Liquid Evidence

As Evesham Wood celebrates 40 years, results of the continued legacy are apparent

By Jeff Merrick

With some trepidation, young winemaker Erin Nuccio assumed a large debt when purchasing Evesham Wood from Russ and Mary Raney in 2010. It wasn’t only the money but the legacy. Nuccio was succeeding a leader of organic, age-worthy wine with a devoted following. “There’s nothing I can do to make it better,” Nuccio thought: “The best success would be to not screw it up.”

Russ Raney was a pioneer in history, practices and wine style. He and Mary cleared the land and planted the vineyard in the 1980s. Later, Russ successfully petitioned the federal government to establish the Eola-Amity Hills viticultural area. In the vineyard, Nuccio recalled, “The old joke with neighboring wineries was, ‘When Russ starts picking, harvest is two weeks away.’”

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

This July, Nuccio celebrated Evesham Wood’s 40th anniversary with a vertical tasting to evaluate, 16 years later, his level of success.

The anniversary guests shared their winery stories during the event. Evening Land Vineyard’s Brandon Correa was introduced to Evesham Wood wine when a former coworker at Brooks Wine brought a bottle to work. “You know how it is,” he described. “It was one of those wine discoveries he was proud to share.” Another guest chimed in, “I asked the staff at the Et Fille tasting room for three favorite wineries besides their own. Evesham Wood made the list.”

Guests marveled at the aging potential of both winemakers’ wines as they tasted bottles, mostly Pinot Noir, ranging from 1998 to 2023 vintages. Younger Le Puits Sec Pinots displayed a beautiful silkiness. With abundant texture, mouthfeel and the heady swirl of scent and taste, many surrendered to the sensations. These wines have grown more sensual with age, stoking fan obsession. Event guest Marcus Looze marveled, “I’ve been collecting Evesham for 25 years, and the wines are better than ever.”

THE GOSPEL OF RUSS

Dry farming plays a significant role in the “gospel of Russ.” He believed irrigation homogenized taste across vintages. Today, Nuccio argues irrigated wine is not truly “natural.” Artificial watering creates shallow roots, making subsurface characteristics less relevant and causing irrigation dependence– until the wells run dry.

Distinguished critics and publications, including Jancis Robinson and Decanter Magazine, have praised Evesham Wood wines for decades. For one guest, it changed his life. Andy Osterhaus of Avalon Wine shared, “I tasted the 1997 Le Puits Sec Pinot Noir in 2008 while working at an Iowa City wine bar, and thought, ‘I need to know everything about this wine.’” It led him to move to Oregon.

Russ cultured a yeast strain from a bottle of Burgundy; it’s been Evesham Wood’s house yeast for Pinot Noir ever since. Nuccio innovated further by testing naturally present yeast against store-bought yeast to ferment wines of sibling brand Haden Fig. “They acted wildly differently during fermentation and tasted significantly different in the barrel.” Nuccio was hooked. Following the experiment, he began using ambient yeast for all the Haden Fig wines and Evesham Wood whites, further deepening their sense of place.

BUILDING UPON THE LEGACY

Nuccio has made other significant changes in the last 16 years. Depending on harvest conditions, he may include some whole-cluster during the fermentation of Haden Fig wines. Nuccio also built a new production facility and expanded the cave. And, in 2022, he purchased 30 acres, including 11 planted in Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, and named the vineyard Torres Hill in honor of the family who worked for Russ and Nuccio for three generations.

Did Nuccio screw it up? After weighing the testimonial and liquid evidence, the resounding answer is no. Year after year, Evesham Wood and Haden Fig wines reflect the growing season and the place– and a winemaker who quietly made them his own.

Jeff Merrick is a wine and travel writer uncovering positive and untold stories plus useful tips from London’s secret legal courtyards to New Zealand’s remote vineyards. Read his deep dives on Medium @JeffreyMerrick and bite-sized notes on Instagram @merrick_jeffrey.

Alexander Fortson is a winemaker and photographer based in Portland. After attending photojournalism school, he worked as a photojournalist in the nonprofit sector, primarily on assignment in East Africa. Somewhere along the way he ended up in Italy and fell in love with wine. In 2023, he began crafting wine under his own label, Meliora Wine Company. Being on both sides of the camera in wine production gives him a unique perspective. See more of his work at
alexanderfortson.com.