Freja Cellars Albariño 2023

Alcohol: 13%

Grape(s): Albariño

Localization: Chehalem Mountains, Willamette, Oregon, USA

Tasting Notes: The wine is a straw gold and seems well on the way to maturity. Ripe and tangy apples and pears abound, with a squirt of lemon juice.

Food Pairing: This wine goes well with pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or shellfish.

The Domain: The name Freja is both a tribute to both the majestic Burgundy region of France where great Pinot Noir has its origins and to the Scandinavian nomads who first settled this area.

In Norse mythology, Freja is a goddess of love and fertility. She is the patron of crops and birth, the symbol of sensuality. Freja is peacemaker and the bride of fallen heroes.

At times she rode Odin’s famous horse Sleipner(depicted on the front label). In Teutonic mythology, she was fused with the goddess Frigg. Friday is named for her.

Freja Vineyards are located in the Chehalem Mountains in the North Willamette Valley.

The Pinot Noir vines are on a very steep slope at 800-700 ft elevation facing south-southwest with the soil type of Laurelwood. The Laurelwood series is a well-drained reddish silt loam loess deposits reaching a depth of 30 feet left behind by the missoula floods at the end of the ice age.

The current production acreage was established in 1988 with both Wadensville (50%), 777(25%) and Pommard (25%) Pinot Noir clones. Under Freja management, an adjacent property, the Hughes vineyard, has begun producing high quality fruit(115) for the winery. 

The vineyards are managed using sensible viticulture practices.