This dynamite value comes from one of the most exciting up-and-coming producers in Willamette Valley. The '18 Farmhouse is in a generous place, as I found on a recent visit to Granville. Brimming with scrumptious red and black cherries, adding a savory base note with accents of cola spice and whole cluster deliciousness. Already silky and easy to crush, I can only imagine how great it'll be in another month or two. Previously a "neighborhood blend" of three prized Dundee Hills vineyards, Holstein (the family vineyard) and Murto (planted, fittingly, the year Jackson was born), and Anonimo (source for Mo Ayoub, who is Holstein’s neighbor), the '18 adds a new twist in Eichler Vineyard, a high elevation site in the Eola-Amity Hills that Jackson planted and is quite excited about.
As winemaker Jackson Holstein says, after earning an allowance in the vineyards, he decided to spend adulthood in the industry that raised him. Jackson is the son of Allen Holstein, vineyard manager for one of Oregon's best known wineries (Argyle), and whose resume includes Domaine Drouhin, and Stoller. Farmhouse is a tribute to the home in which Jackson grew up. - Marcus