Iris Vineyards in Oregon's Southern Willamette Valley Kakheti is one of the important wine regions of Georgia. The Saperavi red grape is one of 500+ indigenous grapes in Georgia, and is grown on cinnamonic soil, a combination of iron and clay with cinnamon-like consistency.
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The wine is naturally fermented with indigenous yeast, and the producer has 20+ qvevri on three terraces and the wine, over 10 months, makes its way down via gravity to the lower qvevri, and in this cases ends up in #11. In other words, the wine is born, matures, and resides in the qvervi. The wines are fermented and stored in these large vessels, undergoing four weeks of maceration. This wine is produced in Georgia, in qvevri, or large clay earthenware vessels, an 8000-year-old tradition. Wow, this pummeled my palate with its boldness. This inky dark purple wine was truly a mouthful, with intense tannins and acid along with layers of intense purple fruit, camphor, peppercorns, and cured meat. In May 2016 Björnson Vineyard was thrilled to receive the Salmon-Safe “Hero of Salmon” Award celebrating habitat enhancement and commitment to ecologically sustainable viticulture at the LIVE annual meeting.The closest representation was the Papara Valley "Qvevri 11" Kakheti-Saperavi 2020. Pattie and Mark are grateful to their family, and the Oregon Winemaking Community for their ongoing support.Īccolades for Björnson Wines *** James SucklingĢ016 Havlin Pinot Noir: 90 Points Wine SpectatorĢ012 Björnson Pinot Noir: 91 Points LIVE “Hero of Salmon” Award Today, the team is rounded out with Aaron Svechenko as Tasting Room Manager and Nancy Morrow as Wine Club Manager. In 2019, Scott Sabbadini was brought on as head winemaker with a resume that includes Domaine Roy Et Fils in Oregon and the heavily decorated Maryhill Winery in Washington. In 2017, they completed the Björnson Vineyard Tasting Room, and expanded their team to support their wine growing endeavors: Gerry Rasch, Director of Sales and Paul Futrell, Vineyard Manager. To support the development of Björnson Vineyard, Mark maintains a full-time day-job, but he hopes to become a full-time farmer soon. Mark’s focus is primarily on managing the vineyard and grape sales, but he also sits in on wine blending trials, and is an expert repair technician all aspects of the vineyard and winery. Now Pattie’s primary focus is on Winemaking and Business Management. The wine production area was completed days before the 2014 grapes were harvested, and she quickly shifted gears from General Contractor to Winemaker – scrambling to outfit the winery with necessary winemaking tools and equipment. During this time, they also studied viticulture and enology at Chemeketa Community College’s Wine Studies Center, and made many friends in the wine industry through their involvement with the Willamette Valley Wine Growers Group and Eola-Amity Hills AVA.įrom 2011-2013, Pattie worked as an intern for Ben Casteel at nearby Bethel Heights Winery, and starting in the spring of 2013, she managed the construction of Björnson Vineyard winery. Immediately they set to work, planting the 28-acre vineyard from 2006-2012, and naming the four main vineyard blocks after their children.
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Within months, their long-term vision began to take shape when they purchased a scenic 107-acre parcel in the Eola-Amity Hills – complete with forests, creeks and a 20-foot waterfall. They married, raised four children, and worked in the Twin Cities until Mark’s job took them to Oregon in 2005.
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Their journey began in 1985 at the University of Minnesota when they dreamed of someday living in the country, raising a large family and farming. Mark and Pattie Björnson are the grower-winemaker team, and founders of Björnson Vineyard.