Page 110 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2021

chow | wine

So he put the Parkhurst name on the door in Talent a year and a half ago
and has since been producing a range of varietals that includes Pinot Noir,
Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and a Tempranillo Blend. The
wines are made from fruit purchased from seven local growers. Highlights
of his fruit sources include Merlot grown at Rocky Knoll Vineyards, as well
as Cabernet Sauvignon from the highest elevation vineyard in the Applegate
Valley. The latter is known to be one of the hottest and driest regions of Southern
Oregon with a climate that some have compared to Bordeaux.

Enlow’s first vintage was 2015, with a total production of approximately 1,200
cases last year. Such small total production levels are standard for many of the area’s
wineries, according to Gina Bianco, the Medford-based executive director of the
Rogue Valley Vintners.

THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME

Enlow has always believed that successful wineries should have a good story behind
them and not just carry the moniker of their owners. A carefully crafted tale can
resonate with customers and make a visit memorable. So he knew that he had his
work cut out for him in researching what that story, concept, and label would be,
all of which he designed himself.

While pouring over the history of local characters, he was so inspired by the life
of Charoltte—better known as Charlie—Parkhurst that he decided to name the
winery after her. Born a woman in New England, she ran away in the 1800s to
become a stagecoach driver, farmer, and rancher in California and lived the rest of
her life as a man.

She was also known as “One Eyed Charley,” having lost one eye when she was
learning to handle horses back east. She also went by the moniker of “Six-Horse
Charley,” as she could handle a six-horse whip on her own. Enlow calls her a unique
spirit and says that he found her story “very contemporary, interesting and easy to
relate to.”

Once the winery name was in place he went about choosing a winemaker. Chris
Graves, of Naumes Suncrest Winery was handpicked by Enlow, as he “seemed
to speak my language. He has a very strong background of winemaking in the
Livermore Valley and my familiarity with those wines helped me make my decision
to hire him.” The two work together at Naumes Crush & Fermentation, a custom-
crush facility, to craft Enlow’s wines.

The winery, like many others, does most of its business in direct-to-consumer
sales. Parkhurst’s urban tasting room in Talent does seated tastings for small groups
and Enlow uses the space for what he calls “bubble parties,” groups of six to eight.
On occasion live music had been featured, and prior to COVID the winery hosted
a dinner at The Rogue Grape with the food of local chef Tim Keller.

His plans for the future include opening another tasting room location and
potentially buying his own estate to grow grapes.

Parkhurst Winery is currently available by appointment only.
541-324-4851
www.ParkhurstWine.com
parkhurstwine@gmail.com

108 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | winter 2021