Loop de Loop winery, Pinot Noir 2021, Columbia Gorge, OR

This easy-drinking Burgundian-style Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Columbia Gorge has a balance of fruit, minerality, and earthiness.   

COUNTRY: USA

STATE: Oregon

APPELLATION (AVA): Columbia Gorge

REGION: Underwood Mountain

VINEYARD(S): Light Anthology Vineyard (formerly known as Underwood Mountain Vineyard), Pear Ridge (formerly known as Acadia Vineyard)

VINTAGE: 2021

GRAPES: 100% Pinot Noir

SOIL: Well-draining volcanic loess and loam

PRACTICE: Organic, regenerative

VINIFICATION: Fermented 35% whole-cluster, direct press into neutral-oak barrels, aged on the lees for 14 months.

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Medium ruby

BODY: Light to medium

TASTE: Dry

TANNINS: Silky

PRIMARY AROMAS: Cinnamon, wild strawberries, cherry

FLAVOR: Wild mushrooms, forest floor, minerality, soft, elegant 

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

SERVICE AND FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTION: Pair with a charcuterie plate, with a side of mostarda. 

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Julia Bailey Gulstine

“Winemaker and owner Julia Bailey named her label Loop de Loop because it mirrored her own trajectory as a winemaker. Time spent working in restaurants in Portland led to an interest in wine, and she headed to Europe to explore wine regions in France and Italy. Back in Oregon, she went to work at wineries, landing at Argyle before becoming the first employee hired at Patricia Green, a famous biodynamic Oregon producer. After gaining more experience from travel, working as a wine buyer and becoming certified as a sommelier, she started her own label in 2012.”*

ABOUT THE VINEYARD: Light Anthology Vineyard and Pear Ridge Vineyard

“Loop de Loop wines’ Light Anthology Vineyard, sits at 1250 feet on Underwood Mountain, with a panoramic view of the Columbia River and Mount Hood. Formerly known as the Underwood Mountain Vineyard, It was planted in 2001 by Joe and Jack Brady. [...] The Light Anthology Vineyard is our 9 acre, organically farmed vineyard that Scott farms meticulously – practicing regenerative farming. [...] The soils from the extinct shield volcano of Underwood Mountain are made up of well-draining volcanic loess and loam. These soils are unique to Pacific Northwest wine regions. They can be as deep as 80 feet and retain moisture well, allowing us to dry farm at our Vineyard. The vines have deep roots that extend up to 30 feet deep in the nearly rock-free soil. Wines from Underwood Mountain consistently show unique mineral characteristics, along with brighter acidity lending way to Burgundian and Alsation characteristics.

“Light Anthology Vineyard is just across the river from Hood River, about an hour’s drive from Portland, in the Columbia Gorge AVA. This AVA spans Oregon and Washington, and encompasses an incredible array of microclimates. Our site enjoys the last of the wetter maritime weather from the west. As you travel east from Underwood Mountain, you lose an inch of annual rainfall for every mile making this site distinctly different than vineyards found just East of us. Light Anthology Vineyard is a magical site, benefiting from the sun exposure of a Southeast-facing slope, the temperature moderation of the Columbia River, and the maritime influence from the Pacific.” (loopdeloopvintner.com)

“Pear Ridge Vineyard [is] an organically farmed site just a couple miles from us. It is planted at up to 1400 ft in elevation and faces due south.” (loopdeloopvintner.com) 

ABOUT THE LABEL: Label art by Lauren Moon.