Explore Oregon Wines: Wineries | Varietals | AVAs | Cellar 503 Selections
Circadian Cellars 2021 Primitivo
Double Gold Medal
Sara Garr has been experimenting with Primitivo for the past 4 years and has loved every iteration of it. The idea, was to see how this grape could ride with elegance and restraint to counter the often beefy and quite frankly overdone (overripe over alcoholic) wines of the warm climate California. A favorite of Carries and featured in past releases, we are excited to bring you the new vintage. We feel Sara just keeps getting better at this year over year and apparently, the judges agree.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Circadian Cellars, Medford, Oregon
2021 Primitivo
The goal was to make light to medium bodied, smooth easy drinker that could be slightly chilled and bring some real pizzazz to your backyard summer BBQs. Why should Pinot Noir and Grenache have all the fun?! Sara's favorite descriptor for this has always been melted cherry popsicle. The tannins are young, fresh and crunchy, while the layers of pomegranate, raspberry and red currant flow through to soften the edges.
Double Gold - 2023 Oregon Wine Competition
Label notes from the winemaker: The label, I know. Bugs are gross. But this little European Earwig symbolizes the hours I spent picking them off my neck and out of my hair as I sorted fruit on the crush pad and daydreamed about pouring wine I MADE for people. Isn’t it beautifully drawn though? Thank you to local artist Michelle Boucher, she simply knocked it out of the park!
Technical Notes: Sara layered whole clusters on the bottom of the fermentation bins and then put destemmed whole berry fruit on top. Early in fermentation, it was left alone, then as it started to ferment - gentle pumpovers were introduced to encourage things to really kick off. The rest of fermentation management was 1-2 punchdowns a day.
A Cellar 503 selection in October 2023, Road to Gold Applegate Valley | Primitivo