Ciao Amici,
We picked our first fruit of 2026 on August 31st, one of the earliest harvests we’ve had at Remy Wines. This vintage announced itself gently, and the day it gave us at Three Wives Vineyard was one of the most beautiful I can remember.
I got to the winery before the sun came up. My mind was running through a list of last-minute things I wasn’t sure I’d remembered to do, the way it always does the night before a big event. I was ready though, I’ve been preparing for this moment literally my entire life. Listening to the frogs, the quail, and the little yellow nuthatches sing the morning into being, doors thrown open to welcome the day, I felt at home and at ease. Once the harvesting crew arrived, we worked together with intentionality, thoughtful winemaking. It was the kind of day that reminds you why you do this in the first place.
This year, we farmed Three Wives Vineyard a little differently, with the intention of reducing yield in the pinot noir vines themselves, and the result showed up immediately at the press. The grapes we brought in practically pressed themselves. As we loaded the press bin by bin, rolling it gently with each one, most of the juice was already free before we ever applied real pressure. That’s the vineyard talking back to us. The flavors were amazing, juicy and almost viscous. Bright acid but not astringent, and a beautiful rose hue showed itself before the sun had made it above the tree line.
My brother and his husband are in town visiting. They came with a huge lunch spread, and we broke at noon for fresh tortillas from one of my favorite lunch spots in Lafayette, Oregon, Carniceria Abastos (the hot deli counter delivers a solid breakfast, lunch, and dinner). I handed my brothers their 20-year anniversary ballcaps, Dad-hats, as Jorge calls them, then rushed back in to finish out day one, which clocked in at a respectable 15 hours. I’ve always taken pride in not grinding our team down, and true to form, I left that night not exhausted but exhilarated, and definitely looking forward to a hot bath.
Day one recap: I walked in under a sky still full of stars and caught the sun coming up slowly behind the vineyard. I enjoyed making wine, and then I left as the sky turned pink and blue, clouds painted over the green treetops above Three Wives Vineyard.
I hope you’ll come spend a harvest day with me soon, the pinot gris and lagrein are still hanging, and I love giving you the sneak peek of the behind scenes of how I make great wine.
See you soon,
Remy
