Years back Grand Coulter and Renee Saint-Amour left their jobs in California and moved to Oregon to focus on making Oregon wine and eventually building their own brand. Grant first worked as assistant winemaker at Hamacher wines and then spent the bulk of 10 years as assistant winemaker and then winemaker at Beaux Freres. Then in 2015 they both sold their Portland house and bought a house in the Willamette Valley to start their project, Hundred Suns. Grant became winemaker for Flaneur Wines and in 2018 they bought a 4.5 acre property in the Eola-Amity hills.
Hundred Suns wines have been remarkably consistent over the past several years and I love the style of winemaking that Grant employs. He is making some sensational wines now from the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. I loved the new 2020 Hundred Suns ‘Old Eight Cut’ Chardonnay (OB, 93) which shows sensational range and a smooth texture. Even better is the incredible 2020 Hundred Suns ‘Cabernet Syrah’ Red Wine (OB, 94) which is gorgeous to consume right now with a light effervescence and stony qualities. Learn more about these great wines at hundredsunswine.com and here are my reviews of the new wines by Hundred Suns.
2020 Hundred Suns ‘Old Eight Cut’ Chardonnay- Sourced from mostly the Koosah and Three Cedars Vineyards, the 2020 ‘Old Eight Cut’ Chardonnay was aged in a small portion (15%) of new oak barrels prior to bottling. Kumquat zest, vanilla cream and salted sourdough bread tones all brilliantly combine on the palate. Very smooth and opulent on the mouth, with loads of lip-smacking acidity. this is a spectacular effort considering the challenges of the vintage. Serve slightly warmer to take in the gorgeous range of flavors. Drink 2022-2030- 93
2019 Hundred Suns ‘Breaker Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Breaker Vineyard’ was planted back in 1972 as original cutting from this site came from Dick Erath. This is the last vintage from this site before a replant was made. Very stony and salty on thermos, this yields volcanic soils and peat moss tones alongside very pretty guava and cranberry accents. The palate is fresh and very fines-driven with layers of beautiful tart red fruits that meld well with shades of wet stone, menthol and garrigue. Delicious to consume now, this complex and delicious bottling will shine on for another fifteen years to come. Drink 2022-2037- 93
2020 Hundred Suns ‘The Rocks District’ Syrah- Sourced from the River Rock Vineyard, this was stored in a combination of terracotta amphora and neutral French oak before bottling in August 2021. Violets, smoked brisket and white pepper dusted bacon all fill the nose. The palate is soft and elegant with smooth tannins that line a core of ripe dark fruits with smoldering stones and garrigue notes. Drink 2022-2028- 94
2020 Hundred Suns ‘Cabernet Syrah’ Red Wine- A blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) with the remainder Syrah from the River Rock Vineyard, this comes off very stony on the nose with boysenberry compote, iodine and shades of red rose petals. The palate is push and voluptuous with a seamless texture and great sense of weight. Finishing long with stony tones and rich dark fruits, this gorgeous wine will provide drinking enjoyment for at least another six years. Drink 2022-2028- 94