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Varnum Vintners Sunnyside Vineyard Tempranillo
Made to drink. Not Overthink.
Cyler was trained as a natural resource manager and thought he’d become a fish farmer. But after a semester in Australia, he decided wine was his true calling. He interned with Oregon’s famed organic Lemelson Vineyards and went back to Arizona full of excitement. Before long, he tried to make wine in Arizona, even planting some grapes. But quickly realized that it wasn’t likely that wine could ever be made in a sustainable way in Arizona.
So, he and Taralyn, a high school science teacher, packed up their bags and made their way to Oregon. Their scientific backgrounds make them a natural fit for winemaking and their fun, understated attitudes sell their wines without a lot of fuss.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Varnum Vintners, Amity, Oregon
Sunnyside Vineyard Tempranillo
Planted in 1970, the Sunnyside Vineyard is meticulously farmed by Luci and Tom. We get this block of Tempranillo exclusively. This wine underwent spontaneous fermentation with 10% whole-cluster fruit. It then spent 16 months in seasoned oak barrels. The result is a wine exhibiting dark fruits with facets of pepper and savory notes.
50 cases made.
Cyler Varnum likes to say his wines are “made to drink, don’t overthink”. A catchy phrase that belies the serious thought he and his wife Taralyn have put into their wines.
When I asked him if he considered himself part of the natural wine movement, he laughed and rolled his eyes. “Yes,” he said, “I consider myself a natural winemaker – I use grapes from sustainably harvested vineyards, don’t add yeast, and make minimal interventions to the wine. But I’m not a religious extremist!”
A Cellar 503 selection in August 2024, Hot August Nights Willamette Valley | Tempranillo
