2022 FIELD OF STARS
A Very Special Long Walk Vineyard Wine
Inspired by a Very Special Long Walk
The Camino de Santiago
Introducing Long Walk Vineyard's exciting new premium wine - Field of Stars - a blend of the finest of our estate grown grapes. Working closely with our consulting winemaker Jerry Murray of élevage consulting, we co-fermented hand selected clusters of our estate- grown Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignane and Grenache grapes. Field of Stars is designed for maximum enjoyment over many years.
The name Field of Stars was inspired by our recent treks on the iconic Camino de Santiago, a collection of ancient European pilgrimage routes which all lead to the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. From its beginnings as a spiritual pilgrimage over 1000 years ago, the Camino has grown into a joyful celebration of community, drawing hundreds of thousands of peregrinos (pilgrims) from around the world each year.
Without modern signage, the early pilgrims looked to the sky and followed the Milky Way or "field of stars" (compostela in Spanish) to guide them. We included a field of stars on the label of the new wine, as seen from the Long Walk Vineyard property and hand drawn by our artist partner, Colby Brooks.
We are very excited to share with you our Field of Stars wine, and through this wine the spirit of the Camino and the camaraderie of all who make the journey to Santiago de Compostela.
Salud!
-Kathy & Tim O’Leary
2022 Field of Stars - Tasting Notes
The nose of the 2022 Long Walk Vineyard Field of Stars is delicate and layered. Initially, a fruit salad of crushed red and black fruits streams upward from the glass. These are chased by hints of toasted oak, foraged mushrooms, brown sugar, and a wisp of just disturbed compost pile. The wine enters sleek like a long silky gown in the hue of the blues and purples of midnight. It moves with tremendous grace, pausing in the mid-palate to be noticed slowly revealing softly obscured details. The flavors are fresh and delicate, fresh black and blue fruits. The complexity here is one of purity, not clutter. The tannins firm up towards the end, promising a compelling future. The wine finishes with a beam of plum fruit with spices and purple flowers.
12.8% ABV | 25% New French Oak
This wine will be released to our wine club members at our Autumn Club Release Weekend Celebration beginning October 4 and available for sale at the tasting house on the same day.
About Jerry Murray, consulting winemaker for Long Walk Vineyard since 2019
Jerry Murray, of élevage consulting, is the consulting winemaker for Long Walk Vineyard. Before winemaking and the wine industry became his lifelong passions, Jerry earned an academic degree studying physiology and gained lots of practical experience in the agriculture and culinary fields. Working to optimize wine and food pairings sparked the realization that his academic, agricultural, and culinary experiences were all pointing the way to the wine industry. Jerry made the leap and honed his craft with many notable winemakers, in outstanding wineries located in celebrated wine regions around the world. These include Panther Creek Cellars, Chehalem Wines, Patton Valley Vineyard, and Van Duzer Vineyard here in Oregon; Champagne Louis Roederer in the Anderson Valley, California; Selbach-Oster in the Mosel Valley, Germany; and Highfield Estate in Marlborough, New Zealand.
Jerry and his family happily call McMinnville, Oregon their home base. In addition to working his magic for Long Walk Vineyard, Jerry has his own label, PROJECT M, where he consistently turns out world-class Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir.
“Co-fermentation brought out a transformative quality difference – the result was greater than the sum of the parts and couldn’t be achieved by blending separately fermented varieties.”
- Jerry Murray, consulting winemaker