Teutonic "Dangereuse d'Aquitaine" White Merlot
Merlot, 2022
Columbia Gorge > Oregon
Teutonic Wine Company, in Portland is the love child of Barnaby and Olga Tuttle. Their mission is to make lean, low alcohol, high acid, cool climate, higher altitude, German-style wines in Oregon. These kids are riesling obsessed, but make some fine pinots, blends, and other bright wines in distinctive tall bottles. Inspired by an enchantress of Aquitaine, this is a Vin Gris style, direct press “White” Merlot. It’s singular, splendid, and dare we say, enchanting?
Merlot, 2022
Columbia Gorge > Oregon
Teutonic Wine Company, in Portland is the love child of Barnaby and Olga Tuttle. Their mission is to make lean, low alcohol, high acid, cool climate, higher altitude, German-style wines in Oregon. These kids are riesling obsessed, but make some fine pinots, blends, and other bright wines in distinctive tall bottles. Inspired by an enchantress of Aquitaine, this is a Vin Gris style, direct press “White” Merlot. It’s singular, splendid, and dare we say, enchanting?
Merlot, 2022
Columbia Gorge > Oregon
Teutonic Wine Company, in Portland is the love child of Barnaby and Olga Tuttle. Their mission is to make lean, low alcohol, high acid, cool climate, higher altitude, German-style wines in Oregon. These kids are riesling obsessed, but make some fine pinots, blends, and other bright wines in distinctive tall bottles. Inspired by an enchantress of Aquitaine, this is a Vin Gris style, direct press “White” Merlot. It’s singular, splendid, and dare we say, enchanting?
Grape: 100% Merlot
ABV: 11.75%
The Story: Barnaby Tuttle, as wine-maker, is dedicated to allowing fruit to achieve physiological ripeness rather than relying on sugar levels to indicate when the harvest is ready. Sometimes waiting to pick as late as December when most other winemakers in the PNW have already fully fermented, began aging their wines, and have gone on a much deserved post-harvest vacay. They also believe a sense of place is essential, and use an extremely Old World method known as Peid de Cuvée to help express it. They gather around 100 pounds of fruit (3-4 five gallon buckets full) from the vineyard to begin a mini-fermentation, forming a starter batch of ambient yeast from the site. It then gets added to the rest of their fruit when it's brought in a week later to their urban winemaking facility. This also lessens the risk of a stalled fermentation, which can sometimes happen with spontaneous ferments. The fruit is less likely to rot or become infected by unwanted microbes. Planted in terraced plots of basalt rock along the Columbia River. 35-40 year old vines all dry farmed, practicing organic in the beautiful and scenic Columbia Gorge AVA. The fruit is hand harvested, whole cluster direct to press then added to the aforementioned Peid de Cuvée where it ferments in neutral oak barrels for a few months before bottling.
Dangereuse d’Aquitaine is the maternal grandmother of celebrated Eleanor of Aquitaine, the area of France around Merlot’s home turf - Bordeaux. She had fiery red hair and was known to be wild and full of strong opinions. Her marriage to Viscount Aimery quickly dissolved when she met Lord William Duke of Aquitaine. She fell susceptible to his charms of music, merriment, and bawdiness. They begin a secret affair and then abducted her to his castle in Poitiers France where he allegedly built her her own tower. She was known to be a seductress and so feared by her intense personality, that she was only known as Dangereuse. Tower worthy? You decide.
Personality: The essence of tropical fruits, guava, lime zest, pineapple orange peel and ginger. It has light tannins and a lovely full soft mouth feel.
Harmony: Pair it with a white pizza, goat cheese and a roast chicken. It goes with everything.