Nate Ready’s farming goes beyond biodynamic, and the winemaking beyond “natural”; his work belongs in a more creative, personal context than these definitions allow.

We were reminded of this when we sat with Nate this past spring and talked through his terroirs, grape varieties—all 114 of them—and the very particular cellar work, from extended élevage to whether sulfur plays a part, that he’s now famous for.

His wines are the type that stir emotions and motivate us to assume less and explore more. With this release—as always defined by readiness, not vintage—we get into why Nate and his Hiyu Wine Farm continue to expand the idea of what great American wine is.

Hiyu Wine Farm is the work of Nate Ready and China Tresemer: Nate, a famed sommelier with a stretch at the French Laundry, and China, an agriculturalist and illustrator; the two met while working abroad with Slovenian legend Edi Simčič. Back stateside—and most formative—Nate apprenticed with the almost-mythical Maggie Harrison at Antica Terra, whose biodynamic work remains one of the most important in Oregon wine.

15 years later, the work at Hiyu feels equally transformative. Nate and China selected the site for their farm in the shadow of Mount Hood—38 acres, 22 to vine—primarily with a gut feeling, but the vision was always clear: a deep exploration into connectedness, rooted in permaculture and the natural intersection of food and wine. At times, the winemaking feels almost secondary to the larger vision of the farm and its energy.

 

Overlooking the river with Mount Hood in the distance; photo via Jenny & François

Almost. Because that vision is seen through the lens of an absolutely staggering number of varieties (Nate cited a current count of 114). They divvied up the estate's old vine Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris into half-acre blocks, grafting field blends to reflect regions that have inspired them elsewhere: like a block planted to 20 different Spanish and Portuguese native varieties (Noctua, below), or a block inspired by Châteauneuf with no fewer than 75 Rhône varieties (Solais).

Nate noted a specific advantage of older vines: they can sustain two different varieties grafted to one rootstock. And while elevations and soils vary throughout their farm and leased sites (which stretch to the northernmost vineyard in Columbia Gorge, Oak Ridge), the climate and atmosphere feels distinctly Alpine across their vineyards—which you see reflected in both their grape selection and the wines' aromatics and texture.

Highly recommend getting lost in the farm's beauty here

Their approach to biodynamics feels librarial, digging into their experience (China grew up on a biodynamic farm in Vermont) and referencing every book they could get their hands on—from the philosophy of Masanobu Fukuoka to the practical techniques of Sepp Holzer; with reference points in Leroy, Humbrecht, Mollison, Lawton, Joly, Deiss.

The work is defined by this intense range of grape varieties, seen through full expression winemaking—whole cluster, open-top fermentations and long élevage on the lees—a patient process that allows the fruit to breathe and fully come into its own.

It's this purity of site that makes the wines feel so special. Generally bottled by parcel, they have the same bassline: harvested as field blends with no destemming, foot-trodden and pressed into neutral oak. But macerations may last a couple days to almost three months depending on the wine; and élevage can stretch as long as 10 years.

The decision to forego sulfur across the lineup is equally thoughtful. As Nate explained: where traditional winemaking attempts to edit out components, they are looking to spur biochemical reactions—more components—to create preservative energy in the wine. "Not all volatility is on the same spectrum; acetic acid can come from hundreds of different life forms and it's all different...part of the energy of the wines and preserving them. If you add sulfur, you short circuit that whole process."

Long, patient élevage with no racking and extremely sparing top-up (Guigal the reference here) allows the wine to continue releasing that energy on its own terms, bringing freshness and preservative reduction over time.

The result is a set of astonishingly cohesive, natural wines—clear references to revered places in wine, layered with an aromatic complexity that feels absolutely signature to Nate's hand.

NÉGOCE:

2023 Hiyu Wine Farm 'Tzum Lorelei' Columbia Valley, USA $80
Albariño and Gewürztraminer from Underwood Mountain, edging the rainforest and overlooking the Columbia River; co-fermented in conical wooden vat for 10 days, aged in barrel for 1 year. A long growing season here brings exotic fruit, balanced in a surprisingly elegant, nuanced wine.

2024 Hiyu Tzum 'Spring Ephemeral Solais' Hiyu Farm, Oregon $85
Field blend of the 13 red and white ancient grapes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, macerated 11 days and bottled the following spring. Saline red fruit and sundried tomato aromatics in a concentrated, lush wine.

2023 Hiyu Wine Farm 'Tzum Oak Ridge Spring Ephemeral' Columbia Gorge, Oregon $98
Chardonnay from a .2 hectare parcel in Oak Ridge vineyard, perched at the base of Mount Adams and above the White Salmon River. Directly pressed after several hours of foot treading; aged about a year in oak with no racking. Subtly textured, delicate, lemon-scented Chardonnay.

ESTATE:

2022 Hiyu Wine Farm 'Pandion' Columbia Gorge, USA $117
An original estate parcel just above the Hiyu barn, a Gemischter Satz-inspired field blend planted to grapes from Austria, Hungary and Alsace (the noble varieties, plus Furmint, Harzlevelu, Müller Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner, etc.). Directly pressed after food treading, aged 30 months in one 400L cask and one 228L barrel. Dark golden fruit, an exotic but deeply savory wine that shows the complex impact of patient élevage.

2022 Hiyu Wine Farm 'Moon Dog', Columbia Gorge, USA $160
Pinot Noir and Gris from an original estate vineyard next to a pond, planted to heirloom suitcase clones of Pinot varieties (Martin Ray, Mount Eden, etc.). Three weeks of whole cluster fermentation followed by 30 months in barrel. Wildly spiced and savory (thyme, cumin, prosciutto), a powerful wine that hints at a Piedmontese approach to Pinot.

2021 Hiyu Wine Farm 'Noctua' Columbia Gorge, USA $165
A field blend of 20 Iberian varieties (including Prieto Picudo, Juan Garcia, Babosa Negro, Touriga Nacional) planted in the sunny, exposed northeast corner of the farm. 50 days whole cluster maceration followed by three years in barrel. Powerfully structured and perfumed, concentrated red fruit that reveals layer after layer of texture as it opens up.

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