Hiyu 'Aura' Columbia Gorge Red, 2022, 750ml

Description

From perfectly graded slope that rises into view from the picture-window at the back of the tavern. It’s planted to equal parts Pinot noir and Pinot Gris and fermented like Romanee Conti from the 1800’s... as an unusually complex pink wine.
This is the parcel where our fascination with wines that blur the line between red and rosé began in 2015 with the Hiyu Ramato. It’s been the site of our most provocative experiments over the years, but has settled into something very unusual, but wondrous and deeply grounded in the history of wines most hallowed ground. In those first moments the historical precedent was buried somewhere in my memory but I don’t think I was thinking of Burgundy but of the Ramato style wines of Northeastern
Italy.
Something changed for this wine with this vintage. It’s definitely reached a new level and also a place of grace and comfort. The 23 and 24 were made in much the same way and we will probably continue on this trajectory... I expect the 22 is the wildest of the three.
We left it on the skins as long as possible. About ten days and pressed it just before it became a full red wine. We wanted every bit of perfume the skins could offer but not the full weight of their tannins.
This is the way had been making Fionn and it is different than the approach to Aura in the past (that involved multiple picks and fermentation styles). Where this wine (and also the Columba to follow) breaks with past renditions is with the longer elevage. This was aged for 30 months in old wood. With this aging the wine drops its primary color and fruit. It takes on more orange (almost Nebbiolo like hues) and begins to favor spice and herbs over fruit. It does this in a way that a full red wine is not entirely capable of.