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Cuvée Guardian Pinot Noir is an elegant and subtle wine that resembles a robust Burgundy more than a fruit-forward, vibrant Pinot of the Sonoma Coast or Russian River. It was made entirely by Yoshiji Sato with fruit sourced from the Eyrie Vineyards in the Dundee Hills AVA in the Willamette Valley. 70% is Wadenswil clone from the Sisters Vineyard, which sits at a lower altitude. 30% is Pommard clone from the higher elevation Roland Green vineyard. The Wadenswil fruit provided supple cherry and raspberry flavors and earthy notes, while the Pomard clone, which was fermented in whole bunches, added tannic structure, density, darker fruit, and mouthfeel.
Yoshiji Sato had a dream: to plant a Pinot Noir vineyard in Japan. Some might consider that ill-advised, if not folly; after all, Pinot Noir is notoriously “finicky,” and Japan’s hot and humid summertime climate challenges the growers of any grape variety. However, while walking around Fujimi, a village in Nagano Prefecture, Sato stumbled on a site he believes has special characteristics: namely, an elevation of 1,000 meters to provide the cooler climate needed for quality Pinot Noir and soils of Jurassic schist and limestone – similar to those of Burgundy but rare in Japan.
Eyrie Vineyards Cuvée Guardian Pinot Noir represents another important step on Sato’s journey toward realizing his dream.
In 2017, Sato had reached a peak in his first career as a preeminent Japanese wine journalist. Over the years, he had become well-acquainted with Jason Lett, son of David Lett, who founded Eyrie Vineyards and established the Willamette Valley as a premier region for Pinot Noir. Sato had long been interested in Oregon Pinot Noir, and especially Eyrie Vineyards, for its delicate style. Sato wondered if he might observe the activities of an entire harvest for an article on how a second generation wine grower maintains a consistent style in a changing market. Jason agreed, but under one condition: that Sato make a couple barrels of his own wine with Eyrie Vineyards fruit. No matter how carefully a journalist is able to observe, he believed, nothing beats the experience of getting your hands dirty — or purple.
In 2018, Sato took a few months off and plunged into the adventure of making wine. Jason allowed Sato to harvest fruit from any part of Eyrie’s Roland Green vineyard. He did it all himself: tending the vines, picking grapes over two days from 4:00 AM - 3:00 PM, sorting berries, macerating the fruit with his feet, fermenting whole berries on natural yeasts, punching down by hand, and aging the wine in two barrels. In 2020, he blended the wine and was astonished with its delicacy and elegance. As Jason predicted, he learned that a wine’s expression of terroir emerges from not only the soils and the climate, but also the perplexing array of decisions and choices a winemaker has to make.
In 2021, Sato returned to the Eyrie estate, and this time produced three barrels of wine from two vineyards: 70% Sisters (a lower altitude vineyard planted to Wadenswil clone) and 30% Roland Green (higher altitude/Pommard clone). As in 2018, this wine was produced entirely by Sato himself. The grapes were hand-picked, fermented in plastic tanks on wild yeasts over 14 days with twice-daily pump-overs, and aged 13 months in two- and three-year-old barrels. This is the 2021 Cuvée Guardian Pinot Noir offered here.
Sato produced not only the wine by himself, but also the drawing of the coyote watching over the vineyard. While in Oregon, Sato sometimes glimpsed coyotes running along the edges where vineyards meet the forests. Because coyotes hunt mice and other rodents that menace the vines, Sato believes them to be the guardians of the vineyards.
Today Sato spends his time on his small vineyard in Fujimi. The five-year-old vines recently produced their first harvest. We await to see how the experience of making wine in the Dundee Hills will manifest in a Nagano Pinot Noir.
| Country | USA |
| Region | Oregon |
| Appellation(s) | Willamette Valley (Oregon) |
| Winery | Cuvee Guardian |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Color | Red |
| Varietal(s) | Pinot Noir |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 8.2 x 30.0 |
| Case Size | 35.5 x 26.5 x 30.5 |
| Alcohol | 13.5% |
| Product Code | EY21GP |
| UPC | NONE |
Garnet at the core turning purple at the rim. Aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, and earthy notes of wet autumn leaves and forest floor precede a medium-bodied and rounded palate of ripe fruit and savory notes with hints of cranberry and lavender emerging on the finish.
Hand-picked grapes were fermented in plastic tanks on wild yeasts over 14 days with twice-daily pump-overs. The wine aged for 13 months in two- and three-year-old barrels