Maloof Wines 'Scrambled Sticks' Van Duzer Corridor 2021

It's difficult to imagine winemakers more fun or more earnest than Ross and Bee Maloof (expect maybe, maybe, their BFFs, Jim Fischer and Jenny Mosbacher of Fossil & Fawn). Based near Forest Grove, Oregon, the husband-wife team—nowadays aided by Perry Heistuman—focuses almost exclusively on white grapes to create high-quality, lively, perfumed and lip-smacking cuvees representative of their Pacific Northwest terroir. And while there's no shortage of know-how (Bee is a former materials engineer for the aerospace industry with a deep understanding of biology and agriculture, Ross worked in various wine roles for a little more than a decade in Philadelphia restaurants before taking on harvests) and farming is of utmost importance, whimsy is always a crucial part of the overall process. This bottling is made from a small block in the biodynamically farmed Johan Vineyard, where several Italian grapes are accidentally interplanted thanks to how strikingly similar they looked upon being top grafted. The pinot gris, ribolla and tocai receive varying amounts of skin contact before fermenting and aging in clay amphora and neutral oak, while the chardonnay is direct pressed, fermented and aged in neutral oak. Everything is blended just prior to bottling. The result is textural but clean cut, tannic but approachable, delivering stone fruit, lemon peel, dried apricot tones and strong Brisk iced tea vibes. Organically grown, biodynamically grown, low-intervention/natural wine.