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Foris Winery 2021 Tempranillo
Stephanie Pao
Nestled in a pristine alpine valley in southwestern Oregon’s rugged Siskiyou Mountain range, Foris Vineyards has been a true viticultural pioneer for over thirty five years.
Prior to joining Foris Vineyards, Stephanie spent time at Double Canyon, a custom crush in Washington, and three years with Justin Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles. Her experience with Pinot Noir includes stints with Bethel Heights and Lemelson in Oregon as well as a season overseas with Dry River Vineyards in Martinborough, New Zealand. Lastly, she was a harvest enologist for the 2008 harvest with Saintsbury in Napa. At Robert Mondavi Winery, Pao was a winemaking intern in their reserve wine program for Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pao received a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1997, prior to studying viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis. In accepting the position, Stephanie commented, “The opportunity to work with a grower with such depth of experience in a site is rare. I look forward to meeting the challenges of the position and am excited about crafting high quality, estate grown wines that will continue to enhance Foris’ reputation both nationally and within Oregon.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Foris Winery, Cave Junction, Oregon
2021 Tempranillo
AWARDS
91 - James Suckling - "A good, powerfully textured and full-flavored red that weaves full, sandy tannins with robust red fruit, sundried tomatoes and earthy notes. Black cherry, iron and ultra-dark chocolate flavors fill the palate. Drink now or hold." - Jim Gordon
WINEMAKER NOTES
Our 2021 Tempranillo is intensely colored and with a muted nose of fresh blackberry, black cherries. The palate is medium bodied, but concentrated with blackberry, coffee, baking chocolate, leather and silky tannin. With integrated tannin from two years of barrel and a year in bottle, it is eminently drinkable now.
ABOUT THIS VINTAGE
The 2021 vintage was a challenging Oregon vintage in the southwestern part of Rogue Valley, that had average bud break dates and average crop load initially. Cool early spring weather and an unusual frost in the first week of June moderated crop levels in low lying areas and delayed maturity in vines that were in the middle of bloom. By midsummer the weather had shifted to the opposite range of the heat spectrum and shoots grew rapidly with the high temperatures. Sporadic rain in early fall and early frost in the first week of October finished the harvest window, but the warm window led to moderate acidity levels and ripeness.
ABOUT THIS WINE
Our 2021 Tempranillo is 100% estate grown from our home ranch vineyards. The fruit was hand-harvested at night time temperatures, de-stemmed, and fermented whole berry in small open-top fermentation bins. The three-quarter ton bins are gently punched down for the duration of the 10 to 14 day fermentation. Once primary fermentation is complete, the wine is racked to neutral French oak barrels for 18 months of barrel aging.
Harvested 10/15/2021 Average brix at harvest: 22.5 Analysis at bottling: 3.88 pH, 5.9 g/L TA, 14.0% alcohol Bottled 09/11/2023 Cases Produced: 88
A Cellar 503 selection in March 2026, 2026 Women in Wine Rogue Valley | Tempranillo
