Vineyards
Without precise attention to detail in the vineyard, beautiful wines simply cannot be made in the cellar.
From bud break to harvest, we work closely with our growers and their dedicated crews to provide the best environment and growing conditions possible. Careful vineyard management combined with traditional minimalist handling in the winery, result in supple wines of balance and richness.
We feel the most complete wines are carefully blended from multiple sites. We source grapes from a diverse collection of highly respected vineyards that spread throughout the willamette valley. The locations vary from 250’ to 825’ in elevation, are home to numerous clones and vary with different soil types. Each site contributes to the final blend, ultimately creating complex and elegant wines that tell us the story of our region.
PALOMA VINEYARD
Owners: Eric Hamacher and Luisa Ponzi
Location: Chehalem Mtn. AVA
Year Planted: 2010
Acres Planted: 15
Varietals: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Farming Practices: LIVE certified, Sustainable
Paloma Vineyard is the 40 acre estate vineyard that our family calls home. Named for the doves that sing in the start of most days, it is located high up on the eastern flank of the Chehalem Mountain AVA, between 600 and 830’. The soils are the classic red volcanic Jory base that Oregon is famous for, overlain by the windblown “Laurelwood” granite dust that covers the eastern side of this AVA. The vineyard faces southeast.
Having been farmed for decades as a hazelnut orchard, there was a lot of work to rebuild the soil before planting the vines. After clearing the trees, the site was deep ripped in three directions, amended, cover cropped and tilled in for three years.
There are 2 acres of Chardonnay planted and 13 of Pinot Noir. Ten more acres are being prepared for planting. The remainder of the property will be left forested to support wildlife and a small number of Highland cattle and Nubian goats.
We selected most of the bud wood for planting from the Ponzi Abetina Vineyard, located on the same soils nearby. This site was the first clonal trial of Pinot Noir planted in Oregon back in 1975 and is home to over 20 distinct clones. We chose to propagate most of these Pinot clones and added a few newer selections from Burgundy in order to establish a unique field blend or “clonal masale” for Paloma. Please see the image showing some the differences in size, shape and overall cluster morphology taken on harvest day 2018.
The early results are very promising. With surprisingly small berries each vintage, regardless of clone, the wines show great intensity, color, complexity and distinctiveness. The first single vineyard bottling of Paloma by Hamacher is 2017 vintage.
BAYLISS-BOWER VINEYARD
Owners: Mike & Drenda Bayliss, Ghost Hill Cellars
Location: Yamhill-Carlton AVA
Year Planted: 1999
Acres Planted: 16
Varietals: Pinot Noir
Farming Practices: LIVE certified, Salmon Safe
The Bayliss-Bower Vineyard, home estate to Ghost Hill Cellars, is part of the family's 234 acre section of land in the rolling hills of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. The Bayliss family has owned the farm since 1906 and the first vines were planted in 1999. Made up of Willakenzie soils with marine sediment bedrock, all 16 acres of vines are planted to Pinot Noir clones Pommard, Wadenswil, 114, 115 and 777.
Ghost Hill Cellars is certified LIVE (Low Input Vineyard and Enology) certified. LIVE is an internationally recognized standard for sustainable viticulture practices in wine grape production. The vineyard is also Salmon Safe, dedicated to restoring and maintaining healthy watersheds.
MANUELA VINEYARD
Owners: Manuela Bonnet-Buxton
Location: Chehalem Mtn. AVA
Year Planted: 1973
Acres Planted: 1
Varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir
Farming Practices: LIVE certified, Salmon Safe
Manuela Bonnet-Buxton has wine in her blood. This purebred Italian hails from Piedmont, a region of Italy known for winemaking, albeit not Pinot Noir.
After traveling to the West, Manuela purchased land on Firdale Road in Cornelius and planted vines a few years later. The vineyard features just under an acre of Pinot Noir, grown on Laurelwood soil with a northeastern slope at 600' feet elevation.
The combination of the soil and vine age creates a profile with a unique white pepper quality adding depth and richness when blended with the other Pinot Noirs.
LA CHENAIE VINEYARD
Owners: Bill & Eve Holloran, Holloran Vineyard Wines
Location: Eola-Amity Hills AVA
Year Planted: 2001
Acres Planted: 18
Varietals: Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Tempranillo
Farming Practices: Sustainable, Biodynamic
Located near Salem, Oregon, in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Le Chenaie is a 103 acre site with 18 acres producing, and 8 more in the process of being planted. Here they grow Pinot noir, Riesling, and Tempranillo, all on resistant rootstocks. The rows are 6' wide, so each acre contains between 1400 and 2200 plants. This vineyard was planted in the beginning of 2001. The soils are volcanic—Jory, Gelderman, and Ritner.
Because the AVA is Eola-Amity Hills, the site is influenced by the afternoon breezes from the Van Duzer corridor in the Coastal Range, as with much of the western portion of the Eola-Amity Hills.
MT. RICHMOND VINEYARD
Owners: Adam Campbell and Carrie Godlee-Campbell
Location: Yamhill-Carlton AVA
Year Planted: 1997-2008
Acres Planted: 180
Varietals: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Viognier
Farming Practices: Sustainable
Mount Richmond Vineyard sits on marine sediment Willakenzie soils in the foothills of the Coast Range Mountains. This land was purchased in 1996 as a partnership between winemaker Adam Campbell, his wife Carrie Godlee-Campbell, and Elk Cove founders Pat and Joe Campbell.
Mount Richmond was designed to emulate the high quality of Roosevelt Vineyard, another Elk Cove site. The vines were planted in high-density format using Pommard clone Pinot Noir cuttings taken directly from that esteemed block. An elevation of just 300 feet allows for earlier ripening, which protects from weather events later in the fall and shortens the growing season, bringing forward fruit character and softer tannins to our final blend.