what's past is prologue
“The Evening Land” has long been a symbol of the dream quest for the perfect garden. From ancient Greek myth to now, the search for The Evening Land is synonymous with adventure and romance that inevitably leads to the extremes of America's West Coast.
Evening Land Vineyards has brought together a collection of pinot noir and chardonnay vineyards in the three great growing regions of the American West. From the Eola Hills in Oregon's Willamette Valley, to the true Sonoma Coast in the town of Occidental, California and ending on the western lip of Santa Barbara County's Santa Rita Hills, Evening Land organically farms over 120 acres of heritage vineyards that produce 13 Estate wines imbued with this unique spirit of place. An orchestrated mix of old vine own rooted Oregon and California heritage clones, cuttings from the great established pinot noir and chardonnay vineyards of Burgundy and an experimental block of pinot noir grown from seed, the Vineyards of the Evening Land present a vivid view of Burgundy’s legendary grapes raised in the amazing diversity of America’s climate and soil.
The opportunity to acquire great vineyard sites in three diverse climates gave us a rare opportunity to explore the sensitivity of pinot noir and chardonnay as it thrives in the red volcanic dirt of Oregon, the fog wrapped ridges of Sonoma and the windswept mountains of decomposed sea shells of the Santa Rita Hills. Soil and climate diversity make their mark on Evening Land wines, creating those delicious differences that are the hallmark of fine pinot noir and chardonnay.
Blue Labels
The Blue Label wines are our "climate" wines. Setting our compass to the
East in Burgundy; the north for Oregon's Willamette Valley; to the West on
the true Sonoma Coast; and, finally South to the western edge of the Santa
Rita hills---the Blue Label wines provide a window into the sensitivity of
pinot noir and chardonnay to these unique climates.
Wines from this category:
2009 Oregon Pinot Noir
2009 California Pinot Noir
2009 California Chardonnay
2009 Etoile Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir, Burgundy
Silver Labels
Narrowing our focus, our Silver Label wines represent our "village" wines.
They retain the impact of their climate coupled with the unique topography
and soil characteristics of their specific villages.
Wines from this category:
2009 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, CA
2009 Doc’s Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA
2009 Seven Springs Estate Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, OR
2009 Auxey Duresses Chardonnay, Burgundy
Gold Labels
These are our signature monopole estate wines. These wines provide a
singular capture of each vineyard's unique climate, topography, soil, plant
material, farming practices and winemaking. Terroir in its most complete
expression.
Wines from this category:
2009 Tempest Bloom’s Field Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, CA
2009 Tempest Memorious Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, CA
2009 Tempest Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, CA
2009 Seven Springs La Source Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, OR
2009 Seven Springs La Source Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, OR
2009 Beaune Bressandes Premier Cru Pinot Noir, Burgundy
White Labels
When a special and very specific place within the vineyard produces a fruit of such spectacular character that it calls for it’s own cuvee, we give it a White Label. These are the pinnacle examples of the vineyard’s best self.
Wines from this category:
2008 Occidental Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA
2009 Seven Springs Summum Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, OR
2009 Seven Springs Summum Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, OR
Sonoma Coast
The Occidental Vineyard
The Occidental Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, California (3.5 acres).
In 2005, Evening Land acquired the Occidental Vineyard on the "true" Sonoma Coast overlooking the Pacific. Planted in 1994 by Kistler Vineyards, the Occidental Vineyard has long been the benchmark of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The vineyard is only 3.5 acres and sits at an elevation of 1,000 feet which is just a hair above the fog line. Its direct southern exposure and proximity to Bodega Bay to the West and Tomales Bay to the South, challenge the vines to brave the elements and bear great fruit. The inherent contradiction of long hours of sunshine coupled with the extreme cooling effect of the fog that races in from the Pacific , produces a rich, ripe pinot noir with tremendous energy at its core.
Willamette Valley
Seven Springs Vineyard
Seven Springs Vineyard, Eola Amity Hill, Willamette Valley, Oregon. 100 acres of Pinot Noir—mix of own rooted and grafted—Chardonnay and America’s first planting (1983) of Gamay Noir."
The next stop in the quest was to Oregon and the legendary Seven Springs Vineyard in the Eola Hills. Evening Land reunited a vineyard that had been split into two (The Seven Springs Vineyard at the top and Anden at the lower portion). Now, at 80 acres, it is by far the largest of the Evening Land Vineyards with old vines and new plantings. It takes advantage of the potentials of mixing and blending parts of the vineyard as well making two micro-cuvees off of tiny specific portions of the vineyard that lie on a volcanic cross on the belly of the Seven Springs Hill.
Santa Rita Hills
Siren’s Call, One Tree Hill, Bloomsfield and Memorious Vineyards
Four Vineyards: Siren’s Call (3 acres), One Tree Hill (50 acres), Bloomsfield (8 acres), Memorious (6 acres), all producing benchmark Pinot Noirs indicative of our southernmost terroir.
Evening Land proceeded south to the westernmost edges of the Santa Rita Hills where there were no vineyards but the land had a seductive appeal. It is the epitome of Western wine adventure and at 40 acres of all new plantings it has pinot noir of great promise. It also houses experimental vineyards where Evening Land maintains a group of “heirloom” vines grown from seed.
Farming and winemaking techniques in each of the Evening Land Vineyards are deployed to align the wines closely with each of the individual and unique terroirs. In Oregon, consulting winemaker Dominique Lafon leads winemaker Isabelle Meunier and her winery and vineyard team employing his unique vision springing from his 25 years as the winemaker at one of Burgundy’s legendary Estates. Shaped by these Burgundian traditions, Sashi Moorman leads his team in the winery and the vineyards to produce elegant and rich wines from both Sonoma and Santa Rita.
“At Evening Land, whence have come some of Oregon's best Chardonnays
since its first vintage in 2007…If you want minerality, there may be no better examples than Evening Land's estate bottlings from Oregon.”
“The best American chardonnay I’ve tasted in the past couple of years was from
Evening Land Vineyards, made with grapes from the Seven Springs Vineyard in Oregon. The nearly 30-year-old vines were the source of underwhelming wine
before Evening Land co-owner Mark Tarlov took over the vineyard and brought
in Dominique Lafon. Suddenly, the wines have blossomed from unremarkable to
incredible.”
“Fortunately there are winegrowers who do not succumb to the lure of technology
and to the logic of our consumer driven society. I know many young winegrowers
in Burgundy and other vineyards in France who keep the passion of character
wines alive in fine and complex wines that can meet any challenge. I'm referring to
Dominique Lafon in Burgundy, to Didier Dagueneau in Pouilly Sur Loire and Marc
Kreydenweiss in Alsace ...”
- Henri Jayer, winemaker from Vosne-Romanée, By Jacky Rigaux,(1997),Translated by James K. Finkel.
“The Evening Land wines are beautiful. They have something to say that hasn’t
been said yet—that’s for sure.”
“97 pts. Evening Land Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills Seven Springs Vineyard La Source 2009 • $60 Vibrant and poised, balancing its intense flavor profile of pear, quince and lemon blossom with layers of minerality on an electric structure that sparks with beautifully modulated acidity. A stunning white that has tremendous depth and presence. Drink now through 2020. 487 cases made.
"Evening Land's 2009's reflect that purity, no matter where they were grown. It's highest-scoring California wine, a vineyard designate from Doc's Ranch, has an aromatic range that far exceeds most Sonoma Coast bottlings, a persistence of fruit without being the least bit fruity, a "profound take", wrote critic Josh Greene, "on the far Sonoma Coast".
"The Oregon wines, meanwhile, are among the highest scoring domestic wines we've tasted this year: The La Source Chardonnay from Seven Springs bears the subtle richness of a great Pouilly Fuisse´. The two Seven Springs pinot noirs, La Source and Summum, both reflect a suppleness that feels assertive and persistent without being aggressive, their strength coming from tension and energy rather than sheer force. The consistency among these wines is remarkable, a story in itself."
"2009 Evening Land Vineyards Seven Springs Vineyard Estate Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir ($42, 13.75%): Mark Tarlov's ascendant project has hit its stride with this stellar volcanic-soil site. His Oregon winemaker, Isabelle Meunier, found tremendous nuance in 2009, with an estate bottling that's perhaps two years shy of drinking age. A steely edge gains flesh as the wine opens, showing off mineral and iris accents to rich fruit. Evening Land's accessible 2009 Blue Label ($25, 13.5%) is nearly as good, full of dried mushroom accents."
Purchase
EXPERIENCE EVENING LAND
Evening Land Vineyards offers a collection of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from three great wine regions: the Santa Rita Hills, the Sonoma Coast and the Willamette Valley. Come taste the American Terroir!
CALIFORNIA
LOMPOC
1503 East Chestnut Ave
Lompoc, CA 93436
805.736.9656
Hours: Friday-Sunday 11AM-5PM
Located in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto.
For more information on this area please visit www.lompocghetto.com
OREGON
SALEM
572 Patterson St NW, St 170
Salem, OR 97304
By appointment only, please contact Ken Pahlow at kp@elvwines.com