2021 Joe Swick 'Bring It’

Region: Oregon < USA

Grapes: 60% Pinot Noir | 20% Syrah | 5% Grenache Noir | 5% Mourvedre | 5% Touriga Nacional | 5% Gewurztraminer

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic farming; high elevation vineyards on sandy loam soils; grapes are hand-harvested and whole bunches ferment semi-carbonically in 500-liter barrels with daily foot-stomping; skin macerated for about 30 days before pressing. The wine goes into 500-liter 5-year-old barrels for about 9 months of elevage; bottled unfined, unfiltered, no added sulfites; 12.8% ABV

Winemaker: Joe Swick

MOUNTAIN MAGIC:  Raw wine from Washington State vineyards at 1650 feet - you’ve seen Twilight, this place is all about the mountains and the rain and the crazy shit that happens in the wild, green forests.  

Joe Swick is a 5th generation Oregonian winemaker who is somewhat of a natural wine pioneer in the Pacific Northwest. After traveling and working in wine all over, he returned to Oregon to start his own label in 2013. Like many young natural winemakers, he doesn’t own any vineyards but sources grapes from organic or biodynamic vineyards in the Willamette and Columbia Valleys of Oregon and Washington.  He makes a bunch of different bottles, most with no added So2, and all with cheeky names. Like this red + white blend called 'Bring It' that Joe describes this way: "Bring It is always a representation of the vintage as a whole at Swick Wines. The 2021 harvest brought us some amazingly complex Pinot Noir from top-notch terroir that we used the base for this wine. Syrah contributes smoke and leather, Touriga brings the dark cherry, and Gewürztraminer adds a floral aromatic embellishment." So the blend changes every year, but remains a Pinot Noir dominant blend for that Oregonian flair. 

The resulting light, juicy red is always one of our faves, and this vintage might be Joe's best yet.  Like many of its low-ABV, high-acidity brethren, is especially tasty after a quick stint in the fridge.  After the initial pop of bright red and citrus fruit, you get intriguing notes of forest and flint, and vibrant acidity, it’s refreshing and easy to drink, but not simple.  This would be an amazing wine with (or before) your holiday dinner!