2018 was another great vintage in Oregon. We had a moderate winter and normal budbreak and bloom in the Spring. By Summer we were back to warmer than usual temperatures, similar to 2014, 15 and 16 (this seems to be a trend now). We had a cool down at the beginning of September which allowed for great flavor development before picking. We are looking forward to seeing these wines develop in bottle for years to come.

This pinot is 100% estate grown. It is a barrel selection of Brad and Nathan's favorite barrels in the cellar. The Bon Sauvage is always a little more earth and sprice driven in character. This pinot is 100% native fermentation and macerates for 24 days before being pressed in our wood basket press. It then ages for 16 months in barrel before bottling.

2018 Bon Sauvage Nose of cigar box, cedar chest, forest floor, fennel, earth, and erratic stone leads into a pallet of lingonberry, blueberry, violet, cranberry, and raspberry seed. This pinot is structured with fine tannin that will age softly. Finishes with clove, tobacco, and fresh cut fir.

Illahe is a Chinook Jargon word meaning “earth,” “land,” or “soil.” They feel this reflects both their location in Oregon, as well as their desire to craft wines which express the variety of soils on our beautiful 80 acre estate. Illahe Vineyards was established in 2000 by Lowell Ford, grower of Oregon grapes since 1983.Illahe is a LIVE-certified, Salmon Safe vineyard. They use cover crops on the entire vineyard. They are part of Oregon's Deep Roots Coalition, and as such do not irrigate mature plants. They do extensive green pruning and conduct plant topping. They prune by hand and harvest by hand. They use sulfur spray to control for powdery mildew and botrytis.

They aim for balanced production and optimal ripeness. This includes a program of no irrigation, leaf pulling to decrease shade, and dropping green clusters after veraison. One of their goals at Illahe is to reduce the use of fossil fuels throughout the year. They have solar panels and we use our horses, Doc and Bea, to mow and to bring grapes to the winery at harvest.