The vineyard feeds our soul…

         
Our family was among the first to plant a vineyard in the Willamette Valley and we are proud to have some of the oldest vines in the region. Each season we are challenged with the art of cultivating grapes and we are blessed with the special gift we receive each harvest. We are dedicated to nurturing the highest quality of fruit to create terrior-driven, expressive and outstanding wines.

The estate grown fruit is now farmed and managed by the second generation – Joel VanVolkinburg, who grew up among the vines. His knowledge and expertise allow him to understand the vineyards potentials and strengths. Joel leads a highly skilled vineyard crew who help assist with the daily activities and techniques such as pruning, tying down, caring for the trellis systems, maintaining weed control, tilling ground cover into the soil, tucking the vines up into the vertical trellis, shoot thinning, training the canes, hedging the canopy, dropping the crop to maximize ripeness of the fruit and of course… hand harvesting!

We maintain an elevated standard with our farming practices and respect the growth of vines and what Mother Nature brings to us each year. Our goal in the vineyard is to simply allow each block to express its individual character without interfering or manipulating the fruit. For more than 20 years we have sold grapes to other wineries and we are proud to have long-term contracts with some of the finest producers in the region.


Harvest 2006 on a cool morning

VARIETALS
Pinot Noir:     25 acres
Pinot Gris:     5 acres
Riesling:        2.5 acres
Grüner Veltliner: Just a small amount!

Elevation:       50 - 700 ft
Blocks:           Estate, Inwood, Caleb’s Run and Gavin’s Hideaway
Clones:           667, 777, 115 and Pommard

SOIL TYPES
Jory: Volcanic soils, with basalt as the mother rock. Deep soils, with a large amount of red clay and holds water much greater than Nekia throughout the growing season. Creates elegant, red fruit driven wines with cherries, strawberries and raspberries and a rich mouthfeel.

Nekia: Volcanic soils, less clay than Jory and shallow. Provides aromas of dark fruits, blackberries, black cherries, plums and anise. Higher acidity levels which give great structure and balance to the wines.