Our Vineyards

Oregon’s wide range of world renowned grape growing regions offers great diversity, giving us the ability to select from an array of vineyards that give us versatility in style and a broad range of characters to enhance the final blend. The diversity of these districts along with a lengthy growing season create wines with intense structure, and suppleness, while maintaining a vibrant acidity that sets them apart from other wines.

North Western Oregon

Oregon’s North Western area is the largest grape growing region. It has a temperate climate and balanced marine influences, both of which are well suited to growing cool climate varietals. It’s no surprise that over 80% of Oregon’s Pinot Noir comes from this area.

West-Central Hills

The most consistent region for Pinot Noir in Oregon is the central hills made up of numerous mountain ranges and valleys. It is also one of Oregon’s most diverse district in terms of microclimates – a true diamond in the rough.

South Western Oregon

The south western terrain in Oregon has a proven track record for growing world class Pinot Noir. The elevated landscape and volcanic soils are derived from the convergence of three mountain ranges.

With Elouan we have managed to achieve ripe fruit characteristics, while retaining the quintessential Oregon Pinot Noir subtleties and nuances of bright acidity and a rich earthiness to the wine.

Joseph Wagner, Owner and Winemaker

Our Winemaking Style

Extended Hang Time

Copper Cane Winery has redefined the modern winery with our unique approach to the winemaking process. When green grapevine canes begin to lignify, or turn to winter hardy wood they take a copper hue, this color shift signals that the green vegetal character and harsh tannins have been purged from the vine and that the grapes are physiologically ripe. Only then are the grapes ready for harvest. This is why Copper Cane only works with grapes. We never buy juice or bulk wine because we want to control all aspects from the vineyard to the bottle.

Cryo-extraction

We use freezing methods, such as dry ice, to initiate the winemaking process upon harvesting in the vineyard. Dry ice is layered as the grapes are picked and the process of cryo-extraction begins, freezing the grape skins and allowing the cell walls within the skins (which is where color and flavor compounds are found) to rupture, beginning the extraction of the phenolics. This makes the color compounds and flavors more accessible during fermentation.

Destemming the Grape Clusters

Destemming consists of separating grapes from the stems. The process of removing the grape berries from the stems begins once the grapes have been harvested and bought in to the winery. Grape stems contain high concentrations of tannin, leaving them in the “must” (berries, juice, pulp, and seed) during cold soak and fermentation would result in a wine with harsh, green tannin. Removing this element allows us to showcase the natural lush fruit flavours we like to taste in our wines.

Extended Cold Fermentation

Cold fermentation is a technique where, as soon as the grapes and juice are in the tank, we quickly reduce the temperature of the grapes using cryo-extraction methods to near freezing, 20-30 degrees cooler than most wineries maintain. We also extend this period of cold fermentation to three to four weeks, where other wineries typically complete this in one week. Extended cold fermentation results in more supple tannins, lush fruit notes, and deeper, richer color.

Barrel Stripping

Before the wine can be placed in barrels for maturation, we have to pep them. Sulphur Water Soak, or extended steam treatment is our technique for slowly leaching out tannins and leaving behind the subtle oak nuances – such as toasted, vanilla, and delicious spice characters that we do not want in our wines. This eliminates the coarseness that a new barrel can contribute and maintains the elements we desire. We do not add water to our must/juice (no amelioration). We do not add sugar to our grapes (no chaptalization). We do not add acid to our grapes (no acidification).