2022 Illahe Estate Gruner Veltliner Willamette Valley

Pronounced Ill-Uh-Hee, is a local Chinook word meaning “earth” or “place” or “soil” . At Illahe, their goal is to make wine as naturally as possible from soil to bottle. They work by hand on small lots with age-old techniques and materials. Their focus is to grow and make quality Pinot Noir and white wines that express the vintage and their varietal characteristics. They don’t use enzymes or additives. Some of their wines are made entirely by hand, with no electricity or modern mechanization. They use a gentle wooden basket press and age their Pinot Noir in French and Oregon oak. Their gravity-flow winery features three levels, utilizing the natural slope of the site, starting from the crush pad to the fermenters and the press below. A further drop-off from the fermentation room to the press level allows us to load the press baskets by hand. The building’s west and north faces are buried in the hill which stabilizes the temperature throughout the year. Their winery is also solar-powered, helping reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. They also harvest rainwater to help mitigate dry spells in the summer.