WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
The winemaking philosophy at Walter Scott centers on giving our wines a voice. We listen what these unique sites within the Willamette Valley have to say. We believe that as winemakers we have a responsibility to bring out the distinctive characteristics of each wine's terroir. To us the idea of terroir is a place and all of the things that influence it. It embodies the sun, wind, soil and rain, but also all of the people involved in the vineyard. Their energy and vision must come through in our wines along with the unique expressions of each individual vintage.
To this end, we approach every vintage with open minds and never follow a recipe. Each element of our process is intentional and essential to representing what the terroir offers. Native or ambient yeast fermentations are embraced; minimal punching down or extractive techniques are used; and subtle adjustments are made each year to allow the transformation of vintage to shine.
At Walter Scott, freshness and purity are qualities that we crave in the wines we make; we strive for this through attention to detail in our cellar. French oak is used exclusively and gives us the structure and textures we believe enhance our wines. Each small fermentation and distinct barrel is treated as an individual component of a larger vision. We bottle small lots of single vineyard wines, as well as practice the craft of blending and bottling wines that show classic characteristics of Eola-Amity Hills or the Willamette Valley as a whole. Our intention is to make balanced wines with the signature of place and structural integrity that will allow them to age.