Explore Oregon Wines: Wineries | Varietals | AVAs | Cellar 503 Selections
2 Hawk Vineyard & Winery 2016 Viognier
A dream team in Southern Oregon
Robert Trottman, Kiley Evans, and Ross and Jen Allen are out to prove that with enough expertise, passion and enthusiasm you can take an old brand and make it new again. The beautiful winery, situated on prime vineyard land, struggled to make quality wines that resonated with consumers.
When Ross and Jen Allen fell in love with a house that had a vineyard attached, they took it as a sign. Of course, Ross is an agricultural innovator (almonds and pistachios) and was ready for a new challenge. Jen was enthusiastic about building a customer-focused business from the ground up.
Before long, they recruited Kiley Evans, a Southern Oregon winemaker with serious chops. Together, they’ve built a stunning new facility focused on energy conservation, powered by a solar array with a gravity-flow crush pad.
But what is great wine if you can’t sell it? That’s where Robert Trottman comes in. As funny and charismatic as he is knowledgeable, he’s developed a following for Southern Oregon wines. His philosophy is a perfect match for Cellar 503: “I am out to banish wine snobbery in my lifetime,” he says. “The wine can’t judge you. You judge the wine.”
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
2 Hawk Vineyard & Winery, Medford, Oregon
2016 Viognier
Viognier (vee-oh-nyay) is just one of my favorite white varietals. Nearly extinct a few decades ago, with just a few acres planted in France’s Rhône Valley, it staged a comeback in the New World. In Oregon’s Rogue Valley, you’ll find cool, rich, and refreshing editions of this ancient grape.
At 2Hawk, they fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel to ensure that the delicate aromatics of rose, honeysuckle, and lemon grass are protected. Your tongue may say “sweet”, but the wine is technically dry. What you’re tasting is ripe fruit that produces a soft sweetness and roundedness unusual in a stainless steel-fermented wine.
It’ll perfectly balance with spicy foods, particularly seafoods seasoned with spicy peppers. Think Kung Pao shrimp or Thai chili salad with fish sauce and dried shrimp. Perfection.
A Cellar 503 selection in February 2018, We Love Southern Oregon! Rogue Valley | Viognier
