A Weighty Subject
By Oregon Wine Press October 1st, 2025
"In the Willamette Valley, the grape’s path has been more challenging. Rachel Rose, winemaker and vineyard manager at Bryn Mawr Vineyards, remembers how the vines refused to ripen fruit in 2010. Yet, she and owner Jon Lauer persisted. “The idea of crafting a bold wine that was wildly different from Pinot Noir intrigued me… we were determined not to give up on it.”
That resolve continues in the cellar, where the Tempranillo, made in the tradition of Spain’s Gran Reserva, spends more than three years in barrel before bottling. The result, Rose shares, is a wine with length, complexity and substantial structure, perfect with hearty fare. “A dark and reduced oxtail braise is one of my favorite decadent winter meals."