Fall magnums to celebrate friends and family

October 14, 2024 clare carver

Happy Fall!

Brian and I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying fall and hopefully looking forward to some holiday celebrations with family and friends as we go into this ‘warm’ time of year.

The last two months have been buzzing with work in the winery, in Carlton and on the farm. I’m excited to share all the happenings along with our magnum release and our holiday offerings.

We enjoyed a very special harvest this year with our crew including family: both of Brian and my brothers and our two nephews! Huge thank you to our brothers Michael and Dara and our two nephews Henry and Eoin for joining our full-time crew of Josh and Riley. Also thanks to Rachel who came back again this year to help us with the chardonnay in addition to being our most trusted caretaker of the farm so Brian and I can get much needed time away throughout the year!. We’ve had more than our share of beautiful lunches and dinners shared around the table, along with all the diligent work to make some beautiful 2024 wines. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful end to the growing year with near perfect conditions. The ferments all have been beautiful and we are starting to barrel down as I write this letter. Kathryn and Laura have been hosting and continuing to help get you wines and generally keeping the wheels on the wagon as I support the winemaking crew and keep the farm humming.

The Pond is now complete - big thank you to Jim Roofner of HPS - we are eager to see the winter rains fill it. The animals are all thriving and Julius the Ram will be in with his ladies very soon hopefully to bring us a new batch of spring lambs. Red Fred (the bull) seems to have ‘settled’ all his girls and we are looking forward to a new batch of spring calves as well.

This letter officially releases the beautiful fall magnums available on the web site - these ’22’s are already racking up lots of accolades. Grabbing a few of these beauties for that special celebration is always a great idea. As in the past the magnums are ONLY available till Dec 1st or sooner if they sell out faster as there is a limited window when we can safely ship them.

We suggest buying a three pack of magnums - a chard magnum for thanksgiving, a willamette valley for your winter holiday table and a single vineyard to stash away!

In addition to the Magnums, we have some holiday packs. We’ve put these together to give you some choices, something for everyone’s taste and budget. We are delighted to include a red or blue bow and a personalized gift note for our wine packs.

We are still offering complimentary fall ground shipping (on a half case or more) which will last for a few more weeks, take advantage of it and stock up now for the holidays!

** a note on ordering wine - If you're super busy - please let us help you order wine in whatever way is EASIEST for YOU! We are happy to assist. Call, text, email - We are available to make sure you get the wines you love! If you want to reach out please just send an email to admin@bigtablefarm.com or text/call 503-457-5726 and we'll follow up with YOU and get your order.

Click here to go right to the buy wine page for all 750’s

Click here to go to the special magnum release page

Take care of yourself, your loved ones and share that bottle you've been saving!

Cheers!! and thank you ALL! Clare and Brian

Fall Release - love and projects

August 16, 2024 clare carver

Howdy all!

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the final days of summer! We have had a great summer with lots happening, projects, events, etc and of course we have a new line up of a fall wines for you! And as always, I must thank you for your continued purchase and enjoyment of our wines and Clare’s art! As I have started saying, this is a symbiotic relationship, we can only be our creative selves with your support!

on the farm

First - Bob is back! I reported in my spring letter that Bob the cat had disappeared and we had given him up for dead - well the little furry fucker had somehow hitched a ride over to the Dundee Hills. He was hanging out with another family for about seven weeks - he left that house and went to another neighbor who posted him online and we knew immediately it was him. We happened to be close by at the Durant’s for Easter dinner. We quickly said goodbye and went to collect Bob and bring him home. He was a bit traumatized but quickly settled back into his old cute ways and now we keep a much closer eye on pick up trucks when they leave the farm. We also had him and Stanley chipped.

The rest of the animals on the farm are doing well. We had six calvies this spring and Red Fred just got put back in with the cows yesterday to start the process all over again. We had seven lambs in April, which was the new experience for us. We definitely have more to learn, but just getting started is the only way! Julius the ram will get turned in with his ladies mid October for mid March lambs. At the moment, he has his sidekick tiny Tim (a wether lamb from last year) and six goats to hang out with - eating blackberry and brush on the steeper parts of our place. Watching them eat still amazes me - from time to time I find myself watching them stretch and climbed to gobble all the leaves in reach and then scramble to keep up with their friends. Our batch of broilers did really well this year and are in the freezer for the next year’s meals and the laying flock is the smallest and oldest has been in a while. 14 that we Will keep through winter before they get replaced (soup!). We get enough eggs for the two of us but just barely. This years pigs are Laverne and Shirley as always live just outside the kitchen and reliably clean up all the kitchen scraps as along with apples and pears around the house.

Clare's horses continue to keep her smiling, and I continue to use their poop in my garden. I haven't had to fire up my Rototiller in quite a few years. I have been piling it over the beds, covering them and then planting directly into it after about three months.

Speaking of Clare I want to give her a shout out. She is amazing. You might ask did Brian do something? Is Brian in the doghouse? Not that I'm aware of! I often highlight someone's work at BTF in this letter - this time it's my wife's turn! In the broadest sense she does so many things - daily care of feeding of all the animals - sales and marketing for wine and art and farm products - manages Carlton - helps manage the home vineyard, and many of the projects at the farm. She is also my wife and business partner! She made a big trip to Norway this spring and came back with some amazing art. We are looking forward to seeing more of what she produces!

Since I mentioned projects, the sheep barn was finished just in time for lambing - thank you Larry! It looks great and I have been teased numerous times by different people about new buildings popping up every time they visit - no more are planned, but we broke ground on a pond several weeks ago - very exciting! We have been working on the permitting for about two years - so we are looking forward to seeing it fill this winter! We will be allowed to use the water to help get our baby vines going, which means I won't need to set up all the above ground swimming pools around the winery to catch rainwater that I've done for the last couple years. It should hold significantly more water than we will need to irrigate - so hopefully it will be nice for a dip on hot day or used in the event of a fire emergency. I wasn't a Boy Scout, but I like to be prepared!

Clare interjecting here- Brian (the guys who is allergic to bees) forgot to mention he helped me catch not 1 but 2 swarms of bees this spring so should be a good honey year! Also a big thanks to our local Gaston footballers and Josh and Riley for getting 1013 bales of hay and another 18 ton of alfalfa in the loft for winter! ok back to Brian …

The Wines!

I am currently in the midst of tasting and putting together the blends for 2023 - it's a tough job but somebody has to do it! I started early July in earnest, tasting over 200 barrels and making notes on each with chalk. I can do about 50 to 60 in three hours, generally 10am to 1. This is the best time to taste, when your senses are at the best. Each barrel gets tasted at least twice, but often many more times -as I try to put together the best blends possible. Of course all fruit was fermented with equal diligence in the fall and meticulously maintained throughout the winter and spring, but they are all different all with their own personalities and nuances that need to be considered. Concentrating and maintaining focused attention can be a challenge, so I also use my chalk to put my distracting thoughts on random barrels - to be collected later. I find that writing them down, allows me to continue to focus on the task at hand, but the resulting barrels throughout the winery are a hodgepodge of notes and a window into my little brain.

The ‘22s!

We had a cold snap in April that affected all vineyards, but some more than others and early on left us wondering what if any fruit would be like. Chardonnay breaks 2 to 3 weeks earlier so was more affected than Pinot and some vineyards were affected more than others, elevation aspect, and location all playing a role. Most vineyards had secondary buds that were undamaged to give us something to work with, and warm summer and warm and dry October gave us what we needed to make some amazing wines! Those from the vintage that we have already released have garnered praise and I hope the same for what we have to present to you today!

The Wines

2022 Yamhill Carlton Chardonnay - A blend comprised of fruit from Yates Conwill Vineyard and Quandary vineyard. Yates Conwill was dramatically affected by the frost, we only got about half the tonnage we normally get, but the quality was astounding. Quandary is a new Vineyard and new to us so present as fruity and fresh - pairing nicely with the power and depth of the Yates Conwill. As always - barrel fermented to dryness, ML complete and bottled without fining or filtration. We had the 2017 version of this wine at a wine dinner a week ago and I was impressed (and relieved!)

Blossoms from our fruit trees on the label (by clare!), 92 cases bottled, $48 a bottle – and yes – buy 6 or more and shipping is on the house!

2022 Eola Amity Chardonnay - Bieze Vineyard has been part of our Chardonnay program since first fruit in 2011 - we have been using the same rows and blocks since, and it is an important part of our Eola Amity blend - consistently delicious! It is blended with X Omni which we've also been working with since first fruit in 2016, and together they make a great representation of what the Eola Amity hills can produce for Chardonnay. The Van duzer corridor of wind cools the hills in the evening and the southern exposure makes for warm days and perfect ripeness and crispness together. I am fortunate to work with these two great vineyards and hope that you find the wine as delicious as we do!

Clare’s bees on the label, 92 cases bottled, $48 a bottle – and yes – buy 6 or more and shipping is on the house!

2022 Yamhill Carlton Pinot noir - in addition to the Chardonnay we buy from Yates Conwill, we also get Pinot Noir. The vineyard shares a fence line with Resonance so I know the area and the pothole filled, long driveway well! It is a warmer spot, so the rich ones blend nicely with a slightly cooler Coats and Whitney Vineyard, also in the Yamhill Carlton AVA, that has been part of our Pinot program since 2011. Together, I think they show the rich dark fruit and structure that the Yamhill Carlton is known for, and maybe someday our little vineyard here at BTF will be a part of this blend!

Hancox family barn on the label, 232 cases produced, $72 a bottle – and yes! 6 or more and we send sans shipping!

Cattrall brothers Vineyard Pinot noir - Wadensville clone planted in the 80s on its own roots, we have been working with Tom and Bill since 2009. This vineyard was definitely affected by the spring frost. We got half the normal amount of fruit, so there's significantly less of this wine to go around this year! We've always found this wine to be quite polarizing - people either LOVE it or prefer something else - only 70 cases produced, so if you fall into love at camp, don't wait! Of course their old truck on the label

$72 a bottle – and this one too! 6 or more qualifies for complimentary shipping!

Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot noir - A smaller crop but still reasonable - the warm October pushed this vineyard to as Luci described “the ripest she has ever seen”. Don't worry - it is still balanced - still Oregon pinot, but it's just a little more generous in the opulence department. I'm drinking some now as I scribble! Year in and year out this is a favorite – a crowd pleaser! I might need to pour myself some more!

Last but not least - the 2023 Pinot Gris barrels are tasting great, but yet to be bottled - August 26 is the scheduled date. Sam? Walter? Henry? My nephews have been helping bottle all our wine since the 2016 vintage, we had a box for Henry to stand on the first couple years, he is 16 now! also recently inducted to help are Clare’s nephew Owen and niece Kate. It has been super great to have all their help and watch them grow up, learn to work and for us to learn about their world. sorry, I digress - maybe too much sunny side! the Pinot Gris is grown by Brian O’donnell of Belle Ponte fame. We ferment it as we do the Pinot - throw it in a fermenter, stomp on it, and let it go! I taste it as it starts to ferment and when I think it is perfect then we drain and press it once it has picked up enough tannin. Always a great wine for seafood, approximately 125 cases to be bottled and like the 2023 laughing pig rose - always a harbinger of what to come next year!

Weeds on the label and happy to include the shipping on 6 or more- after we get it bottled of course!

One last thing Clare asked me to mention – we will be having an open house next April 12 here at the farm. This will be a celebration of Clare’s art and a release party for the spring wines and 2024 laughing pig rose! There might be some cute baby lambs too…`

Thank you again, we still pinch ourselves regularly! Cheers from our table to yours! Brian, clare and the team at big table farm!

Also a special thank you to the amazing team at Atelier Crenn in SF for hosting us to a bucket list winemaker dinner. Keep an eye on our IG account for all the events throughout the year! Aug 30th there are still a few seats left for the Pigs and Pinot event at the Allison Inn and Spa reach out for more info!

The easiest way to order wine -

If you're super busy - please let us help you order wine in whatever way is EASIEST for YOU! We are happy to assist. Call, email - We are available to make sure you get the wines you love! If you want to reach out please just send an email to admin@bigtablefarm.com or call or text Kathryn 503-457-5726 or Text Clare Directly! 503-922-3540 and we'll follow up with YOU and get your order. You can also Click here to go right to the buy wine page

Hopefully we will see you somewhere along the way, and of course we are happy to host you for a tasting.

Events!

Sept 5th and Nov 7th - Art walk - downtown Carlton 4-7pm we will be pouring wine and sharing clare’s work at the atelier

April 12th 2025! - Rose Earth/Queen release party and art show at the farm! 11 - 3pm

August 30th Pigs and Pinot in the garden at the Allison

Nov/Dec - Date to be announced late fall / winter art show at the farm featuring clare’s work from Norway

thanksgiving weekend – Saturday open house at the atelier in Carlton Oregon 11-3pm

social media

If you don't follow me on Instagram you might enjoy doing so. As development projects, harvest meals, animals all continue to happen on the farm, I will continue to post all farm happenings, recipes and what’s fermenting in the winery @bigtablefarm

ps - you can also follow new paintings @clarecarver and www.clarecarver.com

As always, we are so grateful that we get to do what we do – thank you for continuing to buy, enjoy and share our work, both wine and art!

Thanks you and cheers! Brian and clare and the team at big table farm!

stacks of press

We have gotten a huge pile of great press this past year you can read all it it here - https://www.bigtablefarm.com/press-and-reviews - but here are a few highlights.

Thank you to all the great wine reviewers for your work to help us share our wines!

23 Laughing Pig Rose - 94 pts Owen Bargreen / 93 pts - International Wine Report

22 Wild Bee - 94 pts - International Wine Report / 9-9.5 Vinography

22 Willamette Valley - 94 pts Wine Spectator / 95 pts - Paul Gregutt / 95 pts - International Wine report / 94 pts - Wine Enthusiast

22 Pelos Sandberg - 95 pts - Wine Spectator / 96 pts - International Wine Report / 95 pts - Owen Bargreen

22 Earth - 97 pts Editors choice - International Wine Report / 96 pts - Owen Bargreen / 94 pts Jeb Dunnuck / 94 pts Vinous

22 Elusive Queen - 95 pts Owen Bargreen / 9-9.5 Vinography / 93 pts Jeb Dunnuck / 94 pts Vinous

2021 Rocks Syrah - 96 pts — Owen Bargreen / 95 pts, Editor's Choice — Wine Enthusiast / 96 pts — International Wine Report / 94+ pts — Vinous

We are continuing to do our best to see each day as an opportunity to make art, take care of the land and enjoy life. Thank you so much for buying, drinking and sharing our wines. We are humbled and honored to be part of your daily meals and celebrations alike!

Cheers - Clare and Brian and the whole big table team - Kathryn, Laura, Josh, Riley, Rachel and Sam ….. and Levi too

rosé release and baby lambs

April 15, 2024 clare carver

Brian and I and all of us here at big table farm hope this letter is a little treat in your day!

First and foremost, we hope you are all well and spring is bringing you joy!

The baby lambs have been particularly mood boosting this spring for us with 7 healthy babies!

Thank you all that came to the farm for the release party and art show this past weekend! Special shout out to our nephews and my brother that came to bottle and help with the party. We hope to make this an annual event for those of you out of town we will announce the date early so you can plan! Thanks to all that took home wine and art it was a huge success and so wonderful to share the farm with you all again for this special once a year event!

And with mood boosting in mind, we bring you Rosé!

The 2023 bottling marks our 16th vintage of producing Laughing Pig Rosé! Brian’s makes this wine each year with the goal of making a wine he wants to drink: dry, malolactic complete, and one that stands up to food while also being delicious on its own.

Its release marks the beginning of spring for us, and it is a house favorite until it’s all gone sometime in September. As always, it’s bottled without any fining or filtration after spending 5-6 months in neutral barrels.

The 2023 Laughing Pig is delicious! This beautiful dry rosé has high-toned strawberry and cherry, that is balanced with a soft yet impressive richness on the palate. The full tasting notes are on our web site. It’s always the first wine released of a vintage, so it is always special - we are so happy to be able to keep trotting it out!

Thank you for supporting our dream, so we can continue to bring wines to your table.

Spring Wines, Earth Pinot Noir and the Elusive Queen Chardonnay

If you have already bought our spring release wines, thank you. We are grateful to feel so connected to you all and hope you will find something in our current offering that fits your table and budget. And please keep reaching out via email, phone and social media from wherever your table is in the world!

Earth and Queen allocations will be going out in about a week so watch your in box!

In the category of mood boosting!! BOB IS HOME!!! after a 7 week walk about thanks to friends scouring Facebook for lost cats he was located 18 miles away! He most likely got into a vehicle and then found him self lost. We did find out he managed to find two different homes that took excellent care of him on his ‘vacation’ but he’s back and we are all over the moon including his best buddy Stanley.

Meat from the Farm

If you live locally, let us know if you would like to be on our meat share list if you are interested in procuring some of this beautiful high-quality, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb from big table farm, please send me a note at clare @ bigtablefarm.com (local residents only please).

Cheers - Clare, Brian, Kathryn, Laura, Josh and Riley

** a note on ordering wine - If you're super busy - please let us help you order wine in whatever way is EASIEST for YOU! We are happy to assist. Call, email - We are available to make sure you get the wines you love! If you want to reach out please just send an email to admin@bigtablefarm.com or call 503-852-3097 or Text Clare Directly! 503-922-3540 and we'll follow up with YOU and get your order. You can also Click here to go right to the buy wine page

If you don't follow me on Instagram you might enjoy doing so. As all the development projects and baby animals all continue to grow on the farm, I will continue to post all the spring farm happenings, recipes and what’s happing in the winery @bigtablefarm

ps - you can also follow new paintings @clarecarver and www.clarecarver.com

Spring release '24

February 29, 2024 clare carver

Happy spring 2024!

We have had a few dry days here for the last couple days and it has been really nice after all the rain we have had this winter (also good, but enough is enough!). We are starting to see signs of spring here – daffodils, spring birds and the grass is starting to grow again! Clare put the sheep out today and they seemed pretty excited about all the new grass! We are also excited because we have some new wines to share with you! 2022 Wild Bee chardonnay, Willamette valley pinot noir, Pelos Sandberg pinot noir and 2021 funk estate syrah! Each delicious in their own way and we are ready to send some your way! And as always – complimentary shipping on purchase of 6 bottles or more!

On the farm

We moved the sheep into their new barn last Sunday! We were hoping to be able to do last year but we fell behind schedule. They flock has been shoehorned into a corner of the big barn and now they have lots of room which is good because we are about to have a lot more if Julious (our ram) did his job. The 8 ewes we bought in 2022 are doing great and are hopefully about to start lambing – and often they have twins! We are a little nervous about the lambing because we have never done it before, but we are as prepared as we can be (we think) and have plenty of room in the new barn – so keep your fingers crossed – we will have a bunch of lambs on the ground in a month!

The cows now have the big barn all to themselves and as usual are doing just fine with the deep bedding we give them. Red Fred (the bull) has done his job so we should have 6 ‘calvies’ late spring! Clare’s horses are still stinky but I am in my second year of using their poop to make a ‘hot bed’ in the garden – The decomposing manure under a thick layer of compost gives seeds the warmth the need to get started - a jump on the spring season for arugula, greens, radishes etc – a lot of work to set up but very satisfying to crunch on an early radish! Some sad news is Bob the cat seems to have disappeared as of 2 weeks ago. He was so lovable and such a fixture here, such a character – we will miss him for a long time. His protégé Stanley is stepping up to the plate – but it is hard to replace the warmth of a big purring orange cat. RIP Bob! Levi gave us a scare last fall with an inner ear issue that left him unable to walk for a few days, but he has recovered nicely, always ready for his crunchies and wagging his tail and demanding scritches or treats, when he isn’t sleeping in front of the fire. New kid goats are expected to arrive early April – as always we will have plenty of blackberry for them to eat! And of course last years are in the freezer and also tasty! The layers have started to give us some beautiful eggs with the longer days and green grass, and the broilers have been ordered and are scheduled to arrive early April.

The vineyard should be pruned by the time you read this, and is still off to a slow start from a development perspective. All my bottling tanks, fermenters and 3 above ground swimming pools surround the winery filled with rain water so we can irrigate the baby vines in the driest months of summer. We hope for a growing season that is conducive to getting our baby vines to grow.

Clare’s art studio has been put to great use – she has utilized the dedicated space with zeal, intention and discipline – and it shows in the great work she has created (and sold!) she has several shows planned for this spring and a sabbatical planned to go to Norway in June to take advantage of the near perpetual ‘golden hour’. I am so proud of her and her work!

The wines!

2022 was a crazy growing season here in western Oregon – we had a spring freeze/snow event in April that ‘burnt’ (froze to death) all of the new spring growth of 3-4 weeks. Nobody knew what to expect, and every site was affected differently. Fortunately vines have a plan B and a plan C – secondary and tertiary buds that lie dormant unless needed, and in 2022 they sprang to life and saved the day! We had a few sites that were below normal tonnage and a few that were just above so it all balanced out. The set back during spring was made up by a warm and dry October that allowed us to fully ripen the grapes and make some amazing wines! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do (I am drinking the 2022 wild bee chardonnay as I write! No AI chat bot here!)

2022 wild bee chardonnay – as I often joke our Willamette valley wines are the kitchen sink – what doesn’t go into the Eola amity or Yamhill carlton or Elusive queen blends ends up as wild bee – but I make all the wines with equal diligence and it is only just before bottling that the individual barrels are chosen for their respective destinations. During harvest I hire a person whose sole job is to take care of all the chardonnay barrels, sometimes as many as 85 at the peak of harvest. Julia Dancy has done this for us exceptionally well since 2017. She stirs and monitors each barrel on a daily basis as they ferment and we decide how each lot should be nurtured during this process. Making great chardonnay is important to me and having her help has been indispensable – thank you Julia! The 2022 wild bee chardonnay is a combination of the 7 different sites we work with and is a true representation of the Willamette valley. I think I need to get another glass!

2022 wild bee chardonnay – bumble bee on label by April coppini, 1222 cases produced, 34 dollars a bottle – you will want more than one! And of course shipping on the house for a purchase of 6 or more

2022 willamette valley pinot noir – ok – to help with my writers block I have poured myself a glass of the same – also delicious – spicy, fruit forward and firm yet pleasant tannins that keep me going back for more – but I need to finish this first! Like the wild bee the wv pinot noir is made democratically, in that each lot is given utmost attention and equal care, and only ultimately evaluated just before bottling in August. The wines are fermented with whatever yeast blows in the door and nurtured to dryness and perfect extraction with a combination of foot trodding and pumpovers, and a gentle press. The wine is put into barrel with a combination of new(some) and old (mostly) and then stirred and topped weekly until the malolactic conversion is complete. Like the wild bee I select the barrels for the vineyard designates, the yamhill carlton ava blend and earth (first of course!) and the leftovers end up in the Willamette valley blend – our largest single bottling. It is delicious! Take my word for it! I am ready for another glass and some dinner! I hope you enjoy this wine as much as we do! 2022 Willamette valley pinot noir – 2139 cases produced, $50 per bottle and yes – buy 6 and receive sans shipping cost!

2022 pelos Sandberg vineyard pinot noir – this is our 13th vintage working with Don Sandberg and the fruit from his psv vineyard, and year in and year out it is a crowd pleaser – I use selected barrels to make our !salud! donation wine and then chose from the remainder to make the vineyard designate. The salud blend is also usually a crowd pleaser and does very well at the big board auction – it is only a 6 case blend verses the 250+ cases of Pelos so there is a little more to go around, but be quick – this wine will be gone before we know it! Don is a good friend and (winemaker iota) and great farmer – the maxim of the best fertilizer is the farmers footsteps applies here for sure!

2022 Pelos Sandberg vineyard pinot noir – spoon and fork end post markers on the label - 269 cases produced, $72 per bottle. And yes of course we will cover shipping on 6 or more here too!

2021 Funk Estate syrah – this might be my favorite version of this wine yet! Rich and supple yet balanced and still light on its feet, almost ethereal! Rich Funk diligently farms his vineyards and in Milton freewater and has his own winery too, saviah. It is 200 miles east of the Willamette valley, still in Oregon but a world apart. The ‘soil’ is dominated by rounded stones that seemingly go down forever. We are so pleased he has sold us fruit since 2016, the 2022 and 2023 are in barrel and progressing nicely. A 2 year elevage for this wine makes it a year behind the pinots. I can’t wait to put another splash in my glass!

2021 funk estate syrah – vine in the rocks on the label, 133 cases produced. $72 per bottle, and for sure buy 6 or more and we will cover the shipping!

The easiest way to order wine -

Hopefully we will see you somewhere along the way, and of course we are happy to host you for a tasting really anytime of the year!

Events!

2024 is shaping up to be a busy year for us, lots of events to catch btf, both at home and on the road. Clare just poured at the triangle wine auction and we were juried in to pour at the Oregon chardonnay celebration last weekend. Events still to come!:

March 7th - Art walk - downtown Carlton 4-7pm we will be pouring wine and sharing clare’s work at the atelier (followed by more art walks May 2nd, Sept 5th and Nov 7th)

March 21st -23rd – High Museum wine auction, Atlanta Georgia

April 13 - Rose Earth/Queen release party and art show at the farm! 11 - 3pm

April 18th - big table farm field day - 3:30 - 5pm we welcome customers and industry friends. We will be sharing how we have integrated deep bedding, compost and biochar (no wine or food will be served - RSVP is required)

April 20th - Yamhill-Carlton AVA Spring Tasting - hosted at Abby Road Farm

May 8 – Pinot in the City – Seattle WA

May 18 – art opening in Carlton at 213 gallery

July – IPNC featured winery Mcminnville Oregon

Memorial day and thanksgiving weekends – Saturday open house at the atelier in Carlton Oregon

social media

Thanks you and cheers! Brian and clare and the team at big table farm!

stacks of press

Winespeed/Karen McNeil 2021 Pelos Sandberg pinot noir 97 pts

Wine Enthusiast Top 100 and Editor’s Choice 2021 Cattrall Brothers Pinot Noir 96 pts — Michael Alberty

Wine & Spirits Top 100 2020 Funk Estate Syrah 95 pts - P.J.C.

Jancis Robinson 2021 Earth pinot noir 18+ pts (20 pts system) - Samantha Cole-Johnson

Wine Enthusiast Editor’s Choice 2021 Wild Bee Chardonnay 94 pts – M.A.

International Wine Report Editor’s Choice 2021 Eola Amity Chardonnay 96 pts

International Wine Report Editor’s Choice 2021 Cattrall Brothers Pinot Noir 96 pts Highly recommended and editor’s choice.

International Wine Report Editor’s Choice 2021 Pelos Sandberg pinot noir 96 pts

International Wine Report Editors Choice Earth pinot noir 96 pts

Wine Enthusiast Editor’s Choice 2021 Earth pinot noir 94 pts – M.A.

Fall Magnum Release - Celebrating our work

October 16, 2023 clare carver

Happy Harvest from our farm to your table!

Here at big table farm we are celebrating another great vintage in barrel and we are excited to have magnums to share with you again this year! For Brian and I there is no better way to celebrate than to open big bottles at our table with friends…be advised: these beauties are low in numbers so don’t drag your hooves!

We have had a spectacular harvest! The winery has gone from the bustle of bringing in the fruit to managing the fermentations and barreling down. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather and are very grateful for it. Big thanks to our 2023 harvest crew!

Thank you - Rachel, Cole, Rogan, Brian, Riley, Josh and my brother Michael! (sadly he missed the photo shoot)

The 2023 vintage is shaping up to be another good one. The grapes had ample time time to ripen and the ferments all smelled gorgeous. We are excited and optimistic for these 2023 wines! We have been enjoying more than our share of farm meals as we made some great wines for you to enjoy in the future. The farm has been buzzing with projects: the new sheep barn is coming right along and we did some much needed repair on our pond. If you don't follow me on Instagram you might enjoy doing so - I often post my recipes from harvest meals along with pictures of the farm and winery during this vibrant time of year.

The ‘21 have been enjoying quite a lot of attention from the press if you’d like to check out our press page for the latest scores, articles and tasting notes.

Brian suggests buying a three pack of magnums - a chard magnum for thanksgiving, a willamette valley for your winter holiday table and a single vineyard to stash away!

We are still offering complimentary fall ground shipping (on 6 bottles or more) which will last for a few more weeks, take advantage of it and stock up now for the holidays!

Click here to go right to the buy wine page for all 750’s

Click here to go to the special magnum release page

Take care of yourself and your loved ones and share that bottle you've been saving!

Cheers!! and thank you ALL! Clare and Brian

Fall Release - history & craft

August 27, 2023 clare carver

Fall release 2023!

Greetings from western Oregon! Sadly shorter days are here but thankfully cooler weather too! We are thrilled with the 2021’s and have a few more to share with you today – our AVA chards, single vineyard pinots and the just bottled 2022 pinot gris! And of course we meter out the 2021 wild bee chardonnay, Willamette valley pinot noir and laughing pig rose to the general marketplace, so they are still available too! We have been busy this summer on the farm – vineyard, studio, and winery – just bottled the 2022’s (delicious!) and getting ready to make 2023 – so far so good, fingers crossed!

When I meet people I am often asked how I got started making wine? I will try to keep it short – but basically I have always liked to cook and use tools and make things with my hands. My parents both cooked at home and encouraged us to help in the kitchen ( I have a younger brother who cooks for his family and makes wine in his basement). We always ate as a family sans TV, and more often than not my parents would drink wine, nothing fancy but it was present. As I grew up I would cook for myself, meals for our small family and and for friends as I got older. I eventually realized that making things and being around food was important to me and I had started making beer at home. In and aha moment I decided to pursue brewing and ended up studying at UC Davis and working professionally as a brewer. Along the way I worked my first harvest at a winery in 1996 outside of Calistoga – and I loved it! But I had started the pathway towards brewing so continued that way – while remaining in Calistoga. A few years later the brewery closed and I loved where I was living and had begun to drink wine, so I decided to give winemaking a try. It meant starting over, but it was similar enough to beer with many of the same skills that I quickly made the transition and found that I loved the challenge of making the best possible wine from each vintage with the variable input of each growing season. I also loved the seasonality and the easy compatibility of wine with food. I looked to learn from those around me who were highly regarded and traveled to south Australia to learn more, 80-90% of winemaking happens in the moments after the grapes are picked, so experiencing another harvest was important.

By 2006 – after 10 years of working and learning from others – I decided it was time to do on my own. Clare and I took advantage of the real estate bubble, sold our small house in downtown Napa for a handsome profit and placed a sizable downpayment on what is now big table farm! We moved to Oregon that summer and began making wine with purchased fruit that first year – 150 cases! In that moment It was a huge commitment that took all we had – time, energy and money. We rented space from another winery and as we could afford we slowly increased production – to the point when it made sense to build our own winery – 2014 was our inaugural vintage in our own winery – making 2023 our tenth vintage under our own roof! We have leveled our production and now make about 4 to 5 thousand cases a year – about 70% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay and a little syrah and pinot gris! We still purchase all our grapes from a steady group of fabulous growers – and yet we have begun the process of establishing our own vineyard here at BTF – that is another story for another day! As I often joke but in earnest – this is a first career, not a second. We have put all the pieces together-over time as we could afford to do so. I still tread on every fermentor and taste every barrel, and we drink what we make!

I turned 27 in the summer of 1996 – and started working at sterling vineyard shortly thereafter as part of the winery harvest crew. I don’t really remember the volume of grapes that we processed, but there was about 6-8 full time cellar guys and a dozen or so of us temporary staff, some with experience, and some like me with none. I loved it, I asked questions and went form task to task as quickly as I could so I could learn more. One of the more unusual (I thought at the time) was to foot trod on a dozen or so bins of whole cluster pinot noir. I was given a new pair of rubber boots and instructed to only wear them while crushing the grapes. At the time I thought it was odd that I was surrounded by tanks and equipment and technology, and yet here I was stomping on the grapes. It only took me 15-20 min each day for about a week, and since my tenure there was short I never really followed what happened to the resulting wine. I think It was experimental and most likely was blended away. Regardless – I have been stomping on grapes since the beginning! As well as for others along the way – and now here at BTF I have made wine using 100% whole cluster since 2014 (another story).

I love the simplicity of it – the grapes are picked brought to the winery, and dumped into the fermenters. Using feet – we wash them first! To break up some of the berries is the best way – this usually happens several times on the way to becoming wine. It is a little more work, but the human connection is important – you can feel the temperature, the ripeness and how the ferment is progressing. There is a limit to how large a ferment can be using whole cluster – so it lends itself to small hands on production. We of course a use technology to measure and guide each ferment, but smell and taste are also extremely important tools implemented. I am lucky in that I get to make what I want to drink – I love the spiciness the stems bring, their own tannin and the idea that as varieties were adapted over millennia to each geographic and culture – stems were surely part of it. As alcoholic beverages go – wine is as connected to the earth as possible – no heating, cooking, drying boiling needed. Pick, ferment, drink. Pick, let the microbes do their work, then drink!

Wow that was a lot! I will try to keep the rest short…

The Farm

We started this summer with 21 cows – we sold six as beef – feeding 12 families (our household included) and sold two as breeding stock to Brenda at tabula rasa farm who has a similar program to ours, leaving us with 13 – a much more manageable number to carry through the winter esp. given the size of our barn and girl-power aka clare! We also brought in 8 more lambs for the summer in addition to the 8 ewes from last year for grazing in the vineyard – they are doing a great job, and the lambs will available for eating this fall – let clare know if you are interested! The kid goats are still the cutest and still devouring the black berry, and yes let clare know on these too!

We have had a really dry summer, so the rain water I collected throughout the winter in all of my fermenters, bottling tanks and yes and above ground swimming pool, has been put to good use on the baby vines – we will definitely let you know when it starts to produce, but don’t hold your breath – it is a challenge (another story) but we will get there!

Levi keeps his tail wagging but also spends a lot of time napping – bob and stanley are the two best cats ever and clare’s horses keep on pooping – which I have recently been using the garden to make a ‘hot bed’ for supplemental heat so things can grow throughout the winter. Who knew I could come to appreciate more than just the smile they put on clare’s face!

Clare had a successful art show in June- I am so proud of her- and has only been able to spend a limited amount of time in her new studio since – it has been a BUSY summer, but I am sure that will change as we shift into the slower days of late fall to winter and early spring.

All in all we are busy as ever, but doing great! thanks to all you for your continued enjoyment of all that we make!

The wines!

2021 has become a favorite of many and I think the wines we have released so far fall into that category. I treat all with an equal hand so I think our fall release will continue the trend!

2021 eola amity chardonnay – the longer I work with Willamette valley chardonnay the more I am impressed with what comes from the eola amity hills- warm days, cool nights and newer plantings with clones suited consistently produce delicious wines of unctuousness and yet still crisp. Some new oak is used but not too much – balance is the key – and hopefully what is balanced for me works for you too!

Clare’s honey bee on the label – 92 cases made - $48 per bottle and yes – purchase six or more and shipping included!

2021 yamhill carlton chardonnay – as I often say pinot from YC has a core of power and strength that the fruit, tannin revolve around – I would say similar for the chardonnay – ripeness and richness work with the fruit oak and yes a little bit of tannin that will make your mouth want more, and a bite to go with it!

Blossoms from BTF - 92 cases made – 48per bottle- buy three yc and 3 ea

2021 yamhill carlton pinot noir – yc is our home turf – and as I alluded to regarding the chard – the ava tends to make wine with a boldness and power to it – 2021 is no exception! Ripe fruit along with supple tannins a sweet mid pallet some oak to round out make this a delicious wine now and for a few years to come.

Label is hancox family barn - $72 per bottle – 233 cases produced – and yes we will send on the house if you order 6 or more!

2021 cattrall brothers vineyard – bill and tom continue to be dedicated organic grape growers and have sold us pinot noir since 2009! For those of you who like the earthier side of pinot this wine is for you – it ripens a little slower that everything else we work with so it has a delicacy to it – but amazingly this vineyard is one that always impresses me and surprises me at how well it holds up to time – we just opened a 2010 – delicious and still delicious two days later! I typically prefer young wines, that is what I am surrounded by, but if you find an older CBV give it a try!

Yes tom delivers the grapes in their old flatbed truck as is on the label – only 125 cases, the deer and the birds thought the fruit was good too! $72 per bottle order 6 or 12 or more…

2021 sunnyside vineyard – luci and tom are the owners and farmers of sunnyside vineyard – their dedication to growing grapes, their sense of anticipation and wonder about the details and sensitivity to plant responses to growing conditions and the dedication to delivering the very best they can is inspiring – we have been buying from them since 2011 – and as a testament to their belief in us - they are ‘founders’ – what is this you ask? When it came time to build our winery the first question was – with what money? We were putting everything we had into building our wine business – we had very little to put towards a down payment for a construction loan. Clare put together a ‘crowd funding’ package of a dinner here at the farm, a case of magnums, and donors name on the winery. I thought we would have a few family members and some close friends step up – wow was I surprised when over 90 people contributed – including luci and tom as well as 5 other growers! - yes family members, but customers and friends and even people we had never met – it was over whelming and meant we really had to build the damn thing! The dinner was super fun and the plaque with all the names still hangs in the winery – and the mags were delicious! Thank you to luci and tom and everyone else who believed in us and helped with our winery build project. We continue to do our best with sunnyside grapes and every year it is a stand out in my opinion, and many others as well! 2021 is no exception!

photos of the founders fest - thanks to all that helped us build our winery 10 years ago!

Clare’s drawing of one of her roosters is on the label – 250 cases produced - $72 per bottle and shipping included with purchase of 6 or more!

Last but not least is the just bottled - 2022 Pinot Gris – Orange as always! We have been buying Pinot Gris from Brian and Jill O’Donnel at Belle Ponte for 6 years now and really enjoy working with this fruit! They are also in the Yamhill Carlton AVA. We fermented with skins and stems per BTF normal, giving this wine it’s color and more importantly red fruited flavors and more texture and tannin than if we pressed and just used the juice to make white wine. This wine is exceptionally seafood friendly!

Clare’s drawing of blackberries the goats favorite treat! – 140 cases produced - $38 per bottle and shipping included with purchase of 6 or more!

Just as a reminder for those of you who enjoy magnums – we will release the 2021’s in another month or so when the weather is most appropriate for shipping the larger bottles – they are more sensitive to fluctuations in temperature.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully buy some wine! We are so thankful we get to do what we do, and your continued patronage is encouraging and essential! It is humbling to know that what we make (art, wine) in our little corner ends up all over the world and contributes to joy in some small way.

Brian’s toast at the founders feast - July of 2014

Cheers, from all at big table farm, and clare and brian

After the ups and downs of 2020 here in the Willamette Valley the ‘21 vintage wines are coming off the block bold and beautiful-turns out we aren’t the only ones who think so! Please check out our press page for the latest scores, articles and tasting notes.

** a note on ordering wine - If you're super busy - please let us help you order wine in whatever way is EASIEST for YOU! We are happy to assist. call, email - We are available to make sure you get the wines you love! Send an email to admin@bigtablefarm.com or call Laura at 503-457-5726 or Text Clare Directly! 503-922-3540 and we'll follow up with YOU and get your order.

You can also Click here to go right to the buy wine page

Special thanks to Laura Lillebo who came out of retirement to man the phone during release week - so be sure to say ‘hello’ when you call.

ps - you can also follow new paintings @clarecarver and www.clarecarver.com

Celebrating the little things like - rosé

April 18, 2023 clare carver

First and foremost, we hope you are all well and finding small things you can celebrate each day.

Brian and I are using this moment to look back a bit and remember how far we’ve come. All of us here at big table farm hope this letter is a little treat in your day.

And to that end, we bring you Rosé!

A note from the winemaker

The 2022 bottling marks our 15th vintage of producing Laughing Pig Rosé! Our first vintage making this wine was 2007. That year was a rainy one and our first working with Oregon-grown grapes. As a new winery, I wanted to come out of the gate strong and making a great rosé (vs. a questionable pinot noir) seemed like the right decision at that moment. I arranged to buy one ton of pinot noir, and many winemakers were using Saignée to make the best pinot they could. I too used this juice by putting it over the fruit, then letting the ferment begin.

I was aiming to make a rosé that I wanted to drink: dry, malolactic complete, bottled without fining or filtration, and one that would stand up to food while also being delicious on its own. The fruit was pressed and went into four neutral barrels, where it completed fermentation and malolactic. The Rosé lived in these barrels until June, probably when we scraped together enough money to buy glass and corks and labels. We gathered some friends to help, and bottled and labeled those first 105 cases over one long day. We took the front seat out of another friend’s truck so we could send 20 cases in air conditioning down to California that July.

We sold almost all of it by the time the financial crisis really took hold, which was good news since we needed cash to bottle our 2006 Syrah we made the previous vintage. If we had made Pinot in 2007, we would have been a new winery trying to sell in an extremely difficult marketplace - so my decision to only make Rosé was fortuitous on many levels.

The 2008 vintage was small by comparison and it didn’t make sense to make a rosé that year, so we made our first Oregon Pinots- 75 cases of our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and 100 cases of Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir (that is a story for another time!) The 2009 vintage was another large one and using Saignée again made sense. This process shaped our rosé for a second time and we have continued to make this wine consistently every vintage since. Its release marks the beginning of spring for us, and it is a house favorite until it’s all gone sometime in September. As always, it’s bottled without any fining or filtration after spending 5-6 months in neutral barrels.

The label was inspired many years before that first wine was made, during a family trip to Ireland. Clare and I visited a small farm with piglets, and she jumped in their pen to give them some love and scratches. I took a picture with a small novel digital camera, and she did a quick sketch afterwards that lived in our kitchen for years – with the idea it someday might become a wine label. Obviously, it has stood the test of time and still brings us joy so many years later!

The 2022 Laughing Pig is delicious! This beautiful dry rosé has high-toned strawberry and cherry, that is balanced with a soft yet impressive richness on the palate. The full tasting notes are on our web site. It’s always the first wine released of a vintage, so it is always special - we are so happy to be able to keep trotting it out!

Thank you for supporting our dream, so we can continue to bring wines to your table.

Spring Wines, Earth Pinot Noir and the Elusive Queen Chardonnay

If you have already bought our spring release wines, thank you. We are grateful to feel so connected to you all and hope you will find something in our current offerings that fits your table and budget. And please keep reaching out via email, phone and social media from wherever your table is in the world!

The Earth and Queen allocations have been sent out, so check your inbox. Please let us know if you have enjoyed that wine in the past but somehow didn’t get an allocation. We are offering up what’s left to our waitlist next week, so please let us know if you’d like to be on that list by emailing anna@bigtablefarm.com

Meat from the Farm

If you live locally, we will be opening up a few more spots on our meat share list this year. In the recent past, our beef, pork, goat and lamb meat has been in small quantities that were all spoken for. We will be harvesting a bit more beef and lamb this year, so if you are interested in procuring some of this beautiful high-quality, 100% grass-fed beef and lamb from big table farm, please send me a note at clare @ bigtablefarm.com (local residents only please).

Cheers - Clare, Brian, Anna, Laura, Josh and Riley

ps - you can also follow new paintings @clarecarver and www.clarecarver.com

Spring 2023 Release

February 23, 2023 clare carver

Happy spring 2023!

Howdy from western Oregon! We hope your holidays and the first days of 2023 are off to a great start! We, of course, have been busy and have so much to tell – farm, studio paintings, animals, vineyard, wine shipping and of course the wines – we are thrilled to have the 2021 vintage on deck and mid-April the 2022 laughing pig rose, which we are also excited about (2022 is so far, so fabulous, more on this later). Per usual we have our 2021 Willamette Valley Pinot noir, Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir, Wild Bee Chardonnay and 2020 Syrah – all stunning – we have started drinking them ourselves and we have already consumed more than our fair share!

new art project -

Maybe the most exciting (or ambitious) is the completion of a studio for Clare to paint in. We began planning in earnest 2 years ago and the final inspection just happened - thanks to Rich and Dan and crew of Blue Spruce Construction. As some of you know, Clare has been painting since she was a little girl, uses the Atelier in Carlton to paint, and especially went to work during the pandemic – over 70 paintings from April to December and they all found homes! Thank you to all who enjoy her work and encourage her to do more. As the pandemic subsides and Carlton and the atelier become busier with its intended use – wine of course! - it became more difficult for her to work (paint) uninterrupted and her dream of a studio at the farm became imperative. So, voila! Two years later she has a fantastic space that she has already started using! One small concession I bargained for is a bathroom and breakroom in the back for winery use – both lacking when we built the winery (it was bare bones – we have had a porta jon since 2014 – so definitely an upgrade!) I am really happy for Clare and am looking forward to watching her settle into the space and do some great work!

the farm and vineyard -

The vineyard continues to slowly take shape. End post and trellising went in last year, along with two more acres of Sunnyside Vineyard cuttings (8 acres total). We have most of the replants in – about 25% of the first 6 acres got toasted by the June heat dome in 2021. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the 2023 growing season is conducive to the growth of young vines. Eight sheep are part of our weed management program (yes, we ate two – tasty!) plus more are coming in May. They will not only be cute (and delicious!) but also help nurture the young vines by eating their competition.

The kid goats we bought in the spring did their job oh so well – and oh so tasty! We have more on order for the spring (thank you Connie!) They do such an amazing job of eating blackberry and browsing undergrowth in a way that cows and sheep do differently – so they are complimentary – and interestingly each is a dead end host for the other’s parasites, so between that and the rotational grazing we have yet to need worm medicine for any of our animals (knock on wood) – and they are so damn cute! Running the cows and goats under our reproduction timber has removed the undergrowth and allowed me to start removing the lower branches in hopes of making better timber, creating pasture (silvapasture) and reducing wildfire risk. As I often joke, I would never have imagined that watching grass grow could be so exciting! Currently the cows and sheep are in the barn – we keep them inside in the wet months to prevent the pasture from being torn up and it is warm and dry in the barn so they are happy too!

As some of you know we do most of our own fulfillment – meaning we pack and ship all of our own wines, as opposed to using a giant fulfillment warehouse on contract doing it for us. We started this in 2016, first in the winery, then in a rented space. In 2022 we moved into our own space and have set things up so they work exactly as we need and want (thank you Larry!) This allows us to provide flexibility, efficiency and ultimately (hopefully!) better customer service. The building is also in Carlton and close to the Atelier so all ‘in town’ btf is close. Laura Dalton is a dear friend and has led the charge on this aspect of our business since 2016. She had helped us prior since the first days with events and Thanksgiving and Memorial Day Weekend, so many of you have met her. Her reliability and get ’r done attitude, while still easy going, makes us super happy she continues to work with us.

On a sad note, we had to put Clementine down at the end of August. She was 16.5 years old and it was her time to go. We all miss her energy and spirit, and the house is quieter without her. Levi likes being an ‘only dog’ but I think even he gets a little lonely too. Bob the cat and his mouser friend Stanley continue to do their job, and Stanley is everyday braver the longer he is with us.

the wines -

Ok that is enough bs, let’s get to the wines! The 2021 vintage of course is marked by the June heat dome which brought us 116 degrees and cooked our baby plants - but established vineyards were hardly fazed – it was a dry and warm summer, but vines are hardy and thrifty and survive in all kinds of climates. The fall cooled off and saw some rain which allowed final ripening to happen in a measured pace – the resulting wines are delicious – full of fruit, firm yet pleasant tannins and lingering flavors that beg for more sips – yet still seemingly delicate.

The 2021 Willamette Valley Pinot noir is as always comprised of all the vineyards we work with – each is treated with equal diligence and as I say the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Vinified in the house style – whole cluster, native yeast, foot stomping, basket press, malo complete, only as much Sulphur as necessary, some oak but not too much, bottled after 10 months in barrel without any fining or filtration. We drink this wine regularly we hope you will too!

Pig on the label – 1846 cases bottled - 50$ a bottle - and of course if Laura packs 6 or more then ground shipping is on us

2021 Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir – this wine falls into the run don’t walk category – but 2021 is different. It may be the best yet of the 12 vintages we have been buying fruit from the Pelos Sandberg vineyard. Don puts enormous effort into his vineyard and does so much of the work himself, he knows each block row and vine. He is also a great friend and makes delicious wine of his own in the midst of his vines called Iota – his wines are certainly different than mine but equally compelling. He and his wife Joanna would be happy to hear from you – tell them I sent you!

250 cases bottled - Clare’s drawing of btf end posts – there is a story - $72 per bottle and yes Laura will happily pack 6 or more and we will send gratis

2021 Wild Bee Chardonnay – making chardonnay is deceptively simple – press, put juice to barrel, ferment, bottle – and yet there are so many small steps to coax the wine along, warming, cooling, stirring, topping – paying attention to what each barrel is doing – 80+ during harvest and 60+ post. I have great people and we are all paying attention – we love chardonnay and I love making it. So straightforward and yet delicious at the same time. Like the Willamette Valley Pinot, the Wild Bee is comprised of all the vineyards we work with, seven in 2021, so a true representation of the Willamette Valley. I visit each site regularly and make my picking decisions mostly using my palate. I usually wait until I taste flavors of ripeness - and look for signals in the grape (browning seeds, softening skins) and vine (some browning leaves) and of course what the imminent weather presents. All of our growers are diligent farmers so disease pressures are only a deciding factor every once in a while.

2021 is similar in ilk to past vintages – punching above its weight in quality verses cost – and this is intentional. We make 1,133 cases and we want you to drink it, cherish it certainly, but not covet it. Thank you and please drink responsibly. Label art NOT by clare – April Coppini! We bought the original art but pay her a royalty to use as our label – a win/win!

Again a small price increase - now $34 per bottle but again – once Laura is putting wine in a box, let’s make it 6! Saves you the shipping!

2020 Funk Estate Syrah – I really enjoy having something other than Pinot from time to time – both in the winery and on the table. I also enjoy the trip out to eastern Oregon to pick up the several tons we buy from Rich Funk ( great guy! And he has his own winery called Saviah). It takes me 5-6 hours to drive from BTF to Milton-Freewater – close enough that our growing seasons track in similar fashion in terms of timing, but far enough away that the coastal influences of the Willamette Valley are nonexistent, so it is warmer and drier and of course rockier! We brought the 2016 version of this wine to dinner with winemaker friends a month ago and Wow! It showed really well. That was our first vintage working with Rich’s fruit, so I was unsure of what to expect and how well it would stand up to the test of time – so far so good! The 2020 version is again made in the house-style, and similar to the Pinot with only minor adjustments – the most significant being longer elevage – 22 months in barrel verses the 10 moths for Pinot. Since it is a more substantial wine the longer time in barrel softens the tannins and makes the wine more approachable as a youngster. And please do! I often open a bottle and will enjoy for several evenings (as the wine ages this window will diminish) but then that is true for all wines. Like the country song says “ I’m not as good as I once was but I’m good once as I ever was!” 146 cases bottled – $68 per bottle – and yes of course – 6 or more and the shipping is on us.

Clare and I started this on a shoestring in 2006. We have and continue to put our shoulder into everything we do, with thought into all decisions – sometimes agonizing – but I believe the results are worth it. They reflect our persona – respect for the land, the people, the community and earth at large. And hopefully delicious wine! We do our best, always striving for perfection but also knowing, if achieved, it is for the briefest moment. I raise a glass to all of you who have helped us with our brief moments, and maybe, hopefully we are a small part of yours – cheers! Thank you, thank you, so much for continuing to enjoy and share our wines!

Cheers from our table to yours!

Brian and Clare, and the team at BTF

If you don't follow me on Instagram you might enjoy doing so - I will be posting all the spring farm happenings, recipes and what’s happing in the winery @bigtablefarm

Take care of yourself and your neighbors and share that bottle you've been saving!

Happy Fall Y'all - Library Magnums and a 6 pack for your holiday table with recipes!

October 25, 2022 clare carver

big table library magnum release!

Well it's that time of year it's getting cooler and we are truly looking forward to sharing holiday meals with family an friends.

In keeping with the theme of library wines this year this last release of 2022 is library magnums!

We have had a spectacular harvest this year the fruit was late but abundant and the winery has gone from the bustle of bringing in the fruit to managing the fermentations and barreling down. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather and are very grateful for it. Big thanks to our 2022 harvest crew!

We have four different sets of three magnums on the web site available. We also have some single magnum bottles available the best way to acquire those is to give us a call as the numbers are low and will be on a first come first serve basis.

We also put together a 6 pack just in time for your thanksgiving table. 'from our table to yours', I put this pack together to have something for everyone and some fun recipes with pairing ideas for that special holiday meal. 2022 Fall Table Recipes

2020 Wild bee Chardonnay - Chicken liver mouse
2021 Pinot Gris - butternut squash soup
2020 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir - Beet and bacon dish
Library Pinot Noir - Sage Butter Potatoes
2019 Syrah - Brian’s no kneed bread
2019 House Wine - Pinot Noir - Apple Pie with a Lard Pie Crust

QR code to link to all the recipes will be included in your box!
$325 shipping included

If you have any questions about any library wines availability or vintage characteristics - or would like to build your own special case - don’t hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email. We are so excited to share these rare and beautiful wines with you!

We are still offering complimentary fall ground shipping (on 6 bottles or more) which will last for a few more weeks, take advantage of it and stock up now for the holidays!

Click here to go right to the buy wine page for all 750’s

Click here to go to the special magnum release page

If you don't follow me on Instagram you might enjoy doing so - I post my recipes from harvest meals along with pictures of the farm and winery during this vibrant time of year. @bigtablefarm

Take care of yourself and your loved ones and share that bottle you've been saving!

Fall library Release

August 21, 2022 clare carver

Howdy all good people from big table farm!

I hope you are doing well - we are doing great here and wondering “where did the summer go?” projects galore, new animals - both babies and species – sheep! And of course the wines – one new one and lots of library! Vince, josh and I are busy in the winery getting ready to bottle the 21’s and then readying for 22! Clare and her team laura and anna are also busy, hosting appointments at the atelier in carlton and continuing to send you the wines you graciously keep ordering

Clare and I are amazed and thankful for all the good fortune we have had. When we moved to Oregon in 2006 and started a new life at what we named big table farm, we did not imagine we would create something that would take on a life of its own – that others would want to be part of what we do – whether it is making wine, art or food – and that more others would appreciate and support us in our endeavors – thank you to all!

The projects – there are many small but the two most important are clare’s studio and the vineyard. Clare has dreamed of a studio probably longer than she dreamed of horses. She has been painting since she was little girl, painting professionally when I first met her in 1999 and has continued to do so since – at some points more prolifically than others as time, space and creative energy allowed. Clare took advantage of the early days of the pandemic and our recently opened and then shuttered building in carlton, to produce an astounding amount of art – and all of it is sold! It became clear as things reopened that the space she had to herself needed to be returned to its original purpose - our wine business and hosting. The need for a dedicated studio space was clear. So she has planned plotted schemed for the last year and a half – and after a wet spring we finally broke ground in may! The structure is taking shape now – and soon clare will have a marvelous spot to call her own, to settle into and let her creative energy flow! I am confident we will see more amazing painting in the near future!

We also planted another 2 acres of pinot noir this spring and the vines are doing great – thanks to the wet spring and the great energy that came with them – luci and tom of sunnyside vineyard allowed us to take cuttings from their heritage vines (planted 1970). Luci likes to refer to our planting as “sunnyside north” so far so good! We added water infrastructure and irrigation this summer, I collected rainwater last winter in any vessel I could find – including an above ground swimming pool! So now we can give all the baby vines a drink in the dry days of summer to help them get started. Additionally, the trellis went in but with a slightly different twist – we have moved the fruiting wire and vine structure up a little higher than most modern plantings – why? – sheep! We want to use these graziers to mow under the vines and vine rows instead of a tractor – hopefully utilizing less fuel, creating another product from the same ground (lamb chops!) and of course putting nutrients and microbiology back into the soil to make the best wine we can! We are really excited about the sheep. We bought just 10 to get started, 8 ewes for breeding and 2 wethers for tasting! We obviously have had cows and goats for quite awhile so we are equipped, but still have a lot to learn about these new (to us) animals. We put them in the vineyard immediately and so far they have done a great job on the pieces we have given them. We need and envision more so we can take care of the entire vineyard, but all good things with time!

The rest of the animals are doing great too – clementine is an OLD lady but still bossy – levi is also deaf now but otherwise doing great. bob the cat and his buddy stanley help keep the mice in check and horses hummer and huston still stink but make the wife happy! Red fred the bull just got turned back in with his ladies, so he is happy and his calvies (5) from last year are all doing great! 6 kid goats arrived again this spring and continue to thrive on blackberry and keep fence lines clean by browsing what the graziers (cows, sheep) turn their noses up at. The goats are damn cute and are super entertaining (and tasty) but now have competition from the sheep in the adorable department – they have been knocked off their pedestal and seem confused about having to share the attention! We have been much more diligent about moving the chicken bus of late, and keeping their fence hot, so we have had lots of eggs and no predation. The broilers did great again this year and are in the freezer for deliciousness in the coming year! And last but not least – jeremy from cascade meadow farm brought us two more adorable weaners this spring. He does a great job breeding his American Guinee hogs and has been our source for many years now. They are growing fast and love the scraps from the kitchen and the wind fall fruit from the pear and apple trees that they live under. You would think that with all this food clare and I would be large as houses, but we sell beef once a year and share much with friends, employees and the rest of the people who helps make it all happen. we are so lucky and say thanks to that every day!

The wine!

For 2020 we made just our Willamette valley blends – incorporating all the goodness from our barrel selects and vineyard designates into them. They are delicious and some still available – but that has left us to get creative as to what else to offer you this fall, besides the 2021 pinot gris – racked and ready to bottle end of week. As soon as we get labels on it we will start sending it out. clare, laura and anna (and Sam) have worked really hard to organize our library wines in anticipation of this very moment! Seeing the list of all that is available brings back so many memories for me. It is truly amazing to me that we are 16 years into this endeavor – and we have the wine to prove it! I hope you enjoy them as much as I will!

Thank you again to all of you who buy and enjoy our wine – we depend on your enthusiasms to make this whole thing fly. Clare and I are so appreciative we get to be our creative selves and live by it too. from our table to yours, cheers! Brian and Clare

Complimentary Fall ground shipping (on 6 bottles or more) Click here to go right to the buy wine page

big table library release!

This year, for the first time ever, we are releasing past vintages from our library in 6 and 12 bottle packs curated by Clare. To see the library wines she’s selected, visit the ‘buy now’ page or see the descriptions at the bottom of this page. Please keep in mind – these packs and the wines in them are few in number and likely to go quickly. If a wine sells out, we may have to switch it for another vintage or label – we’ll reach out to you if a bottle in your pack purchase becomes no longer available.

If you have any questions about library wines or vintage characteristics - or would like to build your own special case - don’t hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email. We are so excited to share these rare and beautiful wines with you!

Cheers!! and thank you ALL! Clare and Brian

If you don't follow me on Instagram you might enjoy doing so - I'll be posting my recipes from harvest meals along with pictures of the farm and winery during this vibrant time of year. @bigtablefarm

Take care of yourself and your neighbors and share that bottle you've been saving!

Joy in the simple things

April 12, 2022 clare carver

First and foremost we hope you are all well and finding joy and hope in the spring days.

Brian and I are taking this moment to breath and just enjoy the things we may have taken for granted a few years ago. All of us here at big table farm hope our wines bring you joy. It's just that simple.

To that end we bring you rosé!

Our Laughing Pig Rosé release is an annual marker in time for us, a mid spring ritual that promises the warmth of summer - despite the crazy snow storm last night here at the farm.

Thank you if you have already bought our spring release wines, and for continuing to share them at your table. We are grateful to feel so connected to you all! Please keep reaching out via email, phone and social media. The 2021 Laughing Pig is delicious. This beautiful dry rosé has high toned strawberry and cherry that is balanced with a richness on the palette. My full tasting notes are on our web site.

As those who read Brian's Spring Letter, you’ll know that given the challenges of the 2020 vintage we made just one pinot noir and one chardonnay. So therefore sadly, while Earth and Queen are typically allocated when the rosé goes out, the pig is trotting out solo this year. I will say this is our first 2021 vintage release, and Brian and I are pretty over the moon with this wine.

Speaking of things being 'different' or limited - The bottle on our rosé this year is a different shape. This is a temporary change and next year we hope to go back to the hock glass shape - but like so many things our glass supplier had supply chain issues, and we had to make this change. I am happy to report, we did manage to get the magnums in the old shape. There are so many people that are part of our business that we never talk about, but Brian and I wanted to take this moment to thank Scott at Rose City Label, Emily Johnson and Ben at Pioneer Packaging and Shawn at Rich Xiberta for our labels, glass, boxes and corks. We are super appreciative of the extra work our long time partners have done due to the global supply chain issues. These guys are behind the scenes, supporting our business since the beginning.

We hope that you will find something in our Spring Release that fits your table and budget. We are still offering limited amounts of library wines – if this is of interest to you, please email Anna at bigtablefarm.com and she will send you the list of what is available. We do still have a few 19’s left, but they are going fast!

We will continue to try our best to see each day as an opportunity to make art and enjoy life. Thank you so much for buying, drinking and sharing our wines. We are humbled and honored to be part of your daily meals and celebrations alike.

Cheers - Clare and Brian

As all the development projects and baby animals all continue to grow on the farm you can follow along on instagram!

Spring 2022

February 28, 2022 clare carver

Early March 2022

Howdy all from western Oregon!

I hope you all are doing well despite the challenges we have all faced in the recent past, and we hope the news from big table farm and this wine release will bring a short respite from our topsy turvy world.

Clare and I have enjoyed the slower/quieter time of short days and long nights. We have been planning all kinds of projects which will make for a busy spring and summer! I am writing today to let you know our 2020 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and the Wild Bee Chardonnay and 2019 Syrah are now available! Where is the Pelos Sandberg you ask? Read on. In lieu of single vineyard wines we will be releasing limited amounts of library wines – if this is of interest to you, please email Anna at bigtablefarm.com and she will send you the list of what is available. We do still have a few 19’s left, but they are going fast!

THE VINTAGE

Given the challenges of the 2020 vintage we made just one pinot noir and one chardonnay. The growing season was amazing and we were teed up to make some great wines. I was looking forward to an easy harvest after all the challenges that 2020 brought. And then the fires started. An unusual east wind fanned the flames and the smoke was so thick it was unsafe to breathe. Most of the large fires were 20-30 miles away but some smaller ones were much closer. Fortunately, we were just frightened but unharmed. Not everyone was so lucky – lives were lost and property destroyed, many are still trying to rebuild their lives almost 2 years later.

Smoke is a relatively new phenomena for winemakers to deal with. We are still trying to understand how it affects the fruit and subsequent wine. My assistant, Vince and I spent a great deal of time and energy trying to forge a path forward, to make the best wine possible, in collaboration with our industry peers, both in the Willamette valley, the west coast and globally. I am extremely proud of the wines we have made. You have already had the 2020 Laughing Pig Rose and Pinot Gris, so I am sure you will also enjoy the pinot noir and chardonnay. One of the compromises we made was to put all of our fruit into our Willamette blends to bolster with the best barrels in the cellar. The resulting two wines are delicious, and I have and will continue to enjoy them – which is an important point. I drink the wines I make because I get to make wines that I (and Clare) want to drink (sometimes a little more than I should). Really – life is too short – and I wouldn’t ask you to buy/drink something that I wouldn’t drink myself. I stand behind everything we put in a bottle.

THE FARM

All the animals on the farm are doing well. The cows are still in the barn this time of year, the deep bedding keeps them warm and dry and off the pastures until they dry out and the grass starts to grow again. The laying flock of 20 or so has had to defend from a local red tail hawk, although the kestrels have returned, and I think they keep the red tails moving and away from the chickens. The dogs and cats are good, and Clare rides Huston regularly with Hummer in tow. Broiler chickens, pigs and kid goats are all ordered and will start arriving in April – and lambs! We have a deposit on 8-10 and are hoping to incorporate them into the vineyard to control the under-vine growth. This is an uncommon practice so we have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to set things up so that we are successful – check back in a year or two and maybe I’ll have an answer!

THE VINEYARD

The vineyard is now in year two and we have another 2 or so acres planned to be planted this spring – with cuttings from Sunnyside vineyard – we are excited about this! Thank you Lucy and Tom! Trellis will go in this year and unfortunately we will need to order replacement plants that the heat dome killed last June (115 here), about 20-25%. We will know exactly how many come May.

We had a great crew for 2021 and I think we made some nice wines – it was drama free which was a huge relief. We are scheduled to bottle the Laughing Pig Rose April 4 and will make it available to you shortly thereafter. Aside from our spring and summer projects here at the farm, we are planning on participating in IPNC this summer, end of July, a mostly outdoor event that took a pandemic hiatus. Also, Clare has started hosting tastings again at the Atelier in Carlton. They are by appointment and are booking fast, so if you are planning a trip and want to visit, please reach out soon.

Congratulations are in order to Laura Lillebo – she has retired! We are sad to see her go and will miss her. Anna Hatcher, who we have known for a long time, has stepped in and is rapidly learning the ropes. Her ready smile makes her a great addition to our team!

Clare has also continued to paint. She has made it a priority and carves out time regularly to spend in her studio, which is at the Atelier in Carlton. If you come for a tasting, her paintings are also on display there for visitors to see. It is really fun to watch it all happen – I don’t know how she has so much energy and gets so much done!

THE WINES

2020 Willamette Valley Pinot noir – we chose to bring in all our contracted fruit and paid all our growers in full. We looked at the vintage as a learning opportunity and attempted to make the best wine we could (as we always do!) I believe we have succeeded despite the challenges and I look forward to sharing our efforts with you. Fruit forward and spicy, it is delicious now and there is a delicacy to it that tells me it should be enjoyed sooner rather than later. Per usual it is bottled without filtration, and due to the pandemic we opted for a label that went on at bottling, rather than our hand labeling efforts of the past. Lulu – an American Guinee hog, is on the label. 2230 cases produced, $48/bottle, and yes, order 6 plus and we cover ground shipping.

2020 Wild Bee Chardonnay – the white wines were relatively unaffected by the challenges and winemaking proceeded as normal. We still chose to forgo barrel selections to ensure the wine we bottled was our best it could be. Malolactic complete, a touch of new oak and yes – also bottled without filtration. 1250 cases produced, $30/bottle, buy 6 or more and yours truly pays the FedEx bill.

2019 Syrah – Funk Estate Vineyard. Still from the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater in eastern Oregon, we really enjoy having this wine in our cellar and working with rich funk of Saviah in Walla Walla. I enjoy the trip to pick up the fruit, even though it is a quick one. Dark fruit, black olive, soft and supple – I open and enjoy over 3-4 nights. I hope you will too! 147 cases produced, $68/bottle. 6 or more here too for complimentary shipping.

As always I must conclude by thanking you for continuing to buy and enjoy our wines – Clare and I pinch ourselves regularly for our amazing adventure – thank you for being a part of it! Cheers! Brian and Clare

Magnums to share with your special crew

October 10, 2021 clare carver

Happy Harvest !

Brian and I and the whole big table team hope this note brings you a bit of joy and some indulgence.

We are nearly finished with harvest and have some beautiful 2019 magnums for you.

Speaking for myself by the time we get to the holidays I will be ready to celebrate with a big bottle and put ‘round two’ behind us.

As you may have noted in Brian’s fall letter there are no single vineyard wines in 2020 so the next magnum release will be in fall of 2023! The number of magnums is low, so don't delay.

These bottles are now available to you on our web site, via the link below.

click here to go magnum release page here

I’m not sure if it's all the time in the kitchen this year but the winery has smelled particularly delicious during primary fermentation. I’m taking it as a very good sign of what is to come as we finish pressing off the 2021 wines.

We have been enjoying more than our share of farm meals as we diligently make some great wines for you to enjoy in the future. If you don't follow me on Instagram you might enjoy doing so - I'm post my recipes from harvest meals along with pictures of the farm and winery during this vibrant time of year. @bigtablefarm

Laura and I have put together some super fun single bottle gift packs with some cards featuring my chicken paintings and a big table farm tea towel! We will send out an email about this next week with details and pricing etc. If you are starting to think about your personal or corporate gifting we have some nice options for you.

We are still offering complimentary fall ground shipping (on 6 bottles or more) which will last for a few more weeks, take advantage of it and stock up now for the holidays!

I suggest buying a three pack of magnums - a chard magnum for Thanksgiving, a willamette valley for your holiday table and a single vineyard to stash away!

Cheers!! and thank you ALL! Clare and Brian

Take care of yourself and your neighbors and share that bottle you've been saving!

Savoring the last of summer and focusing on simple pleasures!

August 20, 2021 clare carver

Howdy all from western Oregon!

We are doing great here despite all of the challenges of the recent past, and we hope the same for you! 2021 harvest is fast approaching and we are keeping our fingers crossed for an uneventful and beautiful finish to the growing season. 2020 is just bottled, and while we have decided to forgo any single vineyard or barrel selections wines, I am pleased with the results. And, of course we have a few more gorgeous 2019’s to share with you today!

The Farm

Our last significant rain here was mid June, so like the rest of the west it has been pretty dry here. Our practice of rotational grazing has made our pastures just a little more resilient so the cows are doing very well. Red Fred got a reprieve – he had six of six healthy calvies this year and is back in with the ladies after a 6 week break. We try to time calving season to correspond with the spring flush of grass, so that everyone is outside and has lots to eat. He is very gentle and his calves look great! We got kid goats again this year, 6, to eat the brush and blackberry along the fence lines and on the steep parts of our place. These little ruminants are my favorite – they are super cute, eat blackberry all day long, and then provide us with tasty chops in the fall.

Lulu and Lovely - American Guinee hogs are also very sweet this year, they have a great life close to kitchen (scraps!) and half a dozen pear trees that are beginning to drop their fruit. They are well fed and subsequently we are too! My favorite is the sausage that Clare makes. The broiler chickens are in the freezer and Clare got a new flock of layers that are doing really well, the seem to have a much more outgoing and busy personality than the last bunch – they have started laying and will keep us in eggs for the next couple years.

Levi and Clementine are both doing well, but getting old. Levi is eleven and still gets around just fine, but Clementine is 15.5 and is moving pretty slow. She is completely deaf so relies on Levi for cues as to when to bark, and Clare and I use hand waving to try to coax her in the right direction. She is still naughty though and will help herself to the contents of the fridge if we forget to lock it! Bob the cat is still mousing and has a young apprentice, Stanley, who showed up here about 6-8 weeks ago. Hopefully Bob’s fabulousness will rub off on him! Clare’s horses Hummer and Huston are stinky as ever. Hummer is retired from all riding and pulling, leaving Huston without a teammate, so these days Clare mostly just rides him which she loves, and always comes back with a huge grin on her face. Clare has put together her late summer/fall zine, chock full of BTF favorites! As soon as it’s printed it will be in your orders.

Most of the vines we planted in the spring are doing ok, but some were damaged by the unseasonable and extremely hot heatwave we had in June. We will know the extent of the damage next spring, but until then some of the crispy little plants are hard to look at. We have another 1.8 acres planned for next spring with cuttings taken from the old vine Wadesville at Sunnyside vineyard. Thank you Luci and Tom! For the established sites we are optimistic we will make some nice wine in 2021 – a little rain would be nice and some cool fall weather too, but we will make the best of what we are given.

The Atelier in Carlton is working well, especially from my perspective. Our home is no longer a tasting room, office, staff breakroom and storage space, I am a much happier person! We were given the opportunity to purchase the building in Carlton, so it will be home away from home for Big Table Farm for the foreseeable future.

The Wines

2019 seems like a lifetime ago! Days of innocence, predictability even if hectic. The cool finish and a little rain to end the growing season has produced wines that while juicy, are perfumed and complex and beautiful and spicy yet with some restraint. The Wild Bee Chardonnay, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Pelos Sandberg Vineyard Pinot Noir released this past spring have all met with praise, I hope same for the 5 we have for you today. The Pelos Sandberg is sold out, but we do still have some Wild Bee and Willamette Valley Pinot left to sell. Also, our second wine from 2020, our just bottled skin contact Pinot Gris.

2019 Yamhill Carlton Pinot Noir – I view this wine as a best of what we can offer from the YC AVA. Comprised of four different sites, each brings a different perspective of the vintage. I think this might be our best version yet, and I hope that one day we can include some of our own homegrown fruit in this blend as well. The label is a barn that we pass by regularly, Clare and I love the old barns of Yamhill county so we try to preserve them by featuring on the label.

235 cases produced, west side road barn, 68/bottle. Shipping is included on purchase of 6+ bottles!

2019 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot Noir – the adage of the best fertilizer is the farmers footsteps is supremely exemplified by Luci and Tom of Sunnyside vineyard. Their vines are mere steps from their home and they tend each block, each row and each vine with such detail, diligence and care it is an honor that they have continued to sell me fruit since 2011. Planted in 1970, this vineyard decidedly falls into the old vine category for the Willamette valley and we are thrilled that Luci and Tom allowed us to take cuttings from their vines to bring a little more of the Sunnyside magic to BTF. Speaking of magic, I think that is a perfect word to describe the 2019 version of Sunnyside pinot – it is going to seemingly disappear from your glass, and from our inventory. Be quick!

242 cases produced, a happy hen from Big Table Farm on the label, $68/bottle, and of course complimentary shipping on 6 or more bottles!

2019 Cattrall Bros Vineyards Pinot Noir – Bill and Tom are an inspiration, planting and farming their vineyard certified organically since the 1970’s. We buy about half of Tom’s 3 acre vineyard since 2009. It is typically one of the last vineyards we pick and is consistently acid driven with equal parts strawberry/cherry fruit and spicy forest floor. It also appears to effortlessly maintain its youthful energy long after it has been bottled.

134 cases produced, the famous cabover 47 Ford flatbed with a couple catahoula hounds onboard. 68/bottle and on the house shipping for half case or more orders.

2019 Yamhill Carlton Chardonnay – like the Pinot Noir version, this might be our best effort yet, or maybe the 2019 growing season was particularly kind to our homecourt AVA. Nevertheless we will take the deliciousness no matter how it came about. Richness balanced with raciness is how I would describe this wine, and regardless of what’s inside the bottle the label is gorgeous!

90 cases produced, blossoms, 48/bottle and yes – 6 or more bottles qualify for complimentary shipping on this one too!

2019 Eola Amity Chardonnay – the Eola Amity hills are proving to be a great place to be a chardonnay vine. We have been working with Chardonnay from the AVA since 2011 and the warm days and cool evening breezes make wines with ripe fruit and crisp acidity an easy win. I hope you agree with me. The label is also a winner – Clare loves her honey(bees)!

Honeybees on the label, 91 cases produced, $48/bottle. Mix and match to six or more and we will send sans shipping

2020 Pinot Gris – Orange as always! We have been buying Pinot Gris from Brian and Jill O’Donnel at Belle Ponte for four years now and we couldn’t be happier! They are also in the Yamhill Carlton AVA. We fermented with skins and stems per BTF normal, giving this wine it’s color and more importantly red fruited flavors and more texture and tannin than if we pressed and just used the juice to make white wine. It is exceptionally seafood friendly!

Assorted farm grasses, plants and weeds on the label, 68 cases produced, $36/bottle and yes 6+ bottles purchased equals a good shipping deal for you!

We truly appreciate your continued purchase and enjoyment of our wines. Our work is possible only through your opening and sharing our wine with friends and family, thank you! Please use the most convenient way to get in touch with us, phone, text or email, so the we can put wine in your glass, on your table and in your cellar. Thank you again, Brian and Clare and the team at Big Table Farm. Cheers!

Open rosé and enjoy the sunshine

April 9, 2021 clare carver

First and foremost we hope you are still staying healthy and safe.

Brian and I are hopeful, as I imagine you are too, that we are close to being able to see our friends and family again very soon.

All of us here at big table farm hope our wines bring you joy. It's just that simple.

To that end we bring you rosé!
Our laughing pig rosé release is an annual marker in time for us, a mid spring ritual that promises the warmth of summer.

Thank you if you have already bought our spring release wines, and for continuing to share them at your table. We are grateful to feel so connected to you all, please keep reaching out via email, phone and social media.

My new spring issue 'zine' is now going out in your shipment, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved making it.

The 2020 laughing pig is delicious. This beautiful dry rosé has high toned strawberry and cherry that is balanced with a richness on the palette. My full tasting notes are on our web site.

New this year, Earth and The Elusive Queen are now allocated. If you are on our allocation list you should have received a separate email. You will need to log in to collect your allocation. If you didn't get that email and you requested an allocation, you are on the wait list. If we have any left after the first round of folks get their offering we will reach out.

We hope that you will find something in our spring release that fits your table and budget.

We will continue to try our best to see each day as an opportunity to make art, and enjoy life. Thank you so much for buying, drinking and sharing our wines.

We are humbled and honored to be part of your daily meals, and celebrations alike.

Cheers - Clare and Brian

We are still offering complimentary shipping to include 6 packs as well as cases.

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Happy Spring 2021 - looking forward...

February 25, 2021 clare carver

Happy spring 2021!

Howdy all from western Oregon – all things considered we are doing pretty good here, I hope the same for you. We have some new wines for you and a few updates as to our progress and projects around here. Spring is almost here and with that the promise of a new growing season, vaccines, and hopefully beginnings of a return to a new normal.

The most exciting news is that the vines we ordered last winter arrived mid February, and are being planted now! Last fall we surveyed and laid out the vine rows and spacing in preparation, and keeping our fingers crossed we will have almost 6 acres of Pinot noir, Chardonnay and a little Pinot gris in a few years! Phase II is also in progress, thanks to Luci and Tom at Sunnyside vineyard – who have saved some budwood for us that will be grafted onto rootstock and possibly planted as a soon as this fall! Things are moving right along!

on the farm - All the animals have happily been in the barn since last November. It has been a pretty rainy winter so they are warm and dry, out of the wet and get plenty of hay. The vet is scheduled next week to preg check the cows to make sure Red Fred did his job. They will all be put back out on pasture just as soon as it warms up, drys out and the grass starts to grow again. Sal the guard donkey is also in the barn but he will return to work again this spring when the goat kids show up. Clementine, Levi and Bob the cat have spent all winter next to the fire. We all have a pretty great life here at BTF. The voles this year have been voracious, especially in my garden. The ate much of the brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and kale, except for one variety which I guess they didn’t like – carrots, celeriac, parsley – you name it they ate it! I will busy this spring trying to control their numbers. Clare’s horses are good, still stinky and her bees seem to have survived the winter!

2020 vintage notes

We had another great crew for the 2020 vintage, but sadly it was maybe one of the most challenging of my career. We masked, hand washed, temperature checked, distanced and thankfully everyone stayed healthy. The biggest challenge were the fires and trying to understand and learn about the affects of smoke and wine, which we are still doing. We brought in all our fruit and have made all our growers whole. Fruit quality was high but there was less of it than the last couple years. We are doing our best and will let you know what we come up with soon…

the wines -

The 2019 vintage is what we have for you today – I think the wines are lovely, and interestingly, exceptionally sturdy. Summer was very nice, warm days gave us nice ripeness, but September quickly cooled and with a little rain allowed the fruit to finish ripening without accumulating more sugar. The resulting wines are bright, fresh with lots of fruit, and incredibly sturdy even by young wine standards. What I mean by this is the wines remain vibrant days after opening. For us this means we can open a white and a red and enjoy over 2,3 even 4 evenings. I know some of you will tell me I’m crazy - a bottle opened means a bottle emptied – but maybe give it a try. I think this also means the wines from 2019 will be enjoyable for a number of years to come – we’ll see!

2019 wild bee chardonnay

This is a blend of all 7 chardonnay sites we work with, our largest bottling, from south of Salem, van Duzer, Eola Amity, Dundee and Yamhill-Carlton. So a true Willamette Valley blend. Floral and stone fruit, mouth filling yet crisp – this wine is complex but also easy to love – with a delicious finish that lingers and persuades another sip or bite. The label is same as last year, by April Coppini. This design let’s us get you a delicious wine in a more cost effective package.

1155 cases produced, $30 a bottle. Buy 6 bottles or more and the shipping is included!

2019 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Like the Wild Bee this is our largest bottling of pinot noir and a true representation of the region and the 9 different sites each with their own strengths add up to make this a delicious wine year after year. I believe the 2019 version is true to this – warm spice, cherry and blackberry on the nose, and a pallet with persistent tannins and acidity that balance the fruit. All lots are treated with equal diligence, and barrel selections are made just prior to blending and bottling. All the winemaking, from picking decisions to final blending are done by taste – this is the most important thing to me – how does it taste? I want to make what I want to drink. Thankfully a few of you also enjoy the same qualities in wine that I do.

Chubs on the label, 2503 cases produced, $48 per bottle. And 6’s and full cases all ship compliments of BTF!

2019 Pelos Sandberg pinot noir

We have been working with the same rows and blocks at Pelos Sandberg vineyard for 10 years! 2010 was the first year Don sold us fruit, and I think every year it gets a little better, the fruit most likely, but maybe my understanding of the site too. Regardless, Don does an impeccable job farming and sells us the same high quality fruit that he puts into his own wine called Iota. Some years ago he had some fun marking BTF rows with silverware and kitchenware he got at the thrift store, including a ladle that the vineyard guys sometimes use on days they bring soup for lunch! The drawing for this year’s label is an end post with a knife and fork that show me where to go. Thank you Don and I hope the next 10 years are as good as the last!

243 cases produced, 64 dollars per bottle – Eola Amity at its best!

2018 Funk vineyard Syrah – this is our third vintage working with fruit from Rich Funk’s vineyard in the Rocks District of Milton Freewater and 2019 and 2020 are in barrel. We are so pleased to have a little bit of this special place in our cellar. Like PSV, Rich has his own winery called Saviah and he farms his vineyards with the highest quality in mind for his wines and for what he sells us. The 2018 version is opulent and delicious with gorgeous dark fruit, savory notes of green olive and of course black pepper that tells you it is indeed Syrah. We just make a little bit of this wine, so if you want some be quick!

133 cases produced, $48 per bottle and yes – shipping included on 6 or more!

Included in spring shipments is something new! Clare has been working on documenting the food and meals we eat here on a regular basis, creating the recipes and accompanying photos of some of our winter fare in a printed version. She in now working on the spring/summer version, fall to follow, with the eventual plan of putting them all together into a book version. We hope this provides a little inspiration for your own kitchen and meals. If you don't follow her on Instagram you might enjoy doing so @bigtablefarm

Thank you so much to all of you who enjoy and share our wine. We are so humbled knowing the work we do in our little corner of the world brings moments of joy to others. Please take care, be safe and we look forward to sending you wine and Clare’s zine!

Thanks again, and cheers! Brian and Clare

** a note on ordering wine - If you're super busy - please let us help you order wine in whatever way is EASIEST for YOU! We are happy to assist. Call, email - We are available to make sure you get the wines you love! If you want to reach out please just send an email to admin@bigtablefarm.com or call 503-852-3097 or Text Clare Directly! 503-922-3540 and we'll follow up with YOU and get your order. You can also Click here to go right to the buy wine page.

Wine to Share with your special crew 2021 Magnum release

October 11, 2020 clare carver

Happy Harvest !

Brian and I and the whole big table team hope this note brings you a bit of joy.

We are nearly finished with harvest and have some beautiful 2019 magnums for you.

Speaking for myself by the time we get to the holidays I will be ready to celebrate with a big bottle and put ‘round two’ behind us.

As you may have noted in Brian’s fall letter there are no single vineyard wines in 2020 so the next magnum release will be in fall of 2023! The number of magnums is low, so don't delay.

These bottles are now available to you on our web site, via the link below.

click here to go magnum release page here

I’m not sure if it's all the time in the kitchen this year but the winery has smelled particularly delicious this year during primary fermentation. I’m taking it as a very good sign of what is to come as we finish pressing off the 2021 wines.

Laura and I have put together some super fun single bottle gift packs with some cards featuring my chicken paintings and a big table farm teat towel! We will send out an email about this next week with details and pricing etc. If you are starting to think about your personal or corporate gifting we have some nice options for you.

We are still offering complimentary fall ground shipping (on 6 bottles or more) which will last for a few more weeks, take advantage of it and stock up now for the holidays!

Take care of yourself and your neighbors and share that bottle you've been saving!

As we look to fall .... and savor the last days of summer

August 21, 2020 clare carver

Hello to all from Big table farm!

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I am writing to you today in the midst of the pandemic, unprecedented economic hardship for many and an enormous social discussion about all of our roles in our country, society and the world, to tell you that we have more wine for you to put on your table. This is one of our roles in this world that we have chosen – to produce the best wine that we can, wine that we enjoy ourselves and then to share with those of you who also enjoy it. This sometimes seems trivial in light of all that we are facing, challenged with at the moment, but I think the joy created by a family sharing meals, with wine as part of that food, is extremely comforting. I know it has been for Clare and me.

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The world is so much different today than when I last wrote in March. All things considered, we are doing well. We stopped doing appointments in mid-March at the Atelier and Clare began using the space in earnest to paint and produced an amazing amount of work, most of it selling the moment she posted it on Instagram. I have been a little less productive but still diligently taking care of the wine and doing the bookkeeping, and enjoying the breathing room now that our home is just a home, with the office and tastings moved out. I have definitely been slowed by the constant dismal news, anxious and worried about what is happening next. It seems life moves from normal to unexpected event, to new normal then to next unexpected event, over and over. We are fortunate to have our health (we have avoided covid so far) and plenty of outdoor space and projects, should we avail ourselves to them. We have missed being able to see our family and friends with the ease of before. We are grateful to have cultivated our business based on direct sales, thankful that you continue to enjoy our wine at home. We also hope all our amazing restaurant partners are able to rebound and we look forward to the day we can enjoy their culinary and hospitality talents with unencumbered enthusiasm! We are thankful for the work that Laura Lillebo and Laura Dalton do to make sure your orders are processed and shipped as efficiently and safely as possible. Samantha Plante does an amazing job behind the scenes of making sure that all our shipments are legal, licenses and bond are kept up to date and sales tax paid to each of your respective state treasuries. Our team has done a great job of getting you the wine, and we look forward to sending you more.

We have had a nice spring and summer here, April saw a few frosty mornings that burnt some of my asparagus and June was cooler and wetter than usual. We have had a couple of hot days in august, but for the most part the summer has been typical for Oregon – delightful! Harvest 2020 will be small and start sometime in mid September.

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Bob the cat and the dogs have done their jobs of reminding us that the only really important things in life are ear scratches, belly rubs and crunchies, not necessarily in that order. For the first time in the 12-13 years we have had cows, we had two still births, and Red Fred the bull missed 3 of the eight cows he was presented with. Regardless we still have 3 calves to watch romp around. Sal the donkey has 5 Boer goats (6 last year, they were delicious) to watch over as they keep the brush down on the steepest parts of our property. Luscious and Chubs, American Guinee hogs, are super cute, and getting bigger by the day as they run every time they hear a pear drop from the trees above then. The broilers are in the freezer and the layers keep laying, except they have slowed a little in the warm days of summer. Clare still has her horses, but hummer has been retired due to age, so she mostly just rides Huston. She seems to really enjoy this so I don’t ask about the future of more (or another) working horses. She moved her apiary to a new spot this year and so far it seems to be more successful than any other. Maybe it is the season and maybe her husbandry, but it seems that she is headed for a very successful honey harvest. My garden is still providing for us, maybe a little less this year due to some apathy on my part, but we just finished planting a bed of brassicas (kale, brussels etc.) that should keep us in greens for the winter. Clare has created a sock puppet named “Darn the cow” one evening a month or so ago after some elusive queen chardonnay and some teasing by a friends puppet. Darn has taken on a life of her own and can be seen on Clare’s Instagram account. She does a pretty good job of keeping up with all that is happening around here in a light hearted way. All in all things at Big Table Farm are pretty good.

As I announced last time I wrote, vines have been ordered for about 6 acres, mostly pinot noir but some chardonnay. This spring Clare purchased about a dozen bird houses that we installed on the perimeter vineyard fence posts, some were inhabited almost immediately! Watching the birds that thrive here has been a constant fascination. Pencil rod (skinny steel stakes) were just delivered and will start to be installed at the beginning of September. When the plants arrive next spring the pencil rod will mark where the vines should be planted and then serve as a support in the early days. We used the cows to graze the cover crop that was planted last fall. The stubble they left was recently mowed in preparation for laying out and installing the pencil rod. Additional cover crop will be seeded into the yet to be inhabited vineyard rows using a no-till drill this fall – and all going according to plan this time next year we will have the beginnings of a vineyard!

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We are in the midst of preparing to bottle the rest of the 2019’s. If the 2019 laughing pig rose is any indicator I think the rest will drinkable too! Joking aside, I am pleased with what we are about to bottle and hope that when they are ready to ship to you next spring, the world will be a different place again – hopefully sans covid.

The wines!

We have really enjoyed the 2018 wines released so far, particularly Earth Pinot noir and the Elusive Queen chardonnay (both sold out) but the Willamette Valley and Pelos Sandberg Pinot noir and Wild Bee Chardonnay too, since they were release last spring, and we look forward to getting to know their brethren as well. The 2018 versions of Yamhill-Carlton and Eola Amity Chardonnay are available, as well as the Cattrall Brothers Vineyard, Sunnyside Vineyard and Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir, and the 2019 Pinot Gris.

2018 Eola Amity and Yamhill-Carlton chardonnay – the goal of our AVA designated chardonnays is to show case what each is about, and I believe each of these do that. The Eola Amity is focused on acidity and minerality, of course layered on top of fruit, because I like to drink wines that have fruit in them. The Yamhill-Carlton is a bit broader riper and reflecting the slightly warmer AVA and the power that it imparts on its wine’s, both chardonnay and Pinot noir. I hope you enjoy these wines, both for their similarities and differences. About 90 cases of each produced. Of course, shipping included on 6 bottles or more!

2018 Eola Amity Chardonnay – label is one of Clare’s honeybees collecting pollen - $48 per bottle

2018 Yamhill-Carlton Chardonnay – label is flowers that feed Clare’s bees – also $48 per bottle

2018 Cattrall Brothers Vineyard Pinot Noir – this is the highest elevation Pinot noir we work with and it shows, it achieves ripeness without accumulating too much sugar and the cooling of the breeze from the Van Duzer corridor that hits it every evening helps maintain its acidity. The 2018 version is no exception and is delicious while only clocking in at 12.1% alcohol. The acidity and tannin demand food, especially as youngster. Tom and Bill have the coolest truck that they use to deliver their carefully tended grapes that Clare loves to draw for the label. 134 cases produced

2018 Cattrall Brothers Vineyard Pinot Noir – 1946 ford cabover flatbed $62 per bottle, and yep still complimentary shipping on orders of 6 bottles or more!

2018 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot Noir – Happy birthday! Sunnyside vineyard was planted in 1970, making it 50 years old this year! The wine from this carefully tended vineyard is always amazing. Lucy and Tom farm this predominantly Wadensville clone pinot noir with care, diligence and enthusiasm that undoubtedly contributes to fantastic wine year in and year out. My job is to make sure I don’t mess up the beautiful fruit they bring me every year. Fruit, spice, acidity and tannin all seem to balance effortlessly making it tasty as they come. 242 cases produced

2018 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot Noir – a BTF rooster on the label $62 per bottle

2018 Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir – some day we will see a little BTF fruit in this blend! Our place is in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and part of why we started making this wine, thinking that someday wine from our vineyard would have a home. As I mentioned before – the YC wines seem to have darker fruit notes a little more power than finesse making it an able partner to grilled food and heartier fare. Clare uses the label to showcase the local barns from years gone by that are still standing. 234 cases produced

2018 Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir – Dairy barn on hwy 47 on the label. $62 per bottle, and yes shipping included on 6 bottles or more on this one too!

2019 Pinot Gris – from the Rivenwood Vineyard farmed by Belle Ponte. We started buying this fruit from Brian O’Donnell in 2017 to replace wirtz and continued to make it the same style, fermented on the skins to make a wine that is food friendly. The resulting wine is copper in color and has some tannin and red fruited notes to it that make it absolutely delicious with seafood, particularly salmon or crab with lots of butter! We always crack open a bottle of our pinot gris when the first dungeon crabs hit our table in the fall, I highly recommend giving it a try! Label art on the gris is always a favorite of mine, this year chickory from our lower pasture. 133 cases produced

2019 Pinot Gris – $32 per bottle and you guessed it – buy 6 bottles or more and we pay for shipping.

I hope is all is as good as it can be, that you are safe and relatively sane. Thank you again for continuing to buy, enjoy and share our wines. From our humble kitchen and sparsely populated big table to yours, cheers! Brian and Clare

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Art, Royalty, Dirt and Joy

April 6, 2020 clare carver

First and foremost we hope you are staying healthy and safe.

We will get through this!!

In the mean time, Brian and I are focusing our energy each day on what we can do.

As artists we are simply continuing to do what we do best. We are making things that we hope bring joy. Its just that simple.

Thank you if you have already bought our spring release wines and for continuing to share them at your table. We are grateful to feel so connected please keep reaching out via email, phone and social media. With our new tasting room closed and our restaurant partners all over the country shuttered you all opening our bottles is not only keeping us connected it’s enabling Brian and Me to keep creating. Thank you!

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Our laughing pig rose release is an annual marker in time for us, a mid spring ritual that promises the warmth of summer. We hope this wine brings joy to you as well.

To keep the wine flowing we figured out a way to bottle our rose! We slowed down the line to 1/2 speed and used less people so we can maintain safe distance. Brian, Myself, Laura and Sarah bottled the rose yesterday and we are excited to offer it to you today along with Earth and The Elusive Queen.

The 2019 laughing pig is another stunner. The ’19 vintage is a pretty one that has tons of bright fruit but also underlying spice. This beautiful dry rose has high toned strawberry and cherry that is balanced with a richness on the palette. My full tasting notes are on our web site.

Also on offer are our two barrel select wines, the Elusive Queen (Chardonnay) and Earth (Pinot noir). Brian says if we don’t sell these wines we will (and we do) drink them ourselves. They represent less than 5% of our production but hopefully capture all of the best magic possible from the vintage. Brian does the heavy lifting of tasting all the barrels and narrowing them down to the very best few, then I help him select the final barrels that end up in Earth and the Elusive Queen. They are our highest expression of the vintage and our very best wine!

We understand that these two wines are expensive, and may not be for everyone. While they represent our highest aspiration, they are still cut from the same cloth we use to diligently make all of our wines. We hope that you will find something in our spring release that fits your table and budget.

Unprecedented is a word I keep hearing. That word feels like an abyss but can also be seen as full of opportunity. We will continue to try our best to see each day as an opportunity to make art and enjoy life. We hope our art brings you joy. Thank you so much for buying, drinking and sharing our wines.

We are humbled and honored to be part of your daily meals and celebrations alike.

Cheers - Clare and Brian

During this time we have changed our complimentary shipping to include 6 packs as well as cases.

wash your hands and for heavens sake don’t pick your nose...

Happy Spring from big table farm ..

February 27, 2020 clare carver

Howdy all from western Oregon! Happy spring!

Spring is in the air here today, cold but brilliant sunshine and we are all trying to soak up as much as possible, the weatherman says more rain on the way.

We just finished our spring staff tasting of 2018’s and some library wines from 2012,14, and 16, and I am happy to report the 18’s are fabulous (Clare wet her pants) and we are excited to share them with you!

We have been busy since my last missive and I am looking forward to updating you to all the changes happening in the world of Big Table Farm.

The 2018 growing season was much like 2014 and 2016 producing ripe fruit, and particular to 2018 and unusual for Pinot noir, thicker than usual skins- these required patience to allow to ripen, and we did wait, and I think the results are fantastic and hope you will too. Harvest went smoothly, it was drawn out, so the fruit came in to the winery at an even pace allowing us to mind every detail. I think the 2018’s are delicious now, but will continue to prove their worth over time, just like the 2012’s, 2014’s and 2016’s we just tasted. The 2018’s have started to land on our table and I hope that when they land on your table you will enjoy them as much as we do.

Other than the 18’s being released (and the 17 syrah!) the biggest news is that we have leased a building in nearby Carlton to serve as our public front for both BTF wine and Clare’s art. We have used our home for our business since 2006 as it was really our only option for our fledging enterprise. Thankfully we have met with success and while have enjoyed sharing our home with so many wonderful people (over 2500 last year) the time has come to return some semblance of sanity to our lives. I literally had a ladder outside of my office window so I could move in and out of the house freely.

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The building in Carlton has been dubbed the Atelier. Clare uses the space for painting when she has a moment, and of course most of her available works are there. The space has a long history in Carlton, first as a creamery until the 40’s, then as the office for Madsen feed and mill, until recently. Our tastings are still by appointment and with a slightly more convenient location and a little more space we hope to be able to accommodate more of you in 2020 – and beyond. For those of you who absolutely need a farm fix we will be doing an event here with outstanding in the field in July - tix go on sale via OSITF in March.

The farm! So much to tell! The biggest question now has an answer – after harvesting the biomass, conversion to biochar – we have begun the plant ordering process, so spring of 2021 we will put in our first pinot noir and chardonnay in the ground! Last fall we prepared the ground, planted a cover crop that we will graze this spring and summer. It will lie fallow through the winter, and then next February/March vines will be put in the ground and we will see the beginning of vintages to come! Exciting and anxious at the same time!

We have begun experimenting with the biochar we produced with very promising results. Since we built the barn and winery in 2014 we have been composting the pommace from the winery and the deep bedding from the cow’s winter stay in the barn together and then spreading on our pastures in the fall. This summer we divided the compost in thirds, treating 1/3 per usual, added 20% biochar to a third and 50% biochar to the last third. We spread the mixes on pastures in the fall, and even though grass grows very slowly in the winter, we could still visibly see differences. The real test will be this spring and summer, and the cows will be the ultimate judge, telling us what is tastiest. We still have enough biochar to add to our compost for the next couple years, so we will see where this takes us! Believe it or not it IS fascinating to watch grass grow.

Solar! Last fall we fulfilled a lifelong dream and added solar panels to the winery. I have been enamored with the idea of sunlight producing electricity since I was a little kid. We finally put all the pieces together to make it happen at Big Table Farm, along with a couple batteries to keep our wine cool should we lose power in the middle of summer. This compliments the Chevy bolt (all electric and super fun to drive) electric forklift we recently acquired and the Polaris (American made) electric ATV.

Last but not least – the animals! More goats and pigs are set to arrive in 4-5 weeks time, last year’s have filled the freezer and deliciously sustain us and friends throughout the year. Our laying flock has remained predator free through the winter thanks to a new super hot electric fence, and are beginning to reward us with a spring flush of eggs – if you visit the Atelier ask Clare if she has any for you. We are unsure of Red Fred’s abilities – several of our cows he was supposed to have knocked up appear to be open (not pregnant) hmmm – we thought a bull would solve our breeding problems. We will know what he is made of by July/August when calves are due. Clementine is mostly deaf and probably a little blind and a little dingy, but at 14 years she still gets excited about treats and meals and her tail keeps wagging. Levi is doing great and Bob the cat still mouse’s but seems to have taken adorable to a whole new level – the dogs now have to share his spot in front of fire.

I am sure I missed a few things, but maybe that is what Clare’s instagram account is for, she loves taking photographs and uses that to document all that happens here.

The Wines!

2018 Wild Bee chardonnay – Delicious! Is anything else after that important? What more needs to be said? This is the highest compliment a wine can receive.

Chardonnay has been part of the BTF portfolio since 2011, and I worked with it extensively during my early days in California as well. I pick my chardonnay when the fruit tastes good, flavors developing and seeds browning and starting to crunch. I like fruitiness, as well as other components, in my wine. Barrel fermented in French oak, mostly used but some new. Fermented with whatever yeast blows in the door, minimal sulpher added and the wine basically goes from barrels to bottle with only a short stay (2-3 days) in a blending tank. Filtration, fining and other nonesuch are completely left out of the program. Simplicity at its finest! 819 cases produced, 28 dollars per bottle, same label and price as last year, and complimentary ground shipping on case purchases!

2018 Willamette Valley Pinot noir – as always this wine is a true Willamette Valley blend. Some of each of the 8 pinot noir vineyards we work with end up in this wine, making it a true representation of the 2018 vintage and the Willamette valley as a whole. Winemaking has remained the same as past vintages, as well as volume produced. We have always focused on quality verses quantity and we believe we have reached an equilibrium of both. Same price as last year, but different pigs – Sam and Rick, had a great life, one bad moment and live on as they grace our table and hopefully yours.

2503 cases produced, 45 dollars per bottle, and yes of course, if you buy a case I will pay for the ground shipping.

2018 Pelos Sandberg Vineyard Pinot noir – Don Sandberg continues to farm diligently providing Big Table Farm as well as his own brand Iota with exceptional fruit. As I make my vineyard visits as fruit is ripening, I often save my visit to PSV for last, so I can walk the blocks with Don and then linger, drink a beer and discuss the progress, share ideas and thoughts. The 2018 from his vineyard is true to past presentations – fruit driven but balanced with bright acidity and present but pleasant tannins. 254 cases produced with a hat on the label you might recognize. 62 dollars a bottle and yes case shipping included on this one too!

2017 Funk Estate Vineyard Syrah – at our staff tasting the other day this wine was tasted last, it was almost lunchtime, so my tasting notes consisted of ‘WOW’. Clare asked me what I did differently and the answer was same same, same winemaking, same vineyard as last year, just a different vintage. Sometimes everything just falls into place and you end up with ‘WOW’! Working with Rich Funk is a pleasure, he is one of the nicest, positive people you will ever meet and he makes his own wines under his Saviah label in Walla Walla. Same price and same label as last year – 145 cases produced, 48 dollars a bottle. Ground shipping covered by yours truly, Don’t walk, RUN! This wine will be gone quickly.

2020 is off to a great start and we look forward to seeing you in Oregon or across the country. Clare is hosting a dinner at the Fig in Charleston SC as part of the Food and Wine event. We both are headed to ATL for the High museum wine auction later this month and Big Table Farm will be participating in the International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville Oregon at the end of July. Clare will also be hosting a wine dinner at the Minam River Lodge in min July. All great events and we looked forward to seeing you!

Also, we are scheduled to bottle 2019 Laughing Pig rose April 6 and will be available shortly thereafter, along with the 2018 versions of the Elusive Queen chardonnay and Earth Pinot noir!

** a note on ordering wine - If you're super busy - please let us help you order wine in whatever way is EASIEST for YOU! We are happy to assist. Call, email - We are available to make sure you get the wines you love! If you want to reach out please just send an email to admin@bigtablefarm.com or call 503.852.3097 - and we'll follow up with YOU and get your order. You can also Click here to go right to the buy wine page.

Thank you to our in house team for all their work, Laura, Laura, Lilly Gray and Jeff, all the growers and vineyard owners and managers who grow the great fruit that make our wines what they are.

And of course, thanks to all of YOU who buy and enjoy our wine, all of the above is possible because of you. We love what we do and highly value your continual participation in helping us make delicious wine. THANK YOU!!!

From the table at Big Table Farm to your table – Cheers! Brian and Clare

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