Pinot Gris has been a part of the Oregon wine story as long as there’s been an Oregon wine story. First planted in the mid 60’s at the Eyrie Vineyard, both Pinots became wildly popular... Read More

Pinot Gris has been a part of the Oregon wine story as long as there’s been an Oregon wine story. First planted in the mid 60’s at the Eyrie Vineyard, both Pinots became wildly popular and were soon planted throughout the Willamette Valley. Somewhere along the way, winemakers realized that they could make many times more money on a bottle of Noir and even though many producers in the state craft phenomenal examples it has taken a backseat to the Burgundian heavy weights.

Pinot Gris is amongst the most versatile of grapes. The same grape as Pinot Grigio (don't let all that terrible supermarket plonk scare you), Pinot gris when made well is amongst the freshest, crispest white wines out there filled with flavors of fruit and fresh herbs. But it’s the style you most commonly see in Northern Italy and Slovenia that truly captures the magic of these grapes. These wines are made with skin contact, like a red wine, which enhances the wines aromatic and flavor complexity. With the extraction of tannins and other compounds from the skin, these copper toned beauties can be as structured and elegant as any red wine.

This ancient style of winemaking has been enthusiastically embraced by Oregon's natural wine community and with so much material to work with from sites all over the state the resulting wines are quickly becoming Oregon's most interesting vinous export. And perhaps no one has done more work and received more recognition for his orange Pinot Gris efforts than Andrew Young of St Reginald Parish.

Andrew, the son of a preacher man from New Orleans, started as a musician but later caught the wine bug. Not an unusual origin story in the world of natural wines. In 2007 he immersed himself in Willamette Valley’s natural winemaking scene. A couple years later he launched his first label, The Marigny (a nod to that neighborhood in the French Quarter known for its live music) and thus St. Reginald Perish was born.

All fruit is sourced from friends with old, established sites – an important point, as access to top quality fruit means he doesn't need to do much in the winery. Bootstrapping things together, he started with a press he rented from a beer store and would use his friend’s meat fridge to cold soak. Things have evolved a tiny bit from there, but Andy intends to keep things simple and small.