Sharing wines from local vines
Pinot vineyards grow on prime real estate in West Linn
Leigh Campbell was one of the first to plant wine grapes on Petes Mountain in West Linn nearly 30 years ago. His 20-acre vineyard of mature pinot gris grapes, which he sells to Torii Mor winery in Dundee, was a model for the four vineyards that were planted around the Oregon Golf Club with pinot gris and pinot noir clones.
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The sunny southern slopes of West Linn are growing a young, vibrant wine business.
Over the past decade, several vineyards, ranging in size from two to 20 acres, have been planted here.
Landowners often choose vineyards for the tax benefit, but they quickly develop a passion for producing high-quality pinot grapes for premium wines.
Although they may hope to break even financially some day, their decisions are driven by a desire to grow outstanding grapes for complex, flavorful wines. Four vineyards, totaling more than 50 acres of grapes, line the fairways around the Oregon Golf Club on Petes Mountain.
The vineyards were originally a means to an end, a way to meet the farm management approval needed to build a house on the 20-acre parcels, but they have become more than a pretty landscape enhancement.
“There’s a growing wine industry on Petes Mountain,” said Mark Handris, one of the vineyard owners whose property adjoins the golf club.
Dwight Schwab, who planted 13 acres of custom-grown pinot noir clones in 2001, was informed by several experts that the hills around the golf club’s front nine, where all the vineyards are planted, have the perfect micro-climate for pinots. Above the confluence of the Tualatin and Willamette rivers, where the fog hangs heavy on fall mornings, the site combines cool nights and hot days that lead to long hang time for maximum fruit flavor.
When Mike Thayer planted his 17-acre vineyard, he and his wife planned to build their home in the center of it. Instead, they purchased even more scenic acreage farther up the mountain where they built their dream home last year. However, he leases the original vineyard on the golf course and planned to plant vines on his new property in the fall.
“If you’re going to do something with farming in Oregon and you have the right terroir to grow some of the finest pinot noir grapes in the world, you should do it,” said Thayer. “It just seems right.”
Although Thayer sells most of his grapes, he reserves about 5 percent for his own Petes Mountain label, named after settler Peter Weiss from Bastille, France. At the moment, he shares his wines with friends and family. Long term, he has a permit and the perfect location for a tasting room, which he is considering.
The grapes for Thayer’s pinot gris wine are from his neighbor, friend and mentor, Leigh Campbell, who planted some of the first grapes on Petes Mountain nearly 30 years ago. Thayer said, “Campbell put in a test plot of grapes around the same time that Dick Erath and others were launching the wine industry in Oregon.”
For years, Campbell sold all the grapes from his 20-acre vineyard to Torii Mor winery in Dundee. But now that he and Thayer use the same company to maintain their vineyards they also share grapes for the private Petes Mountain label.
A vineyard is an expensive undertaking. Thayer estimates the initial cost for planting one acre at $21,000, not counting the land price.
Then there are annual maintenance fees. These can range from $3,000 for a seasonal crew to prune a few acres to more than $40,000 for a consulting company to take care of everything from pest management to contract sales and marketing.
On the plus side, the average price for a ton of Oregon pinot grapes in 2007 was $2,290, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And, a vineyard definitely adds to the property value.
Yield from one acre depends on several variables. For instance, Schwab said, “Our field managers aggressively thin our grapes so our yields are around 1 ¾ tons per acre, while other vineyards get four and five tons per acre.”
Their winemaker, Peter Rosback of Sineann Winery in Yamhill County, drove that decision. “My wife and I also like to have a premium wine to put on our table,” he said.
Like Thayer, they reserve some grapes for their own label, 4 Heathens, available at the Oregon Golf Club, New Seasons and select restaurants for around $36 a bottle.
On the western edge of Petes Mountain, away from the river and its impact, Bill Holloran has a small one-acre pinot noir vineyard. But hidden from view in a former horse barn is a modern-day winery where winemaker Jay Somers works, producing Holloran’s wines as well as his own J. Christopher wines.
Holloran owns several vineyard properties in Eola Hills, Dundee and Yamhill, totaling around 120 acres with 42 of those planted in grapes. In 1999 he hired Somers, who suggested converting the horse barn to a winery. That year they produced their first 500 cases. Production now is around 2,500 cases.
Holloran has two brands of wine. The Holloran name is reserved for the premium wines, ones priced between $20 to $38, and the Stafford Hill brand is for those priced between $12 and $19. For Holloran, who runs a local software company, the winery is a long-term project that he hopes his teen-age son may one day take over.
“Our goal isn’t to be big. We want to grow great grapes and make the best wine we can,” said Holloran.
The newest vineyard in West Linn is on a 12-acre parcel that’s surrounded on all sides by housing developments. When the seven-acre pinot noir vineyard was planted in 2005 it aroused much controversy because of the extensive tree clearing and drainage work involved in the site preparation.
Teresa Smith, co-owner with her husband of Teresa’s Vineyard, said, “Most of the neighbors now appreciate this oasis in the middle of all these houses.”
Smith has a standing contract with a McMinnville winery for her grapes and sold her first harvest, 10 tons in all, last fall.
On the hills north of the Tualatin River, the picturesque Oswego Hills winery dominates the wine scene. The 36-acre property, formerly a well-known equestrian center with several large historic barns and stables, was reborn as an estate vineyard in 1997.
The first grapes planted were a combination of pinot noir, pinot gris and Marechel Foch. Close to 15 acres are planted now and the plan is to have a total of 20 acres planted eventually with an annual production of around 2,000 cases.
The winery is open every Sunday for tastings from noon to 5 p.m., and it’s available for special events.
A mile or so away, Don Young has a vineyard of 4,600 pinot noir clones, planted on 3 ½ acres.
For the first two years of production he sold his grapes to Oswego Hills, but now he sells to Owen Roe. Like many of his fellow vineyard owners, he usually “buys” one barrel of wine from his grapes, which yields around 25 cases.
Young, with the help of several family members, is developing a label for his 3 Carriages wine.
“It turns out to be quite a process,” he said. “We’ve looked at hundreds of labels, trying to determine what catches your eye.”
He’s also pursuing the permits necessary for limited sales. But he’s more interested in having a good wine that he can enjoy with family and friends.
“Most of the really good wines in Oregon you don’t ever see in the market,” he said.
Another mile down Rosemont Road is the Hanlon Estate Vineyard. In contrast to his fellow vineyard owners, Ron Hanlon does nearly all the work himself. He planted 5,000 pinot noir clones on his three acres, with the help of family and friends, nearly nine years ago.
Although he hires a crew from Oswego Hills about three times a year to help with pruning and pulling shoots, Hanlon does most of the maintenance himself, including spraying every two weeks and mowing.
Hanlon has sold his grapes to Oswego Hills since 2004 and regularly harvests about 4 tons. “We’re just starting to break even,” he said.
His Hanlon Estate pinot noir is available at several local markets for $29, and at a market in Long Beach, Wash., where he and his wife have a second home.
Although his production is very limited, 100 cases or so, Hanlon is interested in having occasional tasting events for which he has a “Growers Privilege License.”
But most of all he’s interested in promoting West Linn’s vineyards and getting the word out that they’re producing quality pinot noir grapes and wines.
“Maybe we need an official designation for our region, a sub-appellation of the Willamette Valley region, like Dundee Hills or Ribbon Ridge or Eola-Amity Hills,” he said.