is an extremely sought after vineyard that is famous for its Syrah, and I jumped at the opportunity to work with the site when they reached out to us about partnering in 2017. The site is located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains east of Walla Walla on a dirt road that makes up the Oregon/Washington border. Being higher in elevation, the vineyard has great airflow that helps protect it from frost in the winter, and keeps the temperatures more moderate in Summer (a good thing in a hot vintage like 2021!). The soils are deep and composed of wind blown (loess) silt loam with even drainage and deep roots. Syrah from Les Collines is famous for its purple to black fruit qualities, minerality, lively acidity, and well balanced tannin structure - all things that a food loving "Pinot Noir maker" loves in my wines!

With all of my wines, I have food in mind when I am making them. I approach big reds with a Pinot Noir maker's mindset and this Syrah is no different. I pick the fruit on the earlier side to maintain fresh fruitiness, lively acidity, and balanced alcohol levels - all important factors when pairing a wine with food. Fermentation happened in small open top containers at low temperatures with an aim at light extraction and complex aromatics rather than big heavy jam flavors.

Tasting Notes:

Complex, layered, and elegant! Aromas of boysenberry, blueberry, El Dorado black plum, and wild blackberry are accented by scents of star anise, violets, fresh earth, thyme, and baking spices. On the palate, this wine has a juicy dark fruit core and notes of cedar pencil shavings, dried rose petal, and cocoa powder dust.

Delicious with: bleu cheese, grilled veggies, and grilled meats
 
100% Syrah
13.5% alcohol
 

Geek out:

• Aged 22 months in 100% French Oak (37% new oak)

• Featured Clones: Phelps

• 6-day cold soak

• 20-day fermentation

• 75% Whole Cluster fermentation

• pH: 3.85

• Unfined and unfiltered

Vineyard Facts:
 
Les Collines Vineyard:

• Sustainable LIVE Certified and Salmon-Safe practices

• Walla Walla Valley AVA in the foothills of the Blue Mountains SE of Walla Walla, WA

• Soil: Wind-blown silt loam

• Syrah planted in 2001

• Elevation: 1250 feet

(qty. 1) 2021 Syrah, Stoney Vine Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley
*$60 / $50 (Friends & Family)

I've really loved making terroir driven Syrah from Les Collines Vineyard since 2017, and I wanted to add a second complimentary Syrah from the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. I've really enjoyed the unique savory and stoney characteristics from other winemakers' wines from "The Rocks," and in 2020 I wanted to take a crack at making one myself.

The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater is a very small AVA that is nested within the Walla Valley AVA, but resides on the Oregon side of the border. The vines are literally planted on the dried up cobblestone bed of the Walla Walla River. The vines have to work very hard here, and the resulting wines are incredibly unique - they have a velvety texture with more savory tones like olives and stones. It's so much fun to compare this wine side by side with the Les Collines Syrah as they are so different - Syrah is very terroir driven, just like Pinot Noir is!

With this wine, I fermented the grapes with 60% whole clusters to push the texture, spice, and savory tones, and I aged the wine in neutral French Oak barrels (0% new oak), as I believe that new oak tends to mask the unique terroir of Rocks Syrah. I love this wine, and really hope you enjoy it too.

Tasting Notes:

Textured, savory, and unique! Aromas of black plum, mandarin orange rind, stones, and olive tapenade are accented by scents of star anise, coriander, charcoal, graphite, white pepper, and Himalayan sea salt. On the palate, this wine is velvety soft with a nice balance of acidity and tannins that carry a gratifying finish.

Delicious with: gruyère cheese, filet mignon, rack of lamb
 
100% Syrah
13.0% alcohol
 
Geek out:

• Aged 22 months in 100% French Oak (0% new oak)

• Featured Clones: Shiraz 07

• 5-day cold soak

• 18-day fermentation

• 60% Whole Cluster fermentation

• pH: 3.97

• Unfined and unfiltered

Vineyard Facts:
 
Stoney Vine Vineyard:

• The land is formed by the ancient bed of the Walla Walla River

• The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA nested on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA

• Soil: Freewater Very Cobbly Loam

• Syrah planted in 2007

• Elevation: 850 feet

UPDATE YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS, CREDIT CARD, AND/OR ORDER ADDITIONAL WINES HERE