Montebruno

Montebruno is a winery like no other in the USA. It is the project of Joe Pedicini, deriving the name his grandmother’s maiden name, Angela Montebruno. Joe’s approach to wine has been very much inspired by his grandmother, as she taught him how to make wine while doing it for friends and family, as was common in Italy. She used the old traditional way to make wines, following the practices the her forefathers were using and passing from generation to generation, using minimal technology and additives, relying on the fruit and following the laws of nature. These laws, very often, can also be found in the biodynamic approach, although Joe’s grandma, like many of her time, never heard about biodynamic or even organic winemaking. Joe’s family emigrated from Italy to New Jersey.  While he still lives on the East Coast, he decided to develop his wine project in Oregon, where he has now been producing fantastic wines for more than ten years. His approach to wine is very “old world”, some might say Burgundian. He searches first and foremost for the expression of the fruit and its terroir, pushing the concept of single parcels, working very closely with farmers doing good natural work growing the grapes organically or biodynamically. In Joe’s book, there is no room for the use of vinification techniques that would alter that expression, whether it would be heavy use of oak, the addition of commercial yeasts or other tricks used by industrial wines. His only addition is minimal sulfites at bottling. Joe’s work is very aligned with the values and principles of minimal intervention but always is looking first at maintaining the quality of the wines. We believe he is making one of the purest pinot in Oregon, really being able to express the area, the terroir and the fruit.