Description

Antiquum Perpetua Album V, Pinot Gris

This extraordinary 100% Pinot Gris is a multi-vintage, solera-style blend anchored by a core dating back to the 2018 vintage, grown at Antiquum Farm in the Willamette Valley. Here, an anomalous 800-foot elevation site captures intense daytime heat for advanced fruit maturity, while dramatic cool nights preserve rippling, high-toned acidity across multiple growing seasons. Displaying a brilliant, deep golden hue with viscous clarity, the wine offers an evocative nose of golden apple, heirloom peach, and Meyer lemon zest, layered over secondary aromas of toasted hazelnut and brioche, with tertiary hints of crushed rock minerality born from the older reserve wines. On the palate, this is a decidedly dry, full-bodied white wine boasting a generous, expansive texture that masterfully balances the rich, oily weight of older oak-aged vintages with the electric acidity of fresh juice, culminating in a remarkably long finish echoing with orchard fruit and a saline edge.

Owner Stephen Hagen employs visionary Grazing-Based Viticulture, a regenerative agricultural system where grazing sheep, chickens, and pigs entirely replace synthetic fertilizers to nourish the vines. Following a night harvest and direct pressing, the free-run juice ferments in 100% stainless steel before blending with over-vintaged barrels, undergoing a final elevage where 50% ages in French oak for up to five years and 50% rests in stainless steel. This robust wine pairs beautifully with pan-seared Pacific halibut in a Meyer lemon and caper brown butter sauce, as the layered acidity cuts through the richness while the citrus notes mirror the sauce. It is also a stunning match for an herb-roasted pork tenderloin served with an apple cider reduction, where the wine's savory depth and baking spice perfectly complement the sweet and savory profile of the pork. While specific critic scores for the microscopic production of Album V are still emerging, previous iterations have been lauded by Vinous as benchmark, collector-worthy Pinot Gris; priced around $85, its profound complexity and unparalleled farming make it an exceptional value compared to top-tier Alsatian Grand Crus.