October 2026
POBERJAI
Pinot Grigio
Columbia Gorge, Oregon
In our humble opinion, Pinot Grigio is often held back from reaching its full potential. It has deep pigmentation, with skins ranging from deep copper to gray/blue. Given enough skin contact during fermentation, this wine naturally takes on a rich texture. The winemakers of Poberjai, located just north of White Salmon in the Columbia River Gorge, know this.
Jure and Nina are the winemakers and proprietors behind Poberjai. This project is part of a larger homestead - complete with chickens, gardens, orchards and the own-rooted vines of their vineyards. Jure learned about & adopted Eastern European winemaking techniques after working multiple harvests with his Uncle - Josko Gravner. We cannot state this enough - Gravner is one of our biggest wine-world crushes here at Corbeau. He has been one of the most influential natural winemakers in Italy, setting a standard for ethereal low intervention wines. While we don't always fangirl… learning that Gravner's nephew is making wine here in the PNW was VERY exciting.
Part of Poberjai's program is their extensive use of Georgian qvevri - earthenware egg-shaped vessels that are buried in the ground. They have a large stable of these vessels to ferment their wines in, allowing for temperature control. This is a nod to ancient winemaking techniques that have lived on in places like Northeast Italy, where skin-contact Pinot Grigio has a long history.
This bottle holds a Pinot Grigio with deep, rusty color. It ferments for 60 days on its skin in buried qvevri. It is bottled after 3 years of aging, unfined, unfiltered and using minimal sulfur. Fruity and earthy and savory - it's like strawberries and cherries swimming in bergamot tea with heaps of wild herbs.
Pairing: Just drink it!
Fun fact: Jure might have cooked Trevor the best lunch he has ever had this summer.
Summer Wolf
Verde
Freisa
Peidmont, Italy
Fresia is Nebbiolo's rustic cousin. It's a tannic, bitter red wine grape native to Piedmont, and it's mostly unknown. Summer Wolff, likewise, is not very well known. Farming just 2 hectars in Piedmont, she's a badass. Her approach to natural wine is poetic. Natural wine, to her, is a gateway into making elegant wines that translate her love of place. Her wines are clean and in a word - pretty.
She makes this Fresia with a light touch, allowing the natural tannins and bitterness to be lifted with mouth-watering acid, floral qualities and an undeniable allspice/fenugreek/spiced finish.
Summer, an American who moved to Italy, has a great take on natural wine:
“Natural doesn’t mean the wine has to be cloudy with a cute and tongue-in-cheek label. Natural doesn’t mean the wine has to have too much VA or mouse. Natural doesn’t mean the wine has to be made with zero SO2 added. Natural doesn’t mean that you have to do every single natural wine fair near and far dressed in a cool tee shirt. Instead, to me, natural means purity. Grace. Elegance. Clean and individual. With a responsibility, above all, to the land you’re farming. It should be priced for everyone to be able to afford, and wine that everyone wants to drink. Needless to say; this is only my own perception of a category of wine, that I believe is also a lifestyle. Living naturally, raising our children naturally, nourishing our bodies with whole and clean foods, and of course, drinking only natural wines coming from terroir which is loved, cared for, and respected.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Pairing: Farro with Mushrooms
Fun fact: This wine is named after her son, pictured above!
LES HERITIERS
DU COMTE LAFON
Macon-Villages
Chardonnay
Burgundy, France
Founded in 1999 by Dominique Lafon, Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon is his trailblazing, biodynamic Mâconnais domaine. These world class Chardonnay display what this magical region is capable of producing. Historically, the Mâconnais was known for industrially farmed, volume-driven wines.
Dominique was the first Cote d’Or producer to invest in the immense potential hidden in those rolling hills by buying higher altitude, old vine parcels with the intent of letting this beautiful terroir (perhaps the most picturesque wine region in the world) reach its full potential. He started by converting all of the vineyards to biodynamic farming –the Lafon way!
Early on, he strived to preserve the fruit and minerality of the region by using only larger, neutral wood for the aging of the wines. His belief and passion for the region has made Héritiers a towering beacon for fine wine in the previously overlooked Chardonnay mecca. Now with his nephew and daughter, Pierre and Léa Lafon, in charge, the gospel of quality Mâconnais is spreading far and wide, with a clear and definitive voice.
Pairing: Mac and Cheese
Fun fact: The Lafons are Burgundian royalty, like really. They are descendants of the dukes and duchesses of Burgundy!