December 1, 2022 / News The World’s New Sparkling Star: Domaine Serene’s ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Dundee Hills Brut Multi-Vintage 2 Sparkling Wine

Domaine Serene’s ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Dundee Hills Brut Multi-Vintage (M.V.) 2 Sparkling Wine was crafted using Méthode Champenoise and was inspired by the great Champagnes that Grace and Ken Evenstad have tasted throughout their lives. Only the finest Dijon Clone Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are selected from their estate vineyards, which are planted at high elevations in the deep Jory soils of the Dundee Hills. Meticulously crafted, our exquisite sparkling wines experience a minimum of four years extended aging before release. This offering showcases Domaine Serene’s most coveted Single Vineyard sites: Mark Bradford, Côte Sud, Gold Eagle and Triple Crown.

The Dundee Hills Have Never Shined So Bright

Over a decade in the making, Grace and Ken Evenstad recognized the potential for sparkling wine produced in the Dundee Hills early on. They have worked tirelessly with the Domaine Serene winemaking team to create an unparalleled program built on quality and excellence. This strong belief led them to design and build Oregon’s first dedicated white winery. The new winery gave them the opportunity to place more focus on elevating the quality of their sparkling wine and Chardonnay programs for the future. In all, Domaine Serene will be producing a total of seven sparkling wine offerings over the next decade from their renowned estate vineyards: Multi-Vintage Brut, Multi-Vintage Brut Rosé, Demi-Sec, Vintage Brut, Vintage Brut Rosé, Blanc de Blanc and a Tête de Cuvée.

M.V. 1

Domaine Serene 'Evenstad Reserve' Dundee Hills Brut M.V. 1 Sparkling Wine

Labeled M.V. 1, short for Multi-Vintage 1st Edition, this debut release is destined to be a collector’s item and raises the bar for New World Sparkling Wines crafted to rival the top Champagne Houses of France. Only the finest Dijon Clone Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are selected from estate vineyards planted at high elevations in the deep Jory soils of the Dundee Hills. All of Domaine Serene’s sparkling wines are estate grown, produced and bottled using the Méthode Champenoise.

Best served at 45° F. Only 400 cases produced.

We invite you to explore our sparkling process below

Looking downhill through a row of grapes

Step 1

Viticulture

At Domaine Serene, our approach to quality starts in the vineyard. Our six dry-farmed vineyard estates are all LIVE certified sustainable, deliver low yields, and represent a diverse array of microclimates, elevations, exposures and soil types. Clonal selection for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is site-specific: selecting the perfect clone and rootstock combination for individual blocks within each of our vineyard estates is critical. Additionally, Domaine Serene owns some of Oregon’s oldest Dijon clone Chardonnay vineyards, all of which are planted in volcanic Jory soils at high elevations and result in Chardonnays of stunning balance and complexity. From the moment our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes are brought into the dedicated white wine facility, all procedures are carefully orchestrated to ensure pristine fruit condition and optimum flavor integrity. At every step of the winemaking process, we scrupulously keep individual vineyard lots separate for complete terroir transparency. All sparkling fruit is whole cluster pressed through a meticulous press cycle, fluctuating based on the growing season and fruit development.

Step 2

Primary Fermentation

The base wines crafted for our exclusive sparkling wine program are sourced from our most esteemed estate vineyards and are vinified separately in oak cask and barrel. Our cask program began in 2014 to correspond with the start of our sparkling wine program. The unique cask program offers optimal fermentation kinetics for our white wines. The yeast is meticulously selected by our winemaking team based on juice expression. Bâtonnage, the French term for stirring settled lees back into wine, is performed during primary fermentation.

Step 3

Barrel Aging

Our extensive barrel program further supports our commitment to terroir transparency and the art of blending. We work with a variety of different French coopers to achieve stylistic diversity that supports our quality goals while seamlessly integrating with each wine during maturation. We hand-select barrels representing a wide range of sizes, oak forests and toast levels. Along with meticulous yeast selection and comprehensive micro-cru fermentation management, this intricate barrel program contributes yet another layer of complexity to our wines. In addition, we are holding on to reserve wines from the best vintages to utilize in our Multi-Vintage (M.V.) sparkling wines to maintain a house consistency and an unparalleled quality.

Step 4

Blending

The art of blending is the hallmark of the Domaine Serene winemaking philosophy. Our winemaking team consistently tastes individual casks and barrels of every lot each month throughout the barrel-aging process to determine ideal blends for our sparkling wines. A mastery of blending from hand-selected barrels allows our team to craft elegant, balanced and precise wines year after year and lends itself to crafting the most consistent, high-quality wines possible.

Step 5

Tirage & Secondary Fermentation

After barrel age and blending, we add the Liqueur de Tirage - A solution of wine, sugar, and yeast is added to the base wine just prior to bottling under crown caps. This begins the age-old méthode Champenoise, the traditional method, of making sparkling wines to rival those found in the Champagne region of France. The addition of the Liqueur de Tirage triggers secondary fermentation that occurs in the bottle which gives sparkling wine its bubbles. Tirage fermentation is carefully monitored and completed in ideal conditions at precise temperatures regulated by the winemaking team.

Step 6

Aging en Tirage & Riddling

All of our sparkling wines are aged en tirage at the winery for a minimum of 4 years before disgorgement and dosage. After proper tirage aging, the bottles are riddled. Riddling is the process of moving the sediment in the bottle from the secondary fermentation to rest in the neck of the bottle for easy removal. It is an important part of the Méthode Traditionelle and was developed by Madame Clicquot (Veuve Clicquot) in the early 1800s. At Domaine Serene, we load the bottles on their sides into automatic riddlers called gyropallettes. At certain intervals, the bottles are turned, shaken slightly and moved progressively to a vertical position with the neck pointing down. Traditionally, this took place manually over the course of several weeks, with wine cellar workers called remueurs performing the task on each bottle. Our bottles are placed in a cage and are moved in a way which emulates the action of a remueur by means of motors and automatic controls. As the bottles are riddled, the sediment works its way down the sides of the bottles, settling in the neck, in preparation for disgorgement.

Step 7

Disgorging

After the riddling process the wine is ready for disgorgement, a technique used to remove this yeast sediment. The bottle neck is dipped into a brine solution and frozen. Working quickly, the bottle is turned upright and the crown cap is removed. As a result, the plug of frozen sediment is ejected by pressure and carbon dioxide. Once complete, the resulting wine is considered clear of it's lees and it is ready to move on to dosage.

Step 8

Dosage & Corking

The liqueur d'expedition, also known as dosage, is a small amount of wine and sugar that is added back to the bottle once the yeast sediment that collects in the neck of the bottle is disgorged (or removed). This addition balances the acidity and adds complexity and harmony to the finished wine. At Domaine Serene each sparkling wine that we produced is treated differently and is judged blind by Grace, Ken and the winemaking team to determine the perfect level of dosage. Once the liqueur d’ expedition (dosage) is added to the bottles, each one is sealed with a cork and wire cage, and awaits its release date.

Step 9

Bottle Aging

All wine ages in two ways: aerobically (with oxygen) while it is fermenting, being pressed, racked and prepared for bottling, and anaerobically after bottling. The myriad subtle chemical changes that occur after bottling and away from the air are critical for developing true bouquet and flavor complexity. This requires a certain amount of time, different from wine to wine, and allows the many different components in a given bottling to stabilize and fully integrate. Extra bottle age at the winery contributes smoothness and the development of an infinite range of aromatic nuances in a young wine before we offer it to our customers. That is no exception for our sparkling wine program. Once complete, it is laid down and tasted frequently until optimal release - never rushing.