Explore Oregon Wines: Wineries | Varietals | AVAs | Cellar 503 Selections
Sis & Mae Wine Co. 2018 Grenache Blanc
She flies with her own wings
As I travel Oregon, it’s always surprising how many different paths there are to the vino life. I’ve met winemakers who came to winemaking as chefs, scientists, journalists, sales professionals, engineers, and more.
Scott Wadlow combines two of those back stories. He’s a software engineer who spent all his free time blogging about wine and his adventures in wine tasting. The now-defunct blog, The Vino File, became so popular he soon became what we recognize today as an “influencer”. Of course, as an engineer, he dug deep on teaching himself the wine biz – working as a buyer for restaurants and in a winery during harvest.
And then, family. When he and his partner had a child, they wanted to return home to Oregon, closer to the family and land they loved.
Scott’s grandmother and her sister-in-law, Sis and Mae, were a pair of cantankerous Oregon feminists in a time and place when that wasn’t very well accepted. They truly exemplified Oregon’s state motto – She flies with her own wings – and Scott honors them and celebrates their heritage through Sis & Mae Wine Company.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Sis & Mae Wine Co., St. Paul, Oregon
2018 Grenache Blanc
Grenache Blanc is such a treat. With less than a dozen acres planted in Oregon, it’s a rare find. You won’t often find this Rhône varietal standing alone, as it is typically blended with other whites — and even reds in the Cotes du Rhône. I should mention that Grenache Blanc is its own grape variety, not just a red Grenache made as a white wine.
This one comes from Mae’s and Eevee's Vineyard in Applegate Valley (a different Mae,but just as dear) — a beautiful, LIVE-certified and organic vineyard. Winemaker Scott Wadlow makes wines designed to showcase the climate and geology of the vineyard site, and this wine does just that. This wine underwent complete malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for several months in neutral oak barrels. Those techniques soften the acids and allow the grapes to shine.
The results is a unique, and I think, spectacular wine. It is lower alcohol, but has some real body. Subtle citrus flavors keep it delicious, with just a hint of middle palette richness and a very clean and fruity finish. Cheers!
A Cellar 503 selection in September 2021, Unusual Varietals Applegate Valley | Grenache Blanc
