2022 Division 'L'Orange'

Region: Oregon + Washington < USA

Grapes: PINOT GRIS 44% | RIESLING 14% | ROUSSANNE 9% | CHENIN BLANC 9% | GEWÜRZTRAMINER 8% | SAUVIGNON BLANC 8% | CHARDONNAY 5% | ALIGOTÉ 3%

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming (in certification process); mineral intense soils formed from volcanic Miocene uplift against basalt bedrock that is layered with a primary topsoil being made up of quartz and lime-silica. Roussanne + Riesling spend 30 days skins then the additional white grapes (whose skin times range from 1 to 21 days) are layered in. Each ferment is aged separately in old barrels and stainless steel for about 8 months; bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal SO2; 13% ABV

Winemaker: Kate Norris and Tom Monroe

Division Wine Company is part of Oregon's new guard of wine, making
authentic, soulful and low-intervention wines from organic,
terroir-driven vineyard sites in Oregon and Washington State.  After
leaving their jobs in New York, owners Kate and Tom moved to France to
work harvests in the Loire Valley, Beaujolais, and Burgundy.  Inspired
by these wines, they moved to Oregon in 2010 to start Division to
produce similarly stylistic wines with modest alcohol, bright acidity,
less extraction, and minimal manipulation.  A couple of years later,
the couple co-founded a production facility/wine bar in southeast
Portland called the Southeast Wine Collective, which serves as an
co-op for several small-production winemakers; previous alumni include
Scott and Dana Frank (Bow & Arrow Wines) and Barnaby and Olga Tuttle
(Teutonic  Wine Company).

The grapes for L’Orange came from several vineyards around the Northwest and while our start in the vineyards was rocky, this was the first year since 2018 that all of the sites were harvested in ideal conditions and without complications like wildfires, mildew, or drought. Kate explains the magic behind this gorgeous pumpkin-hued elixir: "We’ve learned from ten years of skin contact fermentations on white grapes that coaxing the most desirable characteristics requires knowing how long to keep each one on the skins. For us, the contrast of savory and aromatic varieties makes for intriguing yet approachable skin contact white wines.  We’ve come to love the co-ferment of Roussanne and Riesling, which sees the most time on skins - nearly 30 days. This duo anchors the texture of this bottling, giving it depth and texture.  Then we layer a bunch of other white grape varieties and macerations (“skin contact”) to harmoniously land on a truly special wine! Along with notes of peach and thyme, we can't help but notice a touch of eucalyptus in the wine, connecting it to artist Camille Shu's "Eucs".

And what a special orange wine they've made -- aromatic, richly textured, yet approachable.  Not tannic or desert-dry but floral and autumnal, with dried apricots, savory herbs and a touch of ripe, juicy peach.  STAFF FAVE