Three Feathers Partner, Elise Prudhomme, at Vinexpo Paris 2024
From Vineyard to Vinexpo: Three Feather’s Big Moment in Paris 2024
Elise and François had a fabulous time in 2023 at the Vinexpo trade show in Paris Porte de Versailles so they decided to attend again this year. Porte de Versailles has a homey feel to it that attracts buyers and tasters from around the world. Paris is such a lovely city to visit so people often combine business with pleasure.
François at Vinexpo Paris 2024
The Oregon Wine Board (OWB) is diligent in spreading the word worldwide about Oregon Wine and this encourages us to participate. It was a happy bunch of exhibitors, ranging from well-known Stoller and Cristom to smaller brands such as ourselves, that set up stand this year in Paris to welcome importers, distributors, WSET students, wine shop owners, etc.
Alongside the California Wine Institute, other wine producing states were present including Virginia, for the first time, and New York.
We presented Three Feathers 2021 and 2022 wines to a steady stream of visitors. It was a pleasure to share ideas and stories with professionals from around the world. We also met fellow exhibitors and tried their wines.
We were also graced with a visit from the US Ambassador to France, Denise Campbell Bauer. Elise has met Ambassador Bauer at several occasions and was pleased to pose for a photo with her and Agricultural Counselor David Leishman.
We are thrilled to have been featured in the Vinexpo Paris Masterclass entitled Oregon Uncorked: A Journey Through the State’s Top Terroirs. Konstantin Baum, Master of Wine, took us on a fascinating visit of the styles and structures of Oregon wines. His presentation included a fascinating topography of Chehalem Mountains wines, including our Three Feathers 2021 Pinot Gris!
Konstantin Baum, German Master of Wine, presents Three Feathers Chehalem Mountains Pinot Gris 2021
This fairy tale French Château is home of Three Feathers Partner Elise Prudhomme’s new photograpy exhibition
Exclusive Look: Three Feathers Partner Elise Prudhomme’s New Photography Exhibition at Château des Ravalet, Cotentin, France
Before heading to Oregon for her biannual visit, Three Feather partner Elise Prudhomme is exhibiting a new body of photographic work entitled Coast-in-tint, Portrait of a Landscape.
The City of Cherbourg gave her the freedom of choice with regards to subject matter and exhibition venue. Elise chose to exhibit her landscapes of the North Cotentin at the celebrated Château des Ravalet in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France. This beautifully proportioned castle boasts a botanical garden, greenhouse and arboretum that bear the French label of excellence “Jardin Remarquable”, or Remarkable Garden. It is particularly poignant that Elise’s exhibition be shown here, as Remarkable Gardens are a favorite theme of hers.
Elise Prudhomme (right) with the Mayor of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Madame Catherine Gentile (left)
This unique exhibition offers a new look at the landscapes of North Cotentin.
The exhibition “Coast-in-tint | Portrait of a Landscape” at the Château des Ravalet, brings together the photographic works of Élise Prudhomme. It presents around fifty prints from artisanal methods to illustrate the multiple facets of the landscapes of North Cotentin. Metals noble tones (gold, silver, palladium) give varied tones to the images – sepia, Prussian blue, deep warm black – which alternate with color impressions in order to highlight a “new picturesque”.
How to photograph the quest for exoticism and renewal that characterizes this stretch of coastline?
The results of the technical prowess of a few passionate scholars in the adaptation of numerous plant species from diverse biotopes, such as that of the Canary Islands, have spread to gardens and coastal areas where they consume the landscape with appetite. They offer a new aesthetic in these places preserved from urbanization and rub shoulders with artifacts from the Second World War and Neolithic remains.
However, there is a resilience of nature which allows an attractive continuity of the landscape. The granite and monolithic coastal strip is an impassable border where man cannot leave his mark. Both a vector of transformation and a protected target, the Cotentin coastline still remains desirable.
Facade of Château des Ravalet, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Normandy, France. This Château is home to a Remarkable Garden with arboretum, greenhouse (French label of excellence).
Elise has been working with alternative photographic printing processes for several years now, including cyanotype, kallitype and platinotype. She is currently working with a four-color printing process in a wet darkroom which involves multiple layers of color suspended in gum arabic on watercolor paper. An example of this quad-chrome printing process is shown below.
Elise explores Historic Photographic Processes with a Modern Vision
From documenting natural and artificial landscapes to exploring ideas of place, Élise Prudhomme’s work focuses on our evolving relationship with the environment. The themes of territory, human intervention and transformation guide her in the search for unpredictable and intriguing scenes, bordering on the iconic.
Using large format film cameras, chamber and pinhole, she creates unique visual pieces like her panoramic photographs, whose multiple points of view anchor the emotions felt in the memory. The spirit of the place takes precedence over visual perception, evoking encounters, events experienced, and the lights that compose it. It is in her photographic laboratory that Élise Prudhomme highlights these landscapes and experiments with ancient processes which, like the efforts of botanists, are the fruit of a long continuum of learning.
Coast-in-tint, Portrait of a Landscape – Exhibition Views
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.
Garden Party Open House – Featured Wines
This year we are featuring the 2022 vintages of our Pinot POP and Pinot Gris, as well as the 2021 Pinot Madeleine and 2018 Reserve 667. The ever popular lightly sparkling Three Feathers Pinot POP is a festive addition to any table, as it marries well with savory and sweet.
If you have not yet tried our 2022 vintage Pinot Gris, this is an excellent opportunity – floral and elegant, with citrus notes.
The 2021 Pinot Madeleine – awarded 90 points by James Suckling, is a monoclonal expression of our rare Précoce grape. It is aging beautifully in the bottle. Enjoy it with our Open House buffet!
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
2021 Cuvée Virginia (left) and 2018 Reserve 667 (right) with a delectable Chocolate Fudge Avocado Cake (middle)!
Finally, don’t miss out on the tasting of our exceptional 2018 Reserve 667. Only 48 cases were made of this special vintage, aged 18 months in neutral oak.
Enjoy Three Feathers Wines in a Beautiful Setting
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”.
These complimentary tastings are great opportunity to try and purchase a selection of Three Feathers Wines, such as our 2021 Pinot Gris and 2020 Pinot Madeleine.
Raising a Glass to our Patrons: A Year-End Thank You & Season’s Greetings!
Happy Holidays!
The team at Three Feathers Estate & Vineyards wish to thank all of our Club Members (old and new), Newsletter Followers, Vendors and the many people who came to the farm to enjoy personal tastings, for the appreciation of our wines that was reflected in a considerable increase in sales for 2023.
We wish Everyone the Very Best this Holiday Season and hope to see even more of you in 2024.
Get to Know the Riveting Origin of Three Feathers Pinot POP!
Pinot POP! owes it’s beginnings to the 2020 vineyard growing season, which will go down in Oregon Wine history as the Year of the Fires. This is an unspoken topic in the Industry, as many vineyards suffered huge losses from smoke taint in their grapes. Wines produced that year are assumed to have smoke taint, even if they don’t.
Pinot Noir grapes are most susceptible to smoke due to their thin skins. Since red wine is made from grape juice aged with the skins, in the case of smoke exposure skin contact intensifies the smoky taste. In white wine making, the grapes are typically pressed immediately so the juice does not come into contact with the skins for as long.
At Three Feathers, we had been unaffected by fire for most of the 2020 season because of our location and altitude. Smoke, like frost, tends to linger in the valleys so we hoped to escape the problem. The season had been warm and dry, creating a superior crop of grapes and yields were high. The plants were loaded with fruit.
We took a usual pre-harvest break in Utah and were happily vacationing there when the bad news came in. Neighbors to the north of us, on Chehalem Mountains, had a celebratory bonfire. They neglected to put it out completely and during the night of Labor Day, the winds picked up and rekindled the fire sweeping it south, over the mountain. Helicopters dropping water were brought in. The area was evacuated including many farm animals. The fire could be seen from Three Feathers in ominous red clouds. One change of wind direction and we would be in flames.
We were saved by the power of those winds and the power of the fire fighters!
Later, we could see that strong winds had swept the fire so fast up the gorge on Chehalem Mountains that the ground was scorched but the tops of the trees were not touched. Several months later, the burning was barely noticeable.
Following the panic of this event, we found ourselves faced with tough decisions about what to do with our Pinot Noir. At Three Feathers, we do not like waste and if our grapes were not picked or used it would have been a terrible waste.
Our first vintage of Pinot Gris was harvested and we made a superior award-winning wine that sold out. We also picked our early-ripening Pinot Madeleine and made our first vintage single-clone wine which received 90 points from James Suckling.
Beautiful red-heads Laura and Hattie in charge of the presses at Lady Hill Winery, Saint Paul, Oregon.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention – the creation of Pinot POP!
Our biggest concern was the Pommard Block. This Pinot Noir grape is always the last to ripen and the plants were loaded with fruit. Firm believers in the idea that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”, we decided to try something new : Pinot POP!
The Pommard grapes were harvested very early and treated like any red wine – crushed and aged on the skins for a few weeks. Then the resulting juice was transferred to stainless steel vats where it remained for 10 months before bottling. At this point, the wine was force-carbonated to create a sparkling red wine and sealed with a pop-off cider bottle cap.
Three Feathers Pinot POP! coming down the assembly line after bottling.
The concept of Pinot POP! was to create a whimsical non-vintage “bubbly” at a reasonable price and market it to young buyers with a hip eye-catching label. We assigned the task of creating the label to our 19-year old grandson, Felix Prudhomme who is an aspiring graphic designer. With a bit of family input, he succeeded and then some!
Felix Prudhomme at work
Felix enjoying a laugh.
Pinot POP! a Success Story
Pinot POP! was selling off the shelves quickly. Due to popular demand, we decided to make this sparkling wine again in 2022. We had already sold out of the original vintage by the time the 2022 vintage was ready.
Three years later, Three Feathers Pinot POP! remains one of our most popular products, thus marking a Happy Ending to a very challenging vineyard growing season.
Photo by Michael Alberty, published in The Oregonian, including Three Feathers Pinot POP.
Taste the Magic of Three Feathers Wines: Unveiling the Secrets to Holiday Pairing Perfection
Taste the Magic of Three Feathers Wines with this delicious selection of recipes and pairing ideas! This Holiday Season is a lovely opportunity to plan some inspirational menus and share wines with Friends and Family.
Stay tuned for the article in the Oregon Wine Press on Holiday Wines & Pairings featuring Three Feathers!
We include a helpful, but not extensive, list of pairing ideas to get your taste buds flowing and inspire your Holiday wine purchases.
Bon appétit!
Pairing with Three Feathers Pinot POP
Three Feathers Pinot POP pairs perfectly as a starter with Homemade Rabbit Pâté
2022 Pinot POP
Three Feathers Pinot POP is a versatile, lightly sparkling Pinot Noir that pairs with a variety of dishes from fruit salad to Barbecue. Wow! That’s quite a gamut… but indeed, the red raspberry, strawberry notes accompany foods that are similar on the palette as well as contrasting. Casual or dressed up, we have tested Pinot POP with pâtés, spicy Asian, Cajun ribs and tiramisu and it came through every time.
Pairing Ideas: Spicy or Smoked dishes – Thai, Cajun, Barbecue, Charcuterie & Cheese Boards, Fruit Salad, Fruit desserts, Tiramisu
“Pinot POP” catches the eye with a fuchsia color that matches its aromas of red raspberries and strawberry bubble gum. Its slightly off-dry red cherry and nectarine fruit flavors intersect with traces of chamomile, lemon and fresh-baked brioche. The bubbles feel soft and lazy on the palate.
We currently propose two vintages of Estate Pinot Gris; 2021 and 2022. As our style of wine-making emphasizes the growing season, each wine is somewhat different coming from the same vineyard block.
Our 2021 Pinot Gris awakens the palette with floral notes and a juicy acidity. Our 2022 Pinot Gris is light, dry and elegant, with citrus and grapefruit notes – reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc.
Excellent to drink on their own, at the beginning of an evening or with a starter, these wines will carry through to entree and dessert with success. For white wine drinkers and Pinot Gris lovers, these wines are a MUST HAVE for the holiday season. Taste the Magic of Three Feathers Pinot Gris!
Pairing Ideas: Goat cheese, Fish and Shellfish (think Dungeness crab), Poultry & Wild Poultry, Vegetarian dishes, Cheese fondue
Chocolate Fudge Avocado Cake paired with Three Feathers 2021 Cuvée Virginia & 2018 Reserve 667
2016 Estate Pinot Noir
Our first Pinot Noir vintage dates from 2016, which was a cooler growing season that resulted in a French-style burgundy (single-clone) which pairs beautifully with oh so many foods with a lovely nose and round finish.
2017 & 2018 Cuvée Virginia | 2018 Reserve 667
In 2017 and 2018, we experienced warmer temperatures and less rain. The grapes matured to perfection and flavors were condensed. These vintages, from which we made the 2017 Cuvée Virginia & 2018 Cuvée Virginia (Estate Blends) and 2018 Reserve 667 (single-clone), come as close to the description “big Pinot” that will perhaps ever get given our high-elevation sites. Deep and bold, with a warm bouquet of spices and cocoa, these wines are customer favorites.
2019 Estate Pinot Noir
Our 2019 Pinot Noir is a cooler climate single-clone wine that has been very popular for its light-bodied expression with black tea tannins. This wine has practically sold out, so take advantage of the few cases in stock during our Holiday Sale!
Tasting Notes:
Interesting and savory, the nose reminds of sun-brewed black tea with lemon, fruity strawberry, pipe tobacco, sweet grass and light caramel. The aromas integrate into a flavor medley in this light-bodied, bright wine with black tea leaf-flavored tannins.
OREGON WINE PRESS
Clementine Cake with Three Feathers 2019 Estate Pinot Noir
2020 & 2021 Pinot Madeleine
In 2020 and 2021, we introduced a new Pinot Noir grape to our portfolio – Pinot Madeleine. A rare old-word clone of Pinot Noir, this early ripening grape reveals a fascinating expression as a single-clone wine but is also an excellent addition to our Estate Blends. The 2020 Pinot Madeleine single-clone wine is complex and very smooth with a lingering finish while the 2021 Pinot Madeleine is a bit feistier. Both are unique to Oregon, as we do not know of another grower that has this particular grape.
2021 Madeleine – Tasting Notes:
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
Smoked Duck Weber-style with Roasted Root Vegetables and Three Feathers 2021 Pinot Madeleine
2021 Cuvée Virginia
Our 2021 Cuvée Virginia is our third barrel-selected Estate Blend that sports a percentage of Pinot Madeleine, attributing to its unique character with sleek cherry and raspberry notes. This year’s Cuvée drinks easily by itself or with a range of dishes.
Tasting Notes:
… Attractive cherries and raspberries and hints of spicy herbs, blue flowers and spice orange peel. Medium-bodied with sleek cherries and crunchy acidity.
JamesSuckling.com
Dungeness Crab with Asparagus and Gratin Potatoes with Three Feathers 2021 Cuvée Virginia
Pairing Ideas: Smoked Turkey or Duck, Pork, Lamb, Beef, Eggplant Parmesan, Mushroom Risotto, Cheese plate, Charcuterie, Pasta and Legume dishes
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”.
