2024 Fossil & Fawn 'Only Always', Willamette Valley, Oregon
Regular price $29.00
Unit price per
49% Auxerrois, 29% Gewürztraminer, 22% Riesling
Fossil & Fawn is the collaborative project of Jim Fischer Jr. and Jenny Mosbacher, originating from Jim’s family vineyard—Silvershot (formerly Crowley Station)—in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Though the Fischer family has lived at the Silvershot property since the 1970’s, it wasn’t until 1999 that they began planting their home vineyard. They hand planted 15-acres of own-rooted vine cuttings, gathered from neighboring heritage vineyards, in soils composed of ancient marine sediment, Oligocene sandstone and fossilized seashells.
In the cellar, Fossil & Fawn takes a minimalist approach: native fermentations, no additions or adjustments, aging in neutral oak, and no filtering or fining.
You could say that Only Always is inspired by the white wine blends of Alsace…and you’d almost be correct, but, in truth, its more a Viennese wine style - Gemischter satz, a white wine that has to be from one vineyard. It has to consist of three grapes at minimum. The majority grape can’t be more than 50% of the blend and the minority grape can’t be less than 10%.
Only Always is a blend from the Sunnyside Vineyard in South Salem. The blend percentages vary a little, year-by-year, but it is always composed of Auxerrois, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. The wine is fermented in tank and then aged in a mix of Oregon and French oak barrels.