Oregon's Hundred Suns Wine

It’s hard not to fall in love with the story of Hundred Suns wine. Based in the Eola-Amity Hills of Oregon, they’re a small family operation—small, meaning 2: husband-and-wife Grant Coulter and Renée Saint-Amour do everything by hand; family, meaning they live on their vineyard with their kids, their daughter’s art adorns some of the labels (Grant’s art makes up the rest).

After working for 9 years as head winemaker at Beaux Freres, Grant decided to start his own project, sourcing fruit from some of the friends he’d met along the way. These friends happen to farm some of the region’s most outstanding vineyards, and you can taste that pedigree in the Hundred Suns wines, which are just gorgeous. They’re made to express their vineyards and vintage, without preconceived notions about what they’ll taste like each year. To that end, they’re biodynamically farmed, unfined, unfiltered, and made with native yeasts and neutral oak. The only kicker is that they are all made in extremely small quantities. We’re excited to have a small allocation to offer customers (and maybe to snatch a few up for ourselves!).

They had me at the wines, but I love their heart. It’s easy to see what a labor of love this winery is for Grant and Renée, especially in their wonderful home videos. They sit down with a glass of wine and tell viewers about their vineyards, their wines, their pizza-making. Their videos are full of kids running in the background, or Grant jumping on their trampoline in front of the vines. I can’t think of a better initiation to these wines than watching them (except maybe having a glass of wine with these folks in person). So, as we introduce these wines to you, we’d like you to meet the people behind the bottle.

Here they are making pizza and discussing their 2018 Hundred Suns "Sequitur Vineyard" Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir (49.95).

And here, Grant is sitting among their backyard vines, talking about their homage to the Willamette Valley, the 2018 Hundred Suns "Old Eight Cut" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($29.95).

We’ve also received a small allotment of their 2018 Breaker Vineyard cuvée ($54.95) to sell, and it’s particularly special as this whole vineyard is in the process of being ripped out and replanted. Originally planted in 1971, the vineyard became Grant and Renée’s backyard when they moved there in 2017. Unfortunately it’s ravaged by Phylloxera, and they were only able to produce two stellar vintages before it needed to be overhauled. So it’s a rare opportunity to get your hands on a bottle or two.

Wine has always been a way to bring people together—whether it’s around a bottle at the dinner table or, these days, a computer screen. As we’re physically farther apart lately, I really appreciate the warmth and human connection of their videos. The wines are as vibrant and complex as the people behind them, and we’re thrilled to have them on our shelves.

- Kate Soto