Great wine comes from great fruit which comes from great soil. You’ve heard about organic wine, but how about wine made via Regenerative Agriculture? We interview Tabitha Compton of Compton Family Wines and learn about how they make their wines using Regenerative Viticulture methods, and why that makes a difference in how their wines taste, and why it is a step up from organic. We also talk about their Concrete Egg, a style of orange wine they make called Ramato, and what makes their well regarded Oregon Pinot Noirs unique. We also taste and review three of their wines, wines that are of a style we describe as “bright.” Listen to learn more - we bet there’s a lot in here that will be new to you! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2018 Compton “Concrete Egg” Chardonnay, 2019 Garden Series Red Pinot Gris (Ramato), and 2016 Compton Pinot Noir Llewellyn Cuvée.
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Show Notes
Episode 30: Wine & Regenerative Agriculture: Tabitha Compton from Compton Family Wines (Ramato, Orange Wine, Concrete Egg, Oregon Wine, Regenerative Viticulture) 00:00
Hello! And welcome to the Wine Pair podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier for reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and wine-pairing partner in crime - Carmela. And we are the Wine Pair.
For new listeners to our Podcast, what we usually do in every episode is taste and review three reasonably priced wines - which means under $20 - that you should be able to find easily in your local store or online or something like that. Sometimes we will also have interviews like the one we are having today with Tabitha Compton from Compton Family Wines - interviews with people involved in the wine business.
And today, we are going to do both! First, we’ll share our conversation with Tabitha and then we will try three wines that we bought from their winery in Philomath, Oregon, including some really intriguing and different wines that you will really want to know about - a Chardonnay aged in a concrete egg, a wine called Ramato which is basically an orange wine version of a Pinot Gris, and one of their highly regarded Pinot Noirs. And, as usual, our reviews are real, meaning we are not paid or compensated for our reviews, We mean it! That’s important for us because we want you to know that we would not just have anybody on our podcast - we really enjoyed the wines at Compton Family when we visited, but we paid for the wines and asked Tabitha if she wanted to join us.
We think you are really going to like this interview and learn a lot, like we did. We’ll talk about how they built their winery from the ground up, their focus on Regenerative Agriculture - something very new to us but is actually very old and really differentiates Compton from other wineries - as well as their very hands -on approach to wine making, their Concrete Eggs, and the different styles of wines they create. So, we need to get to the interview,
But, first, I do have to give our shameless plug! We would love it if you would subscribe to our podcast so you never have to miss a show! Who would want to miss a show?
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Ok, now without any further ado, let’s get to our conversation with Tabitha Compton
Tabitha Compton of Compton Family Wines Interview 05:45
Welcome Tabitha. Thank you so much for joining us. We’re so happy to have you here today and to learn more about you.
I guess we should give a little information on how we met. We were in Corvallis doing a college visit for our youngest son and we were on the trip with Carmela’s cousins who have a son the same age as our son, and so, of course, we decided that while we were in Oregon we should visit a winery. I looked around and Compton Family Wines came up with really good reviews and a strong reputation that I told the group we should go there. And there you were in the tasting room!
You were so nice and attentive to us and we had such a good time - you gave us a lot of wines to taste and we really enjoyed the wines we tasted and the stories you told us about them - we and bought a lot of wine and joined your wine list. So we thought we should have you on and talk about Compton Family Wines.
And, part of the reason we were so intrigued and interested in having you on is that you really are a family winery, you really are a husband and wife team making wines, and we just thought that was a really compelling story that people would be interested in knowing more about.
So, should be get to it?
- (JOE) So, to start things out, can you tell us a little bit about how you started Compton Family Wines, how you came to be in Philomath, and what your inspiration was?
- (CARMELA) Was there someone that mentored you or was instrumental in helping you get into the business or was important to your success?
- (JOE) What is the hardest thing about being a winemaker? I think people have a view of wine making as very glamorous, but you are a farmer and you work hard with your crops and animals and making wine. What is it that people don’t know?
- (CARMELA) Do you want your children to be in the wine business? Do they have any interest in it?
- (JOE) You mentioned farm to table, so let's talk about that a bit more. You mentioned that you and your husband practice Regenerative Agriculture. What does that mean in practice, and why do you think it's so important?
- (JOE) You’ve gotten some very nice recognition for your wine. Are there any stories you would like to share about them?
- (CARMELA) Putting you on the spot a bit, we have a few of your wines we are going to try today on our show. Could you tell us a little bit about what Ramato is, why the concrete egg is so cool, and what makes your Pinots unique?
- (JOE) How can people find out more about Compton Family Wines? How can they reach out to you, buy your wines, and follow you?
Links and contact information:
- Website: https://www.comptonwines.com/
- Instagram: @comptonfamilywines
Articles
- Concrete Egg: https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/concrete-egg-fermenters-classic-or-cracked-fad/
- Ramato: https://www.decanter.com/learn/ramato-wine-ask-decanter-426324/
- Regenerative Viticulture:
Compton Family Wines and Ratings for this week 28:35
That was really fun and insightful, Carmela, and now I am excited to try some of the wines that we talked about and that we bought when we visited the winery. Are you ready?
We have a Chardonnay - I know, can you believe it? - but this Chardonnay is aged in the Concrete Egg, so no oak. We also have a ramato or Pinot Gris, which is an orange wine. And, we are going to drink one of their award winning Pinot Noirs. Now, I will say a couple of things - you are not going to find these wines in your local store most likely, but you can order them via the website. AND if you join their wine club, you can get discounted prices, so we feel ok that they still fit into our parameters of easy to find and reasonably priced. Plus, we love the idea that we can support smaller wine makers who make great wine but maybe don’t have the reach of the corporate wine overlords.
Wine: Compton “Concrete Egg” Chardonnay
Region: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Producer: Compton Family Wines
Year: 2018
Price: $25 ($18.75 at the winery with club discount)
Retailer: Direct - go to the website
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grapes: Chardonnay
What we tasted and smelled: Granny Smith apple, cotton candy, citrus, pineapple, pear, tropical fruit. Bright, acid, creamy
Food pairing with: Fish, spicy food, Asian food, Mexican food, Indian food.
Rating:
- Joe: 8
- Carmela: 9
Wine: Garden Series Red Pinot Gris (Ramato) - An orange wine
Region: Oregon, Philomath
Producer: Compton Family Wines
Year: 2019
Price: $20 ($15 at winery and club prices)
Retailer: Direct - go to the website
Alcohol: 12%
Grapes: Pinot Gris
What we tasted and smelled: watermelon, strawberry, cranberry, flowers, perfume,floral spray, vanilla, raspberry, grape skins, soil, dirt, baking spice, pomegranate, under-ripe berries, citrus. Bright, tart.
Food pairing with: Turkey, white meat, pork, salmon.
Rating:
- Joe: 8
- Carmela: 8
Wine: Compton Pinot Noir Llewellyn Cuvée
Region: Oregon, Philomath Willamette valley
Producer: Compton Family Wines
Year: 2016 (release these after several years, 18 months on french oak) I love that they release these wines after several years so they are really ready.
Price: $34 ($25.50 at winery and with club discount)
Retailer: Direct
Alcohol: 13.8%
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Professional Rating: Prince of Pinot 92, WE 90
Notes:
- Pinot Noir Clones are mostly Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon 115.
What we tasted and smelled: Cherry, tart cherry, cherry Nibs, Twizzlers, smoke, pipe tobacco, red vines.
Food pairing with: Grilled red meat, burger, barbecue.
Rating:
- Joe: 8
- Carmela: 8
Which one of these are you finishing tonight?
- Carmela: Chardonnay
- Joe: Pinot Noir
Taste profiles expected from Chardonnay, Pinot Gris Ramato (orange wine), and Oregon Pinot Noir: 49:09
- Chardonnay
- From the website: Perfumed nose of citron, white flowers, and vanilla. Balanced acidity, juicy fruit, delicate stone fruit – white peaches and white nectarines.
- Classic Chablis: Quince (apple, pear, citrus), starfruit (sweet-sour flavor - ripe pear, green grape and orange), lime peel, white blossom, chalk.
- Red Pinot Gris Ramato
- From the website: rush of crushed raspberry, pomegranate, berry leaves and hint of “iron” - a blend of fruit, citrus, and orange peel.
- Classic Pinot Gris Ramato: orchard fruit skin, acacia flowers, peach. Aromas of baking spice, dried fruit, tropical fruit and herbs.. On the palate - dried fruit with stone fruit skins and spice
- Pinot Noir
- Other reviewers have said: aromas of cherry, spice cake and fertile earth. Exuberant cherry dominates the fruit profile (Prince of Pinot)
- Spice, earth and bitter herb accent a core of tart, wild raspberry (Wine Enthusiast)
- Classic Pinot Noir: Cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, vanilla.
- Oregon Pinot Noir: cranberries, earth, tea, cherries, plum, strawberry, raspberry
- Oregon Pinot is more refined, more austere than California which tends to be very fruit forward and more Cabernet-like
Articles:
Outro and how to find us 51:33
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