At Johan Vineyards, Biodynamics Meet the Cool Pulse of Oregon

Located within the Van Duzer Corridor AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is Johan Vineyards that produces stellar wines from cool climate grapes. A total of 175 acres with 87 acres under vine, this certified Biodynamic estate has as its goal “to create a self sustained holistic farm system with the energy to produce an honest expression of itself to share with others.” Having already praised their wines of Savagnin, Kerner, and Blaufrankish, I was thrilled to taste three more wines, sent as samples.

Photo Credit: Johan Vineyards

Johan Vineyards, Certified Biodynamic, Produces Pure and Authentic Wines

Soils on the property are calcareous sedimentary with granite offering “a greater pH buffering capacity conducive to a healthy and diverse soil microbiome. The resulting wines have exotic and complex aromatics with balancing acidic structure and tension.” Coastal winds are persistent and the sun provides plenty of heat to the valley floor. “We see 30-40% greater daily wind speeds compared to our neighbors in the north Willamette Valley.”

Proud of their Demeter-certified estate and winery, wines are pure and varietally authentic. What’s more is that the winemaking team ferments exclusively with yeasts naturally present on the grapes and in the cellar. There is no use of acidification, chaptalization, or manipulation of tannins, thus allowing for wines to be a reflection of the vintage year and their unique sense of place.

Photo Credit: Johan Vineyards

Along with Kerner and Blaufrankisch, Johan Vineyards offers noteworthy, cool climate wines of Savagnin, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Melon Bourgogne, Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, and Pinot Gris. Styles include Pet Nat, roses, and blends. For more details about Johan Vineyards, click HERE.

Selected Wines from Johan Vineyards

An intriguing wine, Johan Vineyards 2023 Maceration ($38) is a skin-contact blend of 45% Gruner Veltliner, 31% Kerner, 19% Friulano, and 5% Ribolla Gialla. As a nod to the winemaking team’s creativity and consistent experimentation, Maceration was 100% whole berry destemmed and fermented for 1 month on skins then pressed at dryness. The grapes were then fermented in amphora vessels and pressed; wine was returned to the amphhora for aging. Fermentation and elevage were kept separate by variety and aged for 11 months after which 2023 Maceration was blended and bottled in September 2024, unfined and unfiltered.

Striking, aromas of orange blossoms and spring flowers wafted from the glass. With savory notes of earth, dried apricots, dried oranges, and a spritz of pineapple juice on the palate, the wine was lifted with bright acidity and leaned into a moderately long finish.

Johan Vineyards 2023 Pinot Noir “Estate” ($38) is the brand’s signature wine. It is meant to be “representative of the entire farm” thanks to selecting small parcels of fruit from each combination of rootstock, slope, soil profile, and vine age on the property. What I found in the glass was beautifully balanced from the first sip to the last beginning with bright cherries and baking spice on the nose. On the palate, snappy acidity, firm tannins, herbs, smoke, and ripe crushed raspberries led to a fresh, lingering finish. 10 Pinot Noir clones were fermented with natural yeast only; 30% was whole cluster fermentation. This wine was aged for 11 months in French oak barrels. Just wow.

If the goal of producing “Estate” is to showcase the whole farm, Johan Vineyards 2021 “Sapience” ($55) turns the spotlight on Pinot Noir’s powerful expression. Sapience is an old French word meaning “good taste, intelligence, or wisdom” and the label is an artistic rendition of one of the oldest oak trees on Johan’s property, indicating how much it has “seen and experienced so much in its life, evoking a kind of great wisdom and power over the property as it supports our farming endeavors.”

The team strives to focus upon structure and concentration while maintaining balance and focus in the wines. In this wine, aromas and flavors of crushed red fruit, smoke, dark red and purple berries, and earth were on a firm foundation of vibrant acidity and cashmere-like tannins. Structured, complexed, and balanced, grapes were fermented using only native yeast with about 10% whole cluster. Aged for 19 months in French oak barrels, this wine is a standout.