Welcome Johan! We were introduced to Johan Vineyards about a year ago when their Grüner Veltliner arrived at the shop lookin’ all pretty in its sleek, Alpine-style bottle with its charming label of a painted tree in springtime.

Johan Vineyards is located in Oregon and helmed by owner Dag Johan Sundy. Originally from Norway, Dag traveled to Colorado for business in 2004 and found himself enamored with West Coast wines. His appreciation for Oregon Pinot Noir was so great that four years later he moved across the Atlantic and founded his own winery in the Pacific Northwest. Today Dag and winemaker Morgan Beck oversee 175 acres of gentle hills in the Willamette Valley.

Johan Vineyards are located in the sub-appellation of Willamette Valley in the Van Duzer Corridor (V.D.C), which is a newer wine appellation established in 2019. Just west of Salem, this region is the coldest, windiest, most exposed section of the whole valley. The mountain range directly east of V.D.C., called Coast Range, is responsible for funneling cooler air from the Pacific Ocean through the Valley. The Valley experiences cool breezes around 2PM each day, followed by nighttime fog, conditions which help bring about thicker grape skins and higher acidity in the grapes. This is one of the reasons why Dag’s Pinot Noir is so good - because of the thicker grape skins, the wine has smoother, more concentrated tannins that balance the acidity and frutiness. Beyond these environmental factors, Johan Vineyards practices biodynamic farming, native fermentation, and the careful use of French oak to craft their special wines.

2018 Johan Grüner Veltliner is intensely aromatic and unique. It is rich and exotic, with layered notes of kiwi and pineapple. It has a zesty, round finish thanks to 17 months of aging in large format oak puncheons (barrels). The watercolor on the label depicts the old, iconic tree at Johan Vineyards at the onset of Spring.

2018 Johan Chardonnay is rich and balanced with sunny acidity and aromas of butterscotch melted on freshly picked apples. It ages in barrique for 19 months with a tiny amount of lees aging that makes its full-bodied finish extra unctuous.

2018 Johan Pinot Noir is fermented 40% whole cluster (stems and all, y’all!) and aged for 10 months in French oak and new oak barrels. While not shy on tannin, the finish is balanced and opulent, with notes of rosemary, gravel, and cherries.

Fun Fact! The gorgeous Johan labels are all from original paintings by Yong Hong Zhong (below), who was born in Canton, China and now lives in Portland Oregon. Yong Hong Zhong was previously an animator at Disney and his website is filled with his fascinating watercolors if you want to explore while you sip a glass of Johan wine.

Johan Vineyards

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