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Twenty-two years ago Betz Family was founded with a basic tenet: search ceaselessly for the highest quality sites, pay attention to every detail in the vineyard, then give time in the cellar for slow evolution of each parcel’s unique characteristics. The French have a saying for this emphasis on the vineyard as the primary engine of wine quality and character, “Sous Nous,” which means “under us.” We believe that the soul of our wine is not in the cellar…it’s under us in the jumbled mixture of soil and vine. This quest for unique expressions of site and variety, or “Sous Nous” has taken us through the best plantings of Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and Grenache across Washington. It brought us to impossibly old, dry-farmed bush vines of Chenin Blanc in South Africa.
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is the former floor of the Pacific Ocean, holding marine sediment deposited over millennia amongst a tangled maze of creases and folds in the Earth. The vines planted here exhibit a diverse range of intense expression…delicate and profound Pinot Noir that embodies the essence of that magical marriage of site and grape which brings us back to explore the variations again and again. After years of methodical searching, we’ve found several extraordinary parcels each reflecting a different facet of Pinot’s elegant and seductive breadth: Guadalupe Vineyard, Matteri Vineyard, Saffron Fields Vineyard and the iconic Shea Vineyard. They make up the inaugural release of SuNu. Our winemaking aims to let each of these unique sites speak with its own powerful voice. Every step is done gently by hand, with slow, natural fermentations and moderate use of new oak. SuNu’s goal is to achieve wines with personality and verve that show the character of the place they’re grown. Earlier this year, we showed a few barrel samples to critic Jeb Dunnuck and he was duly impressed: "None of the wines have been bottled yet, but they all showed beautifully, with singular, incredibly high-quality profiles." (Jed Dunnuck, 4/11/19) Today, we will be formally announcing SuNu, but we wanted to let you know first. Our mailing-list members are dearer to us than you can imagine, the companions that have made our journey to discover what’s “under us” possible. Your support has meant the world to us. Sunu’s first vintage is exciting, but the combination of incredibly low yields in the vineyard and high standards in the cellar mean that there won’t be much available. Most bottlings will be between 125-175 cases. So, we’d like to offer you the first opportunity to join SuNu’s mailing-list, guaranteeing you access to each vintage pre-release. It’s our way of saying thank you for accompanying us throughout the years.
This is the initial Sign Up period only. SAVE THE DATE EVENTS! "Inaugural" Pickup Release Weekend November 2019: Please feel free to contact us with any questions at 425-861-9823 or email Taylor at taylor@betzfamilywinery.com. Cheers, and thank you for your support! Steve, Bridgit, Louis, Tim, Taylor, Johnathan, Maggie and Karolina
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