2010 Viognier-90 Points: “Polished, silky and effusive in its expression of spicy pear, flowers and lemon meringue flavors.  Finishes with style.  Drink now.  125 cases made.” -HS

2008 Reserve Syrah-91 Points: “Spacious style lets its blackberry and black cherry flavors expand nicely against streaks of mineral and pepper, coming together smoothly on the ripe but contained finish.  Drink now through 2015.  150 cases made.” – HS

Taken from Cowhorn’s Winter Update, January 24, 2012

In Cowhorn, In The News | Tagged with cowhorn, in the press, syrah, viognier

Taken from Wine Access Monthly, 2011

After completing grad school at UC Davis in the late 1990s, Patrick Reuter and his wife, Leigh Bartholomew, worked at wineries in Napa, Chile, New Zealand, and Burgundy. Eventually they made their way to Oregon, where Leigh found a job as the vineyard manager at Archery Summit.

Patrick and Leigh decided to start making small batches under their own label, Dominio IV, using two European varieties that they thought were underappreciated in the New World: Syrah and Tempranillo. Tempranillo is a natural bridge between Pinot and Cabernet, and not many people had tried cultivating it in Oregon. After scouring the state, they found an ideal hillside parcel in Mosier, at the northern edge of the Columbia Gorge appellation. In 2001, they cleared the land and planted seven acres of vines. While waiting for their own vineyard to come online, Patrick and Leigh got Dominio IV off the ground by making tiny batches of wine with fruit they’d sourced from a few top growers. And in addition to producing the two reds, they also decided to try making Viognier.

Viognier is the temperamental northern-Rhone variety most often associated with Condrieu, where it grows on the steep hillsides. It came into vogue in the late 1980s, but most efforts to cultivate it in the New World have been a failure. The best examples, however, are among the most aromatically complex white wines in the world.

Patrick and LeighFor this Viogner, “The Scarecrow,” Patrick and Leigh sourced all of the fruit from the Fort Miller Vineyard at the opposite end of the state in Talent. Patrick told me that he sought out this vineyard “because it was in the hottest, driest part of the state’s warmest appellation”–the Rogue Valley. Viognier can really thrive even in the heat. France’s inferno summer of 2003, for example, produced the most critically acclaimed Condrieu in years. The heat and elevation of the vineyard in Talent Dominio IV’s Viognier pronounced natural acidity and well-developed, but not roasted, fruit.

Patrick and Leigh named this wine “The Scarecrow” and said that it “protects and conjures the aromas and fruits we found in and Indian garden on the edge of a village called Pushkar. The unctious texture of the grape will envelope its present fresh and crisp nature to create a deeply round and complex creaminess with mysterious second and third aromas of jasmine and honeysuckle.” Drink now-2011.

In Dominio IV, In The News | Tagged with biodynamic, Demeter, dominio iv, in the press, viognier

Sunset magazine just notified us that three of our wines have been nominated for the annual Sunset Western Wine Awards. Our Viognier and Spiral in the Good Value category and our 2008 Reserve in the Special Occasion category.

The Sunset Western Wine Awards are recognized as one of the highest honors for Western winemakers and focus solely on wines produced in the West. Judging to start mid June. We will keep you posted.

In Cowhorn, In The News | Tagged with cowhorn, syrah, viognier

The Wine Enthusiast

Cowhorn 2009 Viognier (Applegate Valley)
Wine Enthusiast Rating: 93

Price: $30/750 ml
Varietal: Viognier
Appellation: Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon, Oregon, US
Producer: Cowhorn
Case Production: 65
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Category: White

Notes: This small, family-owned, biodynamically farmed vineyard and winery is quickly becoming a southern Oregon cult producer. Certainly one of the finest Viogniers produced anywhere in the Northwest, this extraordinarily aromatic wine showers the palate with luscious and tangy lemon, pineapple, Satsuma orange and pear fruit flavors. Then the spices pile on, lending an exotic twist to a lengthy midpalate, and leading into a lightly toasty finish. P.G. (3/1/2011) — 93

In Cowhorn, In The News | Tagged with cowhorn, Demeter, in the press, viognier

A biodynamic producer from Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley is producing one of the best domestic viogniers I have ever tasted. There is an intense minerality that is completely balanced by a rather sunny layer of orchard fruit. Underlying all of this is a savoriness that makes it a rather serious wine with immense appeal. This producers syrah should be taken quite seriously as well, really a spectacular group of wines, and this one is only $30.

In Cowhorn, In The News | Tagged with cowhorn, viognier

The Wine Enthusiast

Cowhorn 2008 Viognier (Applegate Valley)
Wine Enthusiast Rating: 88

Price: $18/750 ml
Varietal: Viognier
Appellation: Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon, Oregon, US
Producer: Cowhorn
Alcohol: 13.1%
Case Production: 116
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Category: White

Notes: Cowhorn Vineyard & Winery is a new enterprise in southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley. The vineyard is already certified biodynamic, and the first releases show confidence and control throughout. This elegant Viognier was fermented with native yeast and did not go through malolactic. It mixes melon, peaches, pineapple and lime, and it’s rich without being heavy or hot. P.G. (4/1/2010) — 88

In Cowhorn, In The News | Tagged with biodynamic, cowhorn, oregon, viognier