12.13.25

Maypop Wine Co Inaugural Release

Vintage 2024

Hello friends, family, those we have had the pleasure of meeting at pop-ups and markets, and those who have watched from afar. I’m glad that somehow this letter has made its way into your inbox. Its with great excitement that Shea and I announce the release of the inaugural vintage of Maypop Wine Co. It feels like it’s been a long time coming, and also like it has arrived in the blink of an eye. We both began making wine as kids with our families, and though our paths have taken their own turns, we’ve arrived at the same place, together.

The last few years have been a wild ride, both losing family members responsible for our love and passion of grape growing and winemaking. We lost Shea’s father, Bill, in October 2023, in the middle of harvest, and then my grandfather, Mario, passed away shortly before Thanksgiving. As difficult as this all was, at least we had each other. 2024 was a whirlwind. Between buying our farm, Hedgerose (March), getting married (May), and then starting Maypop (June) and making our first wines in the Fall, we jumped into this new chapter of our lives headfirst.  2025 has continued with a similar fervor. In April we planted the first acre of grapevine rootstock on the farm, blended and bottled our wines throughout the spring and summer, did a pop-up here and there, got a herd of small sheep to graze the vineyard, and  finally we have begun getting these bottles out to all you folks. This brings us all up to the present where the 2025 vintage is all but wrapped up and we have begun to catch up on sleep. Our two sparkling picks—Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc—have completed fermentation and the barrels have been topped and tucked away along with the still white wine picks of Gewürztraminer, Albariño and Riesling. Red grapes Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Syrah pressed off skins at the beginning of November are beginning to round out now in their long sleep in oak barrels. So, now that you’ve made it this far, we’d like to introduce you to the brand, the philosophy and how we got here.

What is a Maypop and why would I want to drink it? Maypop is the common name of the only passion flower species native to the US, Passiflora incarnata. Shea and I both love passion fruit, but more importantly, the name Maypop is fun to say, easy to remember and encapsulates our brand: fun delicious wines that don’t take themselves too seriously, are accessible to everyone, and should be enjoyed any day—not just on special occasions. We have both made serious Pinot Noir for our day jobs for a long time, so we knew that for Maypop we wanted to use the opportunity to explore the bounty and extraordinary growing conditions of the Willamette Valley. We also believe that wine should be simple: made of grapes and led lightly through it’s journey to wine. We, for the most part, let the ancient process of vinification unfold naturally, with only the addition of yeast nutrients to ensure a healthy fermentation, SO2 to ensure freshness and ward off spoilage microbes, and occasionally, commercial yeast on select lots for the sake of diversity and curiosity. All our wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Some of these points may lead one to characterize us as natural winemakers, but we prefer the term  “low-intervention” winemakers. We have also chosen to bottle all of our still wines in Revino reusable glass. Reusable wine bottles, made locally in Washington, born out of the pandemic by fellow Oregonians. Still a movement in it’s infancy but one we can rightfully back and we hope to bottle in all Revino once they are able to produce a sparkling mold.

Our first vintage, 2024, we brought in Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Albariño, Gamay and cider apples. We could not have been blessed with a better growing season for our inaugural run. A long, wet spring gave way to a hot July, with weeks above 95F. August, which usually continues with unrelenting heat, surprised us with a week of rain and mild, cool temps. Ideal conditions, as this started slowing ripening, allowing for retained acidity. September unfurled with mild, consistent conditions with little douses of rain, helping to lengthen the growing season with similar weather extending through October. This extremely long, mild Fall allowed for slow ripening and full phenolic ripeness alongside sugar development. A vintage surely representative of a more historic Oregon growing season.  We made two picking passes for the Chardonnay and Riesling, an early pass for sparkling, and a later one for still wine. This gave us a handful of different characters to play around with. So with out further ado, I am pleased to announce our inaugural release!

First up is 2024 Maypop Fizz: a young, undisgorged methode champenoise sparkling blend. We used one of the Riesling barrels that was picked early for sparkling wine as the base. Next we blended in almost equal proportions of late-picked Chardonnay for body as well as Gewürztraminer for its stunning floral aromatics and a touch more mouthfeel. Lastly, the addition of a few percent Albariño for an aromatic lift. We bottled the wine with encapsulated yeast to naturally carbonate the wine. This  allows for a secondary fermentation, however the yeast sediment is captured in the bead allowing one to easily pour the wine off leaving the beads in the bottom of the bottle, without getting a glass full of sediment like with a Pet-Nat. The resulting wine has a gentle but persistent effervescence with an underlying acidity and entrancing floral aromas. Perfect for a spring picnic or as a companion to brunch. $34 a bottle, 85 cases made. Drink now through 2027.

Second up is 2024 Maypop White. Almost equal proportions of Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Albariño result in a highly aromatic and timeless white wine.  Piquant and mouthwatering, this blend leads with floral and tropical flavors on the nose, and beautiful spice characters from the Gewürz on the palate. This wine was built as a pillar of our winemaking style, a harmony of acid and opulence. And, it makes it a wonderful pairing wine, at home with a simple thanksgiving or spicy Thai takeout, its a surprisingly versatile workhorse. $28 a bottle, 100 cases made, bottled in Revino reusable glass. Drink now through 2027.

Next up is our 2024 Atomic Albariño. Native to the Iberian peninsula and perhaps most famous as the main grape grown in the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in north-western Spain, Albariño is beginning to take a foothold in the Willamette Valley. Unfortunately our pick came in light, yielding just 2/3rds of our expected tonnage resulting in just over a barrel of wine. It was spontaneously fermented in neutral French oak and aged for six months in barrel. We really love the aromatic lift this wine brings to our blends, and as such most of it was earmarked for that purpose. The singular barrel tasted SO good, we knew we had to bottle some on it’s own. We pulled off two kegs and bottled just 12 cases. The resulting wine bursts out of the glass with yellow peach aromas, adding in this beautiful brine on the palate and just a touch of pith on the finish. Perfect with pintxos of tinned fish on good bread with a drizzle of olive oil. Unfortunately, because of our incredibly limited bottling run, this wine will only be available as part of our 6-bottle bundle. $42 a bottle, 12 cases made, bottled in Revino reusable glass. Drink now through 2027.

Rounding out the vinous offerings is our 2024 Gamay Noir. I’ve always been inspired by  the great Beaujolais producers like Lapierre and Jean Foillard, masters of carbonic maceration and natural winemaking. I’ve been wanting to work with Gamay for a while now and couldn’t be happier with the results. From old vines planted in the 1980’s, these grapes are grown in the most southernly reaches of the Willamette Valley, in what’s now called the Lower Long Tom AVA. Whole clusters were loaded up in a double walled stainless steel vat (a diary tank) and fermentation was allowed to begin spontaneously. A gentle foot trod in the beginning left many intact bunches yielding that bright bubblegum aroma we expect from carbonic maceration. As fermentation progressed, pump-overs were traded for punch downs in order to develop tannin and body to match the naturally high acidity from this cooler microclimate and crisp vintage. The resulting wine rested in neutral French oak for nine months and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Upon uncorking the bottle, that bright bubblegum explodes from the bottle, soon giving way to potpourri and dark fruit. Juicy and bright with those same dark fruits as well has herbs and spices, the mouthfeel comes together around a gentle but persistent tannin on the finish. Drinking well now but will unwind and expand with time. $42 a bottle, 60 cases made, bottled in Revino reusable glass. Drink now through 2033.

And last, but not least, Sunshower Sparkling Cider. Cider has always been near and dear to both of us. I started experimenting with cidermaking the summer before I went off to Cal Poly to begin my studies in Wine and Viticulture. I continued to make cider under my desk in the dorms and post grad. As many of you may know, during the harvest season theres a lot of beer drinking that goes on to aid winemaking. It was during one of Shea’s first commercial harvests that she realized she has an allergy to hops. Cider quickly became her low ABV drink of choice, and we’ve bonded over this mutual love. Sunshower is made from a blend of English  cider apples grown down in Sweet Home, Oregon, another far flung corner of the Willamette Valley. The juice was barrel fermented with an English ale yeast and rested in neutral French oak for six months. We used those same encapsulated yeast to bottle condition the cider, leaving a persistent bubble. Apple aromas jump out of the glass with just enough funk to make it interesting. The apple flavor continues on the palate with chewy tannins and a dry finish. Endlessly crushable and refreshing, the perfect accompaniment to laughter shared with friends in the outdoors. The label is especially dear to us as my father, Matt Kelsey, created the printers ornament that adorns the forested background, one of our favorite places in the valley. $20 a bottle, 45 cases made. Enjoy now through 2027.

If you’re located in western Oregon we will hand deliver your order of 3+ bottles within a 50-mile radius of Yamhill. We can also arrange pick-up or even a private tasting at our production space within the Ricochet Wine Co winery in McMinnville. For those too far for pickup or delivery we are offering free shipping on all orders of a case (12 bottles) or more.

While thats all we’re releasing now, we have a few more wines in the works. From our two early sparkling picks we blended two Chard barrels with a Riesling barrel for our Blanc des Blancs methode champenoise that now sits en tirage for at least 3 years. We are also over-vintaging a singular barrel of Chardonnay to be released in the Spring.

We really couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our family, friends, and community. I want to thank each of you for helping us get here in your own ways. It truly takes a village. When you choose to buy a bottle of Maypop you are supporting a pair of winemakers with grit, tenacity, and a bit of delusion—something I truly believe every winemaker needs a dash of. We do everything ourselves (minus the occasional bottling party with our near and dears), from making the wine, designing the labels, hand bottling each bottle, all the sales and marketing, and all the interaction with you folks. We are the dreams and passion behind the bottles that you bring into your homes and share with your people when you open a bottle of Maypop. Thank you for reading this far and if you do choose to grab a bottle or a case, your dollars support real people making real wine.

With love and holiday cheer,

Vince Kelsey & Shea Guevara

Owners & Winemakers

Maypop Wine Co