In a VDLT portfolio of small producers, Championship Bottle is the micro-est. Owner/winemaker Saul Mutchnick crafts about 600 cases of wine from grapes he acquires from some of the top vineyards in Willamette Valley. He seeks out some of the Valley’s finest growers, who already farm in concert with his priorities. He visits the plots regularly, insists on 100% control over the date to hand pick and participates in the harvest.
Based in Portland, Saul and his wife Sonya rent space at a winery in Amity. The winery name is based on Championship Vinyl from the film "High Fidelity." Saul is a huge music fan and most of his wine names have a music connection.
His wine influence is definitively the Italian region Friuli, which he considers to have much in common with the Willamette Valley - all the vineyards are dry farmed and sustainably farmed. They also share many grape varieties in common (he will not work with varieties that are not grown in Friuli).
Saul worked in wine shops early in his career. That combined with his love of the complex but transparent white wines of Friuli, inspired him to make his own wine. He is quick to point out that his goal is to make Oregon wines that reflect Friuli - not the other way around.
The first evidence that he is up to something uncommon: most of his wines clock in below 13% alcohol. Plus, try to find a new oak barrel in his arsenal. His focus is on clarity, purity, terroir and food-frienliness. He likes native yeast fermentation for its complexity, and long elevage to promote age-worthiness.
Championship Bottle is truly a labor of love and artisanship. They produce beautiful wines that have so much to say about the vineyards and the winemaker.
