Harvested Pinot Noir grapes from Three Feathers Vineyard
Harvest Highlights – An Amazing Vineyard Season Finale
Harvest, which marks the end of our vineyard season, came earlier than expected in 2023. This demonstrates the variability from year to year and the value in the uniqueness of each vintage.
Not only did extended warm dry weather all summer bring fruit to ripen early, we also experienced an abrupt end to the drought with four days of heavy rain at the end of September.
Christine and picking crew working on leaf removal at Torio Vineyard.
Our first pick at Torio Vineyard took place on September 5th, or a full month earlier than in 2022. Fortunately, our last pick – at Three Feathers Vineyard – was scheduled on September 21st. Since the forecast announced rain for the next few days after this date, we called in an extra crew and picked the whole vineyard in one day.
Although yields were comparatively light, we were able to ripen all fruit to the desired levels and pick the entire vineyards.
Foreman Scott loading picking bins onto trailer at Three Feathers Vineyard.
Needless to say, it was a real scramble to get the crew, bins and transport, but we did it and couldn’t be more pleased!
What’s next at Three Feathers?
We dedicate the month of October to vineyard chores, such as planting a cover crop of winter peas and crimson clover to boost nitrogen.
We were assisted this year in our wine sales and marketing by our Partner Elise Prudhomme, and her husband François, who visited from France for eight weeks with our grandson Felix. They put in a lot of hours in the vineyards, prospected new wine accounts in the area and helped at tastings with Sandra, our Sales and Marketing Manager.
This additional activity has broadened our audience and expanded our list of Club Members. Stay tuned for our Holiday Season online sale and upcoming press article!
Private Tastings at the Vineyard
We have been hosting private tastings at our Torio Vineyard site this year. Notably, the faculty of City View Charter Schools in Hillsboro: a group of 36 came and spend the day enjoying themselves over a glass of Three Feathers Wine before school opened.
Impressive meet-up and wine tasting at Three Feathers by the faculty of City View Charter Schools in Hillsboro.
We also held two successful Wine Tasting Open House events for Club Members. Everyone enjoyed the warm welcome extended by the family as the tastings are held in our home gardens.
We anticipate the weather to be unpredictable from now on so we are putting private tastings on “pause” until next spring. We certainly look forward to see everyone again next April! Contact us to book in advance.
Join us for our 2023 Harvest Party Wine Tasting Open House
Sunday, September 17th, 2023 from 12 noon to 5 pm | Tasting fee $35
19569 SW Finnigan Hill Road Hillsboro, OR 97123
Harvest Party at Three Feathers – Visit the Vineyards and Taste our Pinots
This year’s Harvest Party Wine Tasting Open House is scheduled for mid-September to take advantage of the peak of the season in the gardens.
Our annual fall wine tasting event gives you a rare opportunity to visit with Family and Friends of Three Feathers Vineyard, taste wines straight from the site and relax in a tranquil setting. Bring your friends, come early and stay all day.
Harvest will be just days away, so you could also sample some grapes right off the vine!
Harvest Party 2023 will be debuting the 2022 Pinot Gris
Our 2023 Harvest Party will be debuting the 2022 Pinot Gris, a crisp dry vintage with citrus notes.
Also bottled this spring, the 2022 Pinot POP which has been flying off the store shelves.
Featured Reds will be the last of the 2019 Pinot Noir. This wine is now only available to Club Members and Open House guests, and as a contrast, the 2021 Cuvee Virginia.
We will offer delicious home prepared food to accompany your experience.
This event is a rare opportunity to sample delicious Burgundy-style Pinots and to taste and purchase our wines.
We look forward to sharing our production with you!
From Hillsboro 219 South to SW Bald Peak Road. Turn right onto Bald Peak Road. Drive approximately 6 miles, pass Bald Peak Park on your right. Turn left onto Finnigan Hill Road (gravel road) about 1 mile past the park. Address is the second driveway on the left on Finnigan Hill.
From Beaverton Take Route 10, Farmington Road, south to 219. Turn left onto 219 and take the first right turn onto Bald Peak Road. Drive approximately 6 miles, pass Bald Peak Park on your right. Turn left onto Finnigan Hill Road (gravel road) about 1 mile past the park. Address is the second driveway on the left on Finnigan Hill.
From Newberg Go North on 219 out of downtown Newberg approximately 2 miles. Turn left onto Bald Peak Road. Drive approximately 4 miles on Bald Peak Road. Continue on Bald Peak Road past the blinking red light about half a mile. Turn right onto Finnigan Hill Road (gravel road). Address is the second driveway on the left on Finnigan Hill.
About Three Feathers
Three Feathers wines are the product of our unique location, soil, elevation and micro-climate. These elements combined make our wines different from any other. Every vine is nurtured on wind blown soil high in the Chehalem Mountains.
We produce handcrafted, small-lot wines using 100% Estate Grown Grapes. Tending the vines can often be intimidating but there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the efforts we make produce succulent clusters of grapes that with the magic of wine making become the “Nectar of the Gods”.
Lines on the Vines | Three Feathers 2023 Vineyard Growing Season
The last time we wrote about the 2023 Vineyard Growing Season was in February – March. Now we are magically in July, and the plants are growing out of the trellises. We are busy thinning pruning and getting the vines out of the way of the tractors. How did we get here, I wonder?
Block One of Three Feathers Vineyard in July 2023
As always, the 2023 vineyard tale is unique. I tell everyone that Oregon does not have a wet climate, as most people believe; rather we have a wet season and a dry season.
We experienced record rains in April and May leading to a late bud break. Dormancy on Three Feathers Vineyard ended May 7 and in Torio Vineyard, our high-elevation site, not until May 15.
Three Feathers crew moving wires at Torio Vineyard
There was concern that we would once again have a late harvest as in 2022, but mid-May brought warmer temperatures and a few heat bursts that spurred the vines ahead fast. Our plants started blooming by June 15.
Pre-blooming Pinot Noir Clusters clone 667 at Three Feathers Vineyard
Blooming Pinot Noir Grape Clusters (the clusters are self-pollinating) at Three Feathers Estate
Pinot Noir 115 clusters growing steadily in 2023
Lines on the Vines – Moving Forward to Harvest
Although not early, or even average, the prognosis now is that we will be harvesting at a normal time of mid-September to early October.
We have had only a trace of rain since June 1st, now we are in our dry season and it could stay like this throughout the summer. This gives us an excellent chance to have superior fruit.
Many plants had lighter foliage and growth to start with but now, with the temperatures here in the 70-80 range, they are growing well and catching up. The challenge is keeping the uneven growth in the trellises and out of the aisles.
François working in our Précoce Block of Torio Vineyard
Elise moving wires and removing leaves in the Précoce Block of Torio Vineyard
Fruit set looks exceptionally good and we have managed to keep the fruit load even and neither too light nor too heavy.
As you know, it is a long way until harvest and a lot can happen in that time. Just as the birds are making their nests in our vines and watching over their babies, we continue to closely monitor the plants and will give you another report soon.
Vineyard tractor and hedger working in Torio Vineyard
Listen Up! Three Feathers Featured on Wine Crush Podcast – Season 6 Episode 7
On June 2nd, the women of Three Feathers met up with Heidi Moore in her McMinnville studio for an interview on Wine Crush Podcast. Heidi made us feel extremely comfortable and welcome in her studio, along with co-guest Leigh Brown of Lolati Wines.
We hope that you enjoy listening to this podcast (our interview starts 30 minutes into the podcast, after the intermission) as much as we enjoyed making the interview!
Toasted wheat, honey, white clover flowers and a hint of ginger spice mark the nose. A slight sweetness is balanced with fresh acid. Toasted wheat, honey and clover spice repeat, joined by subtle peach and pineapple.
– Oregon Wine Press
This wine has been one of our best-sellers yet. It is a lovely fresh wine to drink without food and it pairs beautifully with seafood, cheese (yes, white wine can be delicious with a cheese plate), pasta and poultry.
Spaghetti Marco Polo | A Three Feather’s Family Favorite by Julia Child
Mister Rogers and Julia Child made an adorable video with Chef Don Brockett presenting this simple and wholesome pasta dish that Julia called “Spaghetti Marco Polo”. In her particular way of speaking, she presents this recipe so that children can make it with their parents. The idea is that the parents do the chopping and the kids assemble the dish. She also teaches you how to cure a new cutting board with olive oil.
This clip aired in 1974 on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and while Elise and Cynthia were too young to appreciate it at the time, they must have seen a re-run…. Christine wrote this recipe down in our recipe card file and it quickly became a family favorite.
Spaghetti Marco Polo – the recipe
Ingredients:
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped black olives (or green olives with pimentos)
1/2 cup chopped red pimento
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh green onions (scallions)
2 cans of good quality tuna in olive oil
1 12-ounce package of spaghetti
1-2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Feel free to alter the quantities shown depending on how many people are eating and personal preferences.
Preparation:
Assemble the ingredients and chop, grate, prepare them individually. The tuna should be separated into flakes and the scallions should be finely chopped.
Heat a large pot with several quarts of salted water until boiling.
Prepare the Marco Polo “sauce” by combining the chopped ingredients into a large bowl. Walnuts, tuna, scallions, parsley, then the pimentos and cheese last.
Cook the spaghetti using the instructions for time on the package, drain and add butter and olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the pasta until the butter melts and add the toppings little by little, carefully integrating them into the pasta.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Warm spaghetti with salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, canned tuna in oil, chopped red pimentos, green scallions, black olives, walnuts, grated cheese and parsley are combined in a hearty, satisfying meal that brings pasta to a new level. Children and adults alike will dig into this dish. Accompany with a fresh bottle of Three Feathers Blanc de Noirs.
This is your invitation to the most enjoyable wine tasting afternoon in the entire Willamette Valley. Good wine, good food, good company and no reservation needed for the most comfortable seating. Come early and spend the day, share the gardens, the vineyard vistas and meet the family.
Three Feathers 2022 Pinot POP barrel tasting
New Release! 2022 Pinot Gris and Pinot POP
This year we will be featuring our newly bottled Pinot POP. This sparkling burgundy was so popular that it sold out this year. Our 2022 vintage is even better. Bold, earthy and bubbly it is created from our Three Feathers Pinot Noir, aged in stainless steel and then force carbonated for an affordable sparkling wine for every occasion. The eye-catching label was the creation of our 17 year old grandson, a budding graphic artist.
Three Feathers 2020 Pinot Gris with Torio Vineyard in the background
Memorial Weekend Flight List
In addition, we will be tasting the 2021 Pinot Gris – can’t have too much of a good thing!
2021 Pinot Gris – Notes of dried apples and yellow buckthorn, with bread crumbs and praline. Medium-bodied and dry with crunchy acidity.
JamesSuckling.com
Our Red wine offering will be the 2021 Madeleine – awarded 90 points by James Suckling – and the 2021 Cuvée Virginia. 2021 was a very good year here and we think you will agree. The Cuvée was carefully blended from Estate grown Pinot Noir including some Précoce; it is a home run out of the bottle – full-bodied and complex.
2021 Cuvée Virginia – Attractive cherries and raspberries and hints of spicy herbs, blue flowers and a spiced orange peel. Medium-bodied with sleek cherries and crunchy acidity.
JamesSuckling.com
The Madeleine, from our rare small-berried early-ripening clone, is smooth and balanced with a lovely finish.
2021 Madeleine – Notes of cherries and dried strawberries with ground-spice and moist-earth undertones. Medium-bodied, juicy and sleek with red-fruit character and a flavorful finish.
JamesSuckling.com
All of our wines are made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes grown on our two high-elevation Chehalem Mountains sites. The mineral flavors and bright acidity are preserved and enhanced by aging in Neutral Oak.
This event is a rare opportunity to sample delicious Burgundy-style Pinots and to taste and purchase our wines which are exclusively available online and at select locations.
Enjoy an intimate tasting experience with the family and friends of Three Feathers Vineyard. We will be savoring a light buffet accompanied by select wines from our Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir production. Relax in the gardens and enjoy the fabulous views.
Directions to 19569 SW Finnigan Hill Road From Hillsboro 219 South to SW Bald Peak Road. Turn right onto Bald Peak Road. Drive approximately 6 miles, pass Bald Peak Park on your right. Turn left onto Finnigan Hill Road (gravel road) about 1 mile past the park. Address is the second driveway on the left on Finnigan Hill.
From Beaverton Take Route 10, Farmington Road, south to 219. Turn left onto 219 and take the first right turn onto Bald Peak Road. Drive approximately 6 miles, pass Bald Peak Park on your right. Turn left onto Finnigan Hill Road (gravel road) about 1 mile past the park. Address is the second driveway on the left on Finnigan Hill.
From Newberg Go North on 219 out of downtown Newberg approximately 2 miles. Turn left onto Bald Peak Road. Drive approximately 4 miles on Bald Peak Road. Continue on Bald Peak Road past the blinking red light about half a mile. Turn right onto Finnigan Hill Road (gravel road). Address is the second driveway on the left on Finnigan Hill.
About Three Feathers
Three Feathers wines are the product of our unique location, soil, elevation and micro-climate. These elements combined make our wines different from any other. Every vine is nurtured on wind blown soil high in the Chehalem Mountains.
We produce handcrafted, small-lot wines using 100% Estate Grown Grapes. Tending the vines can often be intimidating but there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the efforts we make produce succulent clusters of grapes that with the magic of wine making become the “Nectar of the Gods”.
New Vintages! 2022 Three Feathers Wines for pre-release
New Vintages for 2022 – our Pinot Gris and Pinot POP – are in the making!
We are scheduled to bottle our 2022 Pinot Gris in April 2023. The 2022 was a shorter, cooler vintage so wines are necessarily drier giving the Pinot Gris a fresh, mineral flavor reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc. We age our Pinot Gris in stainless steel to offer the best possible opportunity for the fruit to shine without being overwhelmed by oak tannins.
Oregon Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer used to be the only white wine alternative to Oregon Pinot Noir. Then growers found a Chardonnay vine that would do well in our cool climate and many pulled out their Pinot Gris vines and replaced them with Chardonnay.
These days, Pinot Gris production in the Willamette Valley is down and demand is up. We will release this new vintage at our annual May 28th Memorial Weekend Open House.
Barrel tasting 2022 unfiltered Pinot POP (left) next to finished 2020 Pinot POP (right)
Our 2020 Pinot POP is almost Sold Out, so we are bottling 200 cases of 2022 Pinot POP in May! This extremely popular sparkling Pinot Noir fills the niche for a reasonably priced accompaniment to full-flavored occasions such as barbecues and spiced dishes. The grapes are processed like normal red wine with the skins intact in vats and then aged in stainless for six months.
POP the Top and Enjoy!
When bottled, this wine is force-carbonated by bubble expert John Casteel of Casteel Custom Bottling and bottled in classic cider-style bottles with a pop cap and labeled with our whimsical POP label. The POP concept was ours and the label was designed by our 18-year old grandson, an aspiring graphic artist. It is an eye-catching nod to the comic book genre.
These best-selling Three Feathers Wines are currently available throughout Oregon – consult our Find our Wines page for details.
Winter Weather on Chehalem Mountains | The Springtime Cometh?
In January and February 2023 we experienced normal Oregon winter weather. Rain and moderate temperatures with some stretches of dry days – enough to get the vineyards pruned.
For some reason, we always seem to get a break in February and think that winter is subsiding and spring is here. This year, in mid-February, we received wave after wave of rain storms, wind and – on Chehalem Mountains – snow. This pattern has continued for weeks and snow even reached the valley floor in the Portland area.
At first, the snowfall looked pretty like a winter postcard and we enjoyed the views of the gardens and the enormous fir trees iced with a frosty coating. Temperatures remained low, so the melting was gradual over days and the roofs formed icicles.
After a few days, however, the “thrill was gone”. Even though we did not receive more than 10-12” it was hard to get out to plow our long drive and the snow became ice and slush, keeping us home for several days and canceling plans. We were making deliveries in our pick-up truck as our other vehicles could not get through.
The unblemished snow made it easy to see where the animals were hiding. Rabbits, raccoons and squirrels were making tracks to shelter and whatever food they could find. The deer were no where to be seen as they hunkered down in the woods where there was some grass. For now, I don’t have worry about them eating my tulips that are coming up!
Grapevine Winter Dormancy
The snow and cold temperatures are great thing for the vines; slow release moisture for the plants and killing off unwanted pests. In their dormancy stage, grapevines are protected by cold temperatures which prevent bud break from happening too early and allow the plants time for the next growth cycle. There will be plenty of moisture to replenish and clean the soil, reduce fire hazards, replenish aquifers and reduce weeds….
It is now mid-March, and we are ready for this winter weather pattern to stop. The Springtime Cometh?
Three Feathers Wines came to Paris, France on February 13 – 15, 2023 during Wine Paris & Vinexpo 2023. François and I feel privileged to have participated in this International Trade Show along with well-established vineyards such as Adelsheim, Cristom, Domaine Drouhin and Grochau Cellars.
Oregon and New York State were invited to share space with the California Wine Institute who retrieved their exhibition stand from Dusseldorf (ProWein) for the occasion. Complete with refrigerators, which happily eliminated the need for ice buckets, we were in close quarters but comfortably so.
Construction of the exhibition park at Porte de Versailles dates back to 1923 when the traditional “Foire de Paris” (commercial fair) was first held there. Situated just outside of Paris, with seven pavilions to welcome exhibitors, the park underwent a 10 year renovation which will culminate with the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. This Old World exhibition center welcomed New World wines from California, New York and Oregon for the first time this year.
Free tasting section at the International Pavilion
Compared to the other exhibition spaces, Hall 3 – designated as the International Pavilion – felt conducive to wine tasting. Spacious and well-lit, this quickly accessible building opened its arms to several thousand visitors over three full days, including the US Ambassador of France, Denise Campbell Bauer whose charming visit rounded off our previous tasting her residence in Paris in May 2022. (An interesting tidbit is that the US Embassy in Paris is considering building a library of New World wines in their French Commissary!)
A steady flow of wine tasters from diverse wine-related professions came to taste Three Feathers Wines, including our Austrian and German neighbors who stopped by to exchange notes, curious about our Pinot Madeleine which is a clone they grow regularly.
Three Feathers Wines in Masterclass by Elaine Chukan Brown
Continuing education about wine did not end with wine tasting; however, as this international trade show presented a hefty Masterclass program. Speakers from around the world presented their knowledge and wisdom about a large variety of wines, included well-known speaker Elaine Chukan Brown acting on behalf of New World wineries. This Masterclass sold out and was standing room only, however we managed to listen in.
Elaine Chukan Brown before her Masterclass “Chardonnay and Pinots from the Willamette Valley”
In a 1-hour presentation about Oregon Chardonnay and Willamette Valley Pinots, Elaine gave a fascinating description of the topographical elements surrounding Oregon Pinots, including our Pinot Madeleine. According to Elaine, our high-elevation situation in the volcanic Willamette Valley, on the Eastern side of the Chehalem Mountain / nested Laurelwood District AVA, presents very interesting soil features:
Three Fathers Pinot Madeleine Paris Vinexpo 2023 Masterclass
Wine 4 is a Three Feathers Pinot, back here in the belly of the dinosaur, the Chehalem Mountains. And remember I pointed out in beginning that the whole dinosaur belly, the Eastern side of the Chehalem Mountains, is facing the northeast – but remember, too, that means it’s facing the Columbia River.
Columbia River Impact
The Columbia River is an extremely powerful, strong, large river that has carved this winding gorge. Some of you may have heard of the Columbia Gorge, another wine region in this area. But the reason that matters is because a gorge is a long, narrow funnel that wind will blast through. And so that Eastern side of the Chehalem Mountains is very unique in the region because, again it is a steep slope facing that Columbia Gorge that wind is blasting through and depositing sand onto the Chehalem Mountains.
Laurelwood District AVA
So the Eastern side of the Chehalem Mountains, the area that this winery is from, is now called the Laurelwood District AVA. So Laurelwood is nested within Chehalem Mountains and it is planted entirely in windblown loess which is windblown sand. The idea that earth literally blows through the air and forms entirely new regions blows my mind. Sorry, I did not intend that pun – it was totally accidental, but it worked.
Okay, so again, the entire Eastern side of the Chehalem Mountains is windblown loess. So it’s sand that has not been softened by water; very, very coarse rough-sided sand. It can be as much as several meters deep and then underneath is that hard bedrock of basalt again. So if your vines are old enough, they’ll work through this kind of water impoverished topsoil of sand and eventually embed in the water holding capacity of the basalt.
Three Feathers Pinot Madeleine
… The entire feeling of this wine is very different in my mind. Again, if you go back to the first Pinot, you get that iron almost bloody element. This one is more like “bing” – like pure red “bing” – the acid character is very different, the tannic character is very different. Sandy soils, if the wine is not over-extracted it will often create an almost melting tannin. There will be tannin there but it melts through the mouth….
This is a unique clonal selection – that’s the other thing about this particular Pinot, the second of the Pinots, is Pinot Madeleine. Früburgunder, it’s also called Précoce – this is a unique German clonal selection of Pinot. Tends to grow with smaller berries, smaller clusters and it’s been seen as having a very different character than other Pinot selections although it is Pinot. There are not a lot of producers outside of Central Europe that actually make wine fully from this clonal selection, so this is an interesting opportunity to taste that.
Partial Transcript from Masterclass “Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of the Willamette Valley” given by Elaine Chukan Brown
We extend heartfelt thanks to the folks at the Oregon Wine Board – Margaret and Tom – for their careful and attentive organization of this event. In our opinion, Vinexpo Paris was a successful and popular venue; we will participate again!
