What do you make
of a winery with an Executive Tasting Panel whose titles include "Director
of Philosophical Enology", "Director
for Contra-indicator of Good Ideas" and "Head Dope"?
Or whose business model is "stay reasonable"?
720 Cellars is one of a delightful breed of new Northwest
wineries headed by mostly '30 something generation wine lovers whose
passion for wine is energizing the Oregon and Washington wine scene.
This new generation of winemaker comes in many guises, but common to
all is a willingness to grab the gusto and live life on their own terms.
Whether they grew up in the NW, or were attracted to the NW by rural
life, the ecological focus, or the wines themselves, they are starting
small wine businesses, often keeping their day jobs while crafting
some dang good plonk.
Chris Heider, owner,
winemaker, chief cook and bottle washer of 720 Cellars Winery, is
affable, witty, and smart as a whip. He lives in the woods of the
South Willamette, managing a full time job, family (he and his wife
have three kids), and a 720 case a year winery out of his 720 square
foot facility at 720 Wyatt Lane. He's never worked for other wineries,
learning the craft via "hard
knocks, mostly by tasting, talking to people, and books", says
Chris. He makes clean, bright, balanced wines that are dang good deals
in price and quality.
"The trick is to not care about what the
market says but care about what the vintage says- after you harvest,
all you can do is screw it up" says Chris. He advocates minimal
intervention in winemaking, and he's fanatical that the fruit he works
with being clean and perfect when it arrives at the winery.
Chris Heider, 720 Cellars
A chemist by training (Oregon State '94) and bio resource
researcher (day job), Chris's background in chemistry shows in the
winery. He keeps a nice balance of sound technique and respect for
the wine's own character in his winemaking.
Clambering over racks
of barrels to offer tastes, he describes his blending regime - and
you can see where his success stems --- Chris draws a diverse group
of winemakers, wine buyers, and wine lovers to his "Executive Tasting Panel" with whom he tastes
a range of barrels and blends in the search for the best expression
of his winery's vintage. The panel may have funny names and work for
free wine and hats ("hats -- not yet", he says mischievously, "but
they will come") but when it comes to the wine, all gets serious.
Chris creates blends of barrels of various ages and
blends of different blocks and vineyard sources, then tastes with his
panel, and returns to the blends 4-6 weeks later for re tasting and
more discussion. The process continues all season, and ends with a
final, rigorous process of selecting only the appropriate barrels for
each wine. All of this is not unusual for a winery, but for a one man
band of 720 Cellars' size, it shows a seriousness of purpose that comes
through in the wines, and is rare in such a small, new facility. Chris
may be operating on a shoestring (and hats) but the wines seem like
they were made at a much larger, fancier facility.
A wine of assertive volume, ripe fruit, deep soil minerals, and balanced vine maturity, this wine is worthy of time in the glass while you work on your list of favorite adjectives. Sourced exclusiv
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Deliciously juicy black berry and black cherry dressed with dusky cinnamon spice. Blue berry and anise flourishes appear near the finish, then more black cherry lingers on. The 720 Pinot has the
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100% organically grown grapes from Croft Vineyard. Bright acidity, lovely nose of honeyed fruit and minerals. Flavors of sweet honeysuckle, crisp citrus, creamy pear, hints of tangerine, and a clean, ...read more
The 720 Cellars Or'Deaux Claret 04--a favorite pick for winter wine. Inviting black fruits, tobacco, baking spices, and green peppercorns prepare you for a mouthful of black cherry, plum, and cas
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Cuvee Corvallis Pinot noir for Beaver Believers features aromas of dark berries and truffled spices. Bright black berry, blueberry, and candied cherry flavors are complemented by a dried thyme not
