Torii Mor Winery was founded in 1993 by Donald Olson, MD and his wife, Margie. They remain the owners to this day. The winery was initially a small project that was intended to showcase the fruit from the Olson Estate Vineyard, which was planted in 1972 and is one of the oldest vineyards in the Dundee Hills of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Since its modest beginnings in 1993, with just over 1,000 cases, Torii Mor has blossomed into a super-premium winery that focuses on small lots of handcrafted vineyard designated wines with an annual production of 15,000 cases.
With the commitment to preserving the environment and Earth, Torii Mor is making ecologically smart choices and farming sustainably, while continuing to craft high quality, complex wines that possess a quiet elegance. Torii Mor is cultivating a sustainable business that respects the environment and assessing its overall carbon and energy usage. The solar array, gravity flow winery in the Dundee Hills, erected in 2007, is a testimonial to this commitment.
The name Torii Mor was chosen by Dr. Olson as he felt it conjured a feeling of unique elegance. Borrowing from the Japanese, the "Torii" refers to the ornate gates most often seen at the entrances to Japanese gardens. "Mor" is a word in ancient Scandinavian that means "earth". By integrating these two distinct languages, the romantic image of a gate to an earth space, or passageway to beautiful things, is formed.
Oregon's Willamette Valley is internationally known for making great Pinot Noir. The best kept secret in the world, however, is that they also make one of the best Pinot Gris in the world as well. You may know this grape by its Italian name, Pinot Grigio.
The aroma begins with floral notes, a mix of honeysuckle and dried herbs, perhaps a touch of mint, followed by notes of ripe pears and more floral-herbal accents. The flavors show a crisp acidity, with a fruit-forward entry and the same herbal-floral characteristics of the aroma. The ripe pears flavor co-mingles with the dried herbs to bring the taste to a long lingering finish. The wine texture is rich and round with a very light touch of effervescence. The finish is oily and long with lasting spiciness, fruitiness and freshness.
June 2010 Limited Series Newsletter (.pdf)
