The Wine
Fine and silky tannins showcase this Oregonian Pinot, which has met with runaway success in its first vintage (2017), from Tasmanian winemaker Peter Dredge (get it? Dredge become Dr edge morphs into Dr. Edge). This is a full, complex and layered wine from organic grapes. It has seen no fining, filtration or other forms of manipulaiton, so you'll see settlement for sure, and the wine in your glass will be opaque and hazy. But just pour some onto your tongue and it will blow your mind. At least, it did mine.
The Winery
There is damn little information about this winery on their website. They seem to take pride in flouting the tradition of telling their story - their homepage simply contains an apology for being sold out everywhere and provide links to their social media. It's nice to be at the helm of the "HMS Cult Wine"!
So I took the time to research the story of Dr. Edge, and found a serious winemaker who doesn't take himself seriously at all. A music devotee, husband and father of three kids. And a Winemaker dedicated to sustainable, low-impact winemaking. Now, why PJ (aka Peter) decided to produce a Willamette Valley Pinot? No clue. Why his labels are the ugliest damn things in the known universe? No clue. Why he opts for screwcap closures on a $50 Pinot? Well, for that question, I have an answer...
In Australia (including Tasmania) and New Zealand, it's damn near impossible to find a wine finished with cork. Many years ago, the government of Australia released the results of a decade-long study comparing the aging ability of wine stored with cork closures vs the same wines under screwcap. They opened a pair of matched wines every year for ten years (this is all from memory, so it may have been a full case, opened over 12 years, but you get the idea) - the screwcap won every time. Of course it had 0% cork taint from TCA, but it also preserved the wine more effectively than did the cork.
Though I miss the sound of a popping cork, particularly on a fine wine to be shared at the table, I must say I'm a fan of screwcaps in general, and have overcome my pre-concieved notion formed by the use of screwcaps on the ultra-low priced wines. Ahem, T-Bird.
