Here Are Oregon's Most Adventurous Rieslings
The wife & husband team of Ksenija Kostic House and John House continue to amaze with their unique approach to Oregon Rieslings and white wine blends
Established in 2011 by Ksenija and John House, Ovum was founded in hopes of producing Oregon white wines that are honest reflections of time and place. The low intervention production method is a commitment to letting the vintage and vineyard shine, not the vintner. Fruit comes first they say – their top priority is finding farmers that share the same beliefs, and then getting out of the way so the wines can speak for themselves.
The basic approach is classic new wave Oregon: native ferments, no subtractions or additions except for SO2, and extended lees contact for textural complexity. All done in neutral barrels of acacia and oak, as well as cement egg and Austrian cask. Ovum is solely committed to the production of white wines, mainly Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Muscat.
I interviewed Ksenija and John a few years back and their comments then are just as true today. The most recent releases from Ovum – profiled below – are fascinating, deep, detailed wines with almost endless detail and longterm aging potential.
PG: Please talke about your philosophy/approach to winemaking
John: Find exceptional vineyards that are mindfully farmed. Do your best to remove yourself, your desires, from the winemaking process in hopes that the vineyard and vintage will come through. At Ovum, the prerogative of our palate is to find textural complexity, which leads us to soaking Riesling and Gewurz on skins, spontaneous fermentation in egg, oval cask and barrels - lees aging for 9 months - add nothing except SO2 (to the wine, not the juice).
Ksenija: Make wines that hopefully are conduits of the place and time with very little or no interference by me. In part it is a commitment to the vineyards and varietals that are either forgotten or not necessarily at the forefront of the region. I am seeking and hoping to define Oregon’s terroir through white wine, especially Riesling. And ultimately I am interested in making the kind of wine we most like to drink at home.
PG: What project or projects have taught you the most, made you a better winemaker, provided the steepest learning curve, the hardest lessons?
John: “Fear winemaking” was hard to break away from when we started Ovum - “We should probably inoculate this lot, if we inoculate we should add nutrients, we better deacidify for balance, and why not add SO2 to the juice because of botrytis.” When transparency in production is paramount, it’s very difficult to watch a barrel struggle through fermentation, many times over the course of 6-8 months, and not intervene. Ksenija and I have learned that trusting our decisions in the vineyard and maintaining patience in the cellar, will always yield wines that speak to the time and place. And we’d rather have that in the bottle than make wines to our own tastes.
Ksenija: I’m lucky to work and have worked with some of the most respected and technical winemakers in Oregon. The technical background although immensely useful and important it can take away from the intuitive and holistic aspect. When we started Ovum in 2011 as a young winemaker it was hard to break away from “textbook” winemaking, and as years went on I learnt to trust myself. Although breaking away from predictability of technical winemaking was not always easy, in time it became liberating and ultimately more satisfying. Today I think it makes me a more rounded winemaker, if not better.
PG: Please pick one specific wine of yours that really pushed the boundaries (pet-nat, orange wine, white Pinot Noir, sparkling, etc. etc.). Describe that process.
John: I’d say BIG SALT - co-fermenting multiple vineyards of Riesling, Gewurz and Early Muscat was always a shot in the dark. Ksenija and I believed that the macro effects of our cool climate sites would naturally weave into a tight knit wine of balance and aromatic complexity, better than if we attempted to make a blend post fermentation. We harvest Early Muscat first, then Gewurz, then Riesling, and then Muscat again - it all goes into the same tank where it spontaneously ferments together (we add nothing but sulfur). Big Salt tells a story of that particular Oregon vintage, while multiple AVAs harmonize through the help of mother nature, not the conductor.
Ksenija: I would have to agree with John in regards to Big Salt.
PG: How would you like Oregon’s place in the wine world to be viewed beyond Pinot Noir?
John: In the late 1800’s, Germans planted Riesling and Gewurztraminer from Southern Oregon all the way up to Portland. They produced world renowned wine from those vines, but have been all but forgotten in the shadow of Pinot Noir. If you’re 40 miles or closer to the Pacific Ocean, Oregon is a “cool climate” growing region. Our serpentine, basalt, loess, sandy, wind gap soils combined with said climate offer an opportunity to produce distinctive wines unique to Oregon - I believe Riesling makes the most of that opportunity, even at the behest of my own profit.
Ksenija: Oregon as a wine region is still in its infancy, we are just first or second generation winemakers and to define ourselves with only one variety is shortsighted and unconsidered of generations to come. It’s slowly happening but my hope is that in five to ten years Oregon will be known as a dynamic region beyond just Willamette Valley and Pinot Noir. A region whose idiosyncrasies are highlighted through multitude of varietals which will continue to make compelling and critically acclaimed wines.
Here are the latest Ovum releases. All the labels carry the motto ‘Quiet Wines of Place’. Given their structure, choice of varieties and the intensely careful winemaking, the ageability of these wines is basically off the charts.
Ovum 2022 Big Salt
Ten different vineyards contribute to this white blend, remarkably spanning the entire west side of the state with vineyards scattered from Cave Junction to Elkton to the Willamette Valley to the Columbia Gorge. Past vintages have been co-fermented lots of Muscat, Riesling and Gewurztraminer, and this follows that same trail. The penetrating aromatics bring an array of spices, cumin and ginger. On the palate the flavors of the Gewurztraminer stand out, with a dash of sea salt. A lively, aromatic white wine that captures springtime in a glass. 12.5%; $19 (Oregon) 92/100
https://ovum-wines.obtainwine.com/product/2022-big-salt
Ovum 2021 Gorge Sound White Table Wine
Sourced from Underwood Mountain on the Washington side of the Columbia river, this is labeled simply White Table Wine but is actually high elevation Riesling. Fermented with wild yeasts in a 1000 liter Austrian cask, the grapes had picked up a touch of botrytis, allowing the wine to compliment the natural acidity with a floral honeysuckle note. As with all the Ovum wines this is unique, stunningly complex and detailed, finishing with surpassing elegance. Crystalline flavors of mineral, apple, cucumber and honeydew melon combine and trail off gracefully. The more you look the more there is to see. 110 cases; 13% (Columbia Gorge) 94/100
Ovum 2021 Off the Grid Cedar Ranch Vineyard Riesling
The Cedar Ranch vineyard is in the Illinois Valley near the California border in the far southwest corner of Oregon. At 1500 feet elevation it is a prime spot for Riesling, and about as remote as you can find. Sea salt raciness characterizes this wine, which is densely packed with a lush mix of floral, yeasty, mineral and orchard fruit flavors. 400 cases; 13.5%; $27 (Cave Junction) 93/100
https://ovum-wines.obtainwine.com/product/2021-ovum-off-the-grid-riesling
Ovum 2021 Tory y Scorpio Acaciana Riesling
This is a blend of one barrel each from two estate vineyards. The name references the astrological signs of the owners. It is a wine of power, rich fruit and bracing acidity – compelling, aromatic and complex. Apple fruit, apple skin, citrus skin, sea salt and more range across the palate as myriad accents and highlights unfold through a lingering finish. These are indeed wines of place, but quiet? They speak quite emphatically, at least to me. 50 cases; 13.5% (Oregon) 94/100
Ovum 2021 Rare Form "For Love nor Money" Ana Vineyard White Table Wine
This old vine Riesling comes in a striking ceramic bottle that should inspire many post-wine uses. The wine is lightly botrytised, bone dry, with palate-soaking density. It's all about the texture, the mouthfeel, the impact of the neutral Austrian cask and (perhaps) of the German clay from which the bottle is made. It's a wine that takes a deep dive down through the palate, coming up to gasp for a bit of orchard fruit, but principally focused on mineral, salt and savory flavors. Give it a bit of a chill for optimal enjoyment. 13.5%, $60 (Dundee Hills) 95/100
Ovum 2022 PNK Salt
This unusual rosé is sourced from 40-year-old Columbia Gorge Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a musky, dusky wine, a sunset hue, with astonishing depth and power. Perhaps the pink salts of Hawaii are the inspiration; it's bone dry and mineral-drenched wine. The strawberry and candy cherry fruit carries an appealing hint of saltiness that should prove irresistible for matchups with "take me out to the ballgame" type foods. Definitely one of the top rosés of the vintage. 12.5%; $19 (Oregon) 93/100
Loved the inteview, especially the comments on "fear winemaking", and the trust that is needed to overcome that and let the terroir and grapes truly express themselves. Will definitely seek out some of this wine, I'm really intrigued. Hope you do some more of these in the future.