past vintages of sunnyside vineyard pinot noir

2021 Sunnyside Pinot Noir

250 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$72
label-one of Clare’s roosters

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, their sensitivity to plant responses to growing conditions and their dedication to delivering the very best they can is inspiring – we have been buying from them since 2011! 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’ names on the winery. 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 the Sunnyside grapes and every year it is a standout in my opinion, and that of many others as well!  2021 is no exception!

tasting notes –It’s no coincidence that this wine exudes a confidence that you’d find on the sunny side of the street.  Sophisticated and balanced with a dreamy disposition. Cardamom, sandalwood, and dried rose lend way to a baked, red fruit jumble that allows you to leave your worries on the doorstep while you dance with the crushed velvet tannins.

scores -
94 pts —Paul Gregutt
92 pts — Wine Enthusiast
95 pts — International Wine Report
93 pts — Wine Spectator
93+ pts — Vinous
92 pts — Wine & Spirits

2019 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot Noir

242 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$68 (sold out)
label - big table farm hen 

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 us 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!

Fresh florals lead the way through an elegant sensory experience. An expressive bouquet of fresh cut carnations and dewy roses evolves into flavors of bright, juicy bing cherries, strawberry-blackberry preserves and a hint of tanned leather to warm you up. Farmers market freshness, in a glass.

scores-
92 pts— James Suckling
95 pts — Vinous
94 pts— Owen Bargreen
93 pts — Wine Enthusiast Editor’s Choice

past vintages (sold out)

2018 Sunnyside Pinot Noir

242 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$62 (sold out)
label - big table farm rooster

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 predominently 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 as tasty as they come.

tasting notes-
Bright florals of violets, dried rose petal and lavender lure you into a juicy concentration of ripe and baked dark berry fruits. Freshly baked blackberry and huckleberry farmers tarts, textures of  cherry fruit-leather, clove and cola bridge into earthy notes of bay and tomato leaf, wet stone and lightly turned potting soil. Supple and balanced, elegant and harvest-stand ready.

scores -
9.5 pts — Vinography
97 pts — Wine Enthusiast
93 pts — Purely Domestic Wine Report
94 pts — Vinous

past vintages (sold out)

2017 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot Noir

245 cases produced
unfined and unfiltered
$100 (sold out)
label - one of Clare’s laying hens

It is important to me to be present during the growing season to understand what and how the conditions the grapes have been created in.  I spent a great deal of time visiting each site as the grapes ripen to access and evaluate what will eventually come into the winery and decide when to pick, the most important decision I make.  For this reason I choose vineyards that are close by.  Sunnyside is my furthest flung, just south of Salem and takes me about 45 minutes to get there.  Lucy and Tom’s fruit and resulting wine is so compelling that the extra time to get there is well worth it.  Elegant and yet still muscular, this vineyard produces amazing wine year in and year out.

tasting notes -
This wine offers a full rich nose, cinnamon, cedar and new leather. Great density on the palate, rich but with a focused palate as the acid holds this wine in perfect tension. Flavors are explosive, fresh. The structure here is based more on its acidity than tannins, though the tannins are there they just melt on your tongue.  This wine has great length to accompany its generosity.

scores —
94 pts — Washington Wine Blog
96 pts — Chicago Wine Dude
94 pts — Vinous
92 pts — Wine Spectator
92 pts — Wine & Spirits
92 pts — Purely Domestic Wine Report

past vintages (sold out)

2016 Sunnyside Pinot Noir

333 cases
unfined and unfiltered
$100 (sold out)
label - Big Table Farm Hen and Chick

Lucy and Tom have been tending the same vines for over thirty years with care and diligence. The evidence of their work and care is clear - not only in the appearance of the vineyard but the quality of fruit they produce and subsequently the wines.

tasting notes - Intense, bright aromas of red fruits prompt memories of sun-warmed raspberries eaten outside in the summertime garden. Aromas of red berries are accented by notes of tarragon, sweet spices, dried cranberries, cherries, red plums and a mineral note akin to fresh rain on asphalt. This very approachable wine has incredible energy on the palate with vibrant acidity and tannins so integrated that they sneak into the finish.

scores —
95 points — Washington Wine Blog Top 100 Wines of the Year
95 points — The Pinotfile - Prince of Pinot
94 points — Vinous
92 points — Wine Spectator
90 points — Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
92 points — Purely Domestic Wine Report
94 points — Wine Enthusiast
91 points — The Berghound - Allen Meadows