The Wine

Dr. Richard Hermann knew exceptional wine. As an immigrant from Germany in the 1950s, Dr. Hermann settled his family in Corvallis, Oregon, where he taught in the OSU botany and forestry departments and specialized in Douglas Fir genetics. Richard, as his friends called him, was fascinated by the development of the Willamette Valley wine industry and delighted that he could source fine wines from his home in the New World. Together with his son Chris Hermann, Richard became an early patron of Pinot masters David Lett and John Thomas. In 2015 Richard and Chris founded 00 Wines as a family project to continue their shared passion for Willamette Valley Pinot noir and Chardonnay. At the age of 91, Richard became a winery founder. He took an active role in the business. You could frequently find Chris and his father together in the 00 Wines vineyard sources at harvest, chatting with the crew and sorting through the fruit. Richard loved relaxing near the bottling line with a glass of 00 Wines Pinot noir just to be sure the quality was up to his standards.

Richard's Cuvée pays homage to the special relationship between father and son. Finely textured with a backbone of minerality and rich freshness, Richard's Cuvée is like the man himself—bright, elegant and built to age.

This limited 5-case lot will show you why our hand-snipped, amphora fermentations are unique and rare, and reflect our extraordinary attention to detail. Born out of fine-grain Jory soil on a high-elevation east-facing slope in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, the fruit from this vineyard was hand-destemmed by Chris, his wife Kathryn and the crew on September 17, 2017. The whole berries were placed directly into a 500L clay amphora imported from Italy for the 00 Wines project. The wine begins with a week-long carbonic fermentation. We follow the carbonic period with gentle pumpovers during the majority of fermentation, to preserve fruit and freshness, and finally a week of tannin extraction and punchdowns to lengthen the palate and add weight and texture. The finished wine has a perfumed nose with dark chocolate nib and bing cherry, and beautiful ripe red fruit and acidity immediately penetrating the tongue, followed by soft, round tannins with a lengthy, velour-like finish that pulls it all together.

The Winery

Dr. Richard Hermann and his son Chris founded 00 Wines in 2015 as a family project to celebrate their shared passion for Willamette Valley Pinot noir and Chardonnay. At the age of 91, Richard became a winery founder, taking an active role in the business. Chris and his wife Kathryn continue Richard's legacy with their international team. They are dedicated to elevating Willamette Valley Pinot noir and Chardonnay into the pantheon of fine wines. The hand-snipped, amphora fermentations of 00 Pinot noir are unique and rare, and reflect our extraordinary attention to detail.

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