According to the website: Every harvest each member winery brings 1,000 pounds of designated grapes to a member crush pad to kick off a day of hard work and collaboration. The juice is divided equally, with which each winemaker returns to their own winery. This source material – the shared juice from collectively grown grapes – is an open platform for each winemaker to build their own expression of each Open Source wine.
Wine, beer and spirits writer Robin Shreeves
and tasting host Keith Wallace of the Philadelphia Wine School.
Although the labels of each of the six look similar, a careful eye will notice that the topographical lines on each are slightly different, etching the landscape of each winery estate. Each winery produces about 23 cases of Open Source wines each year, and it is available upon release at Co-Op events and promotions and in our respective tasting rooms until it is sold out.
Beginning with a series of Chardonnay releases in 2016, we have produced an Open Source wine each year, with the exception of 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted our collective lives. The Open Source series is a unique way to see how a skilled winemaker makes his or her mark on a wine. Proving that while a great wine is made in the vineyard; it can take the form of many expressions.
Our Open Source Releases:2016 Chardonnay (released in 2018)2017 Chardonnay (released in 2019)2018 Chardonnay (released in 2020)2019 Chardonnay (released in 2022)2021 Rosé (Released in 2022)2019 Bordeaux Blend (released in 2023)2023 Open Source Pinot Blend (released in 2024)
Open Source Wines:
All of the open source grapes were contributed equally by The Winemaker's Co-op members. The crushed fruit was 56% Pinot Gris, 2*% Pinot Noir, 8% Pinot Meunier, and 8% Pinot Blanc. All these wines were exceptional. Truly outstanding examples of the complex winemaking taking place in the state, and the clever use of this fruit for such a project. These wines are very much well worth seeking out.
Auburn Road Vineyards & Winery contributed a white wine that sat on the skins 8-10 hours, fermented in stainless steel. The wine went through a quick ferment. The Ramato-styled wine, had a lovely nose, with an earthy, spicy middle, and featured lively fruit. A really lovely wine. This was one of my favorites of the day.
Beneduce Vineyards offered a cold settle wine with no adjustments to the juice. The wines were age in neutral French oak. No malolactic fermentation. It reminded me somewhat of Arbois - very European in its conception and evolution. Big mouthfeel. A big, juicy lemon-lime ending. Easily my favorite of the tasting.
Hawk Haven Vineyards produced a wine inoculated with non-sacchromyces yeast for 48 hours before traditional sacchromyces fermentation began. Like Beneduce before it in the tasting, it was very European in its inspiration. Austere, and restrained, it offered a creamy middle and a solid, zippy finished. very nice.
Unionville Vineyards proffered a lovely, fruit forward wien. Where the first three relied on techniques, Unionville offered a fresh take with a straight forward approach. Using a white to accentuate nose and flavor, this wine went through the process at a very simple rate, and was made in stainless steel. Nice floral notes up front. Very pronounced fruit. slightly oxygenated, but still extremely good. Finishes with dazzling acidity.
William Heritage Winery made a wine that was aged in stainless steal, with a fourteen day fermentation, and sat for six months on the lees. Unfined, with sterile filtration. This wine had a big nose to start. Super floral and fragrant. Melon. Lemon and lime. Slight residual sugar. Great acirity. The fruit lingered, and lingered. As did the nose on this wine. One of my other favorite wines of the entire day.
Working Dog Winery let the juice settle 40 hours in stainless steel. Fermented in stainless steel, this wine exhibited big acidity, a fruity and funky middle (think hints of peach pit) and LOTS of lemon-lime punch at the end. Very nice. Complex. Lovely.
* * *
Other Fantastic Whites from the Member Wineries:
In addition to these Open Source bottlings, each of the wineries has offered some of the same grapes in their own lineups of releases.
The Workign Dog Pinot Gris was super impressive. Varietally correct, it was clean and fresh and a real stunner. The Riesling, which I tried out of politeness, was also a shocker. Tremendous!
The William Heritage Limited Release Pinot Blanc was also amazing! Lovely, lovely nose. And super fresh flavor and finsih. And I absolutely adore their BDX Blance, which is a of white grapes, made in the Bordeaux-style. Excellent.
Auburn Road's Pinot Grigio was light, delicate, fragrant, and a lip smacker. Instant love affair with this wine.
Beneduce's Dry Riesling and their Gewurztraminer were both stunners. The Riesling was not only varietally correct, but absolutely delicious and sophisticated. The Gewurztraminer was super fragrant and absolutely stellar. It had a nose that led one to believe it might be sweet, but it was mostly bone dry and spicy. Delicious!
Hawk Haven's Pinot Grigio was also exceptional. Terrific nose, clean, crisp, and light, this straight forward classic white is an easy "Yes!" Loved it!
Unionville Vineyard Pinot Grogio is another of those straight forward white wines. Lot's juicy white peach and citrus. This light white, with refreshing acidity, was super drinkable. And a an easy, fun wine.