Hundred Suns, 'Old Eight Cut' Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2024

Overview of the Wine
HUNDRED SUNS:  a reference to the approximately 100 days of the growing season between flowering & harvest.

When we met over 19 years ago, we agreed on a fundamental idea: we wanted to build a life together that felt like an adventure. We left California for Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where Grant first worked as assistant winemaker at Hamacher wines and then spent the bulk of 10 years as assistant winemaker and then winemaker at Beaux Freres. Those ten years were rich. Renée continued teaching high school while Grant gained intimate understanding and appreciation of the soils, climates, and personalities (both land and people) of the valley. We started a family. We made good friends, drank beautiful wines, and dreamed of a life that would bring us more together than apart.

In 2015, we sold our house in Portland, scraped together every penny we had, and moved to a fixer-upper in the the valley so that we could build Hundred Suns. Eventually, Grant moved on from being winemaker at Beaux Freres to overseeing the vineyards and making the wines for Flaneur Wines, and Renée swapped the classroom for the cellar and running of the day-to-day business. From winemaking, to label design, website building, and even wax dipping bottles by hand, every aspect of this process has our fingerprints on it because it is just the two of us.

In 2018 we bought a 4.5 acre property in the Eola-Amity hills where the 50 year-old vineyard was our children’s backyard. In 2020, disease forced us to remove those old vines, and now we look forward to replanting in spring of 2022. Farming this site will bring us even closer to the wines that we have the pleasure of making and managing together. So far it has been a beautiful adventure indeed, and we’re just getting started.

Winemakers
Grant Coulter & Renée Saint-Amour

Grape / Blend
100% Pinot Noir

Origin
Willamette Valley, Oregon

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The Old Eight Cut refers to a diamond cut dating back to the 1400s using simple tools and few cuts to enhance the natural brilliance of the stone without disguising its true nature.

Ample rainfall and a mild spring set the stage for an exceptional vintage. Warm weather persisted through September, followed by cooler temperatures that allowed for slow and careful picking. Fermented with natural yeast and partial whole clusters, the 2024 vintage is full of surprises. Bottled unfined & unfiltered.

Ripe cherry, crimson cassis, and fleshy strawberry surround a vinbrant core of juicy acidity.

93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck (2023 Vintage)
The 2023 Pinot Noir Old Eight Cut pours a youthful ruby with a light haze and opens with ripe raspberry, wet stone, and floral perfume. It’s both approachable and expressive, offering impressive length and a clear sense of place. This standout value is drinking beautifully now and has the structure to age for 8-10 years with proper cellaring. Drink 2025-2035.

91 Points - Wine Advocate (2023 Vintage)
The 2023 Pinot Noir Old Eight Cut was fermented with 25% whole clusters and matured for 11 months in 10% new oak. It has inviting aromas of pomegranate, orange peel, juniper, bitters and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate is delicately styled with crunchy, floral flavors and fine, chalky tannins. It’s enlivened by vibrant acidity and has a long, nuanced finish. 1,102 cases were made.

91 Points - Vinous (2023 Vintage)
The 2023 Pinot Noir Old Eight Cut opens with a delicate mix of dusty violets, crushed stone and blackberry. Ripe red berry fruits glide across the palate, guided by juicy acidity. The finish is medium in length and pleasing, leaving a cool-toned sensation and lingering inner florals. 

Product size: 750ml