“They could only happen here” was the initial theme adopted by the new Oregon Wine Advisory Board for its initial marketing campaign in the 1980’s. This was the proud boast of a fledgling industry whose modern pioneers crafted bottlings that soon attracted international attention. The cool marine climate of western Oregon determines that premium grapes must struggle to ripen, thus enriching their flavor. Pinot Noir, the flagship varietal of Burgundy, is also the leading light of Oregon winemakers and viticulturists in the dominant Willamette Valley wine region from where the Mitchell Wines inventory emanates. The Umpqua and Rogue valleys of southwest Oregon have also developed into recognized appellations, as has the Columbia Valley in the state’s east central zone.

Oregon now supports over 300 wineries, all relatively small on the production volume scale, but dedicated to quality. Five grape varietals are now raised in notable quantity, with white Pinot Gris, cousin to Pinot Noir, an Oregon signature wine. Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Riesling are also emphasized, with most having a unique Oregon taste.

Anne Amie Vineyards
Carlton, Oregon — Pinot reigns supreme at Anne Amie Vineyards with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc forming the heart of production. Complementing the pinot family is Old-Vine Estate Riesling and Müller Thurgau, planted in 1979. As with all great wines, Anne Amie’s wines start in the vineyard. Anne Amie is fortunate to have some of Oregon’s best vineyard sites, all of which are Salmon Safe and LIVE certified, giving the bulk of production the OCSW certification. The estate vineyards, along with the sourced vineyards, receive minimal intervention, and yields are dramatically reduced in order to provide fruit with great depth and complexity.

Dr. Robert Pamplin, one of Oregon’s most forward-thinking philanthropists and businessmen, purchased the winery in 1999, naming it after his two daughters. His vision was create wines of the highest quality, and to this end, Dr. Pamplin has charged winemaker Thomas Houseman and viticulturist Jason Tosch with the task of crafting extraordinary wines. Thomas, Jason, and the rest of the crew are absolutely passionate about producing wines of the finest quality and have dedicated their lives to this quest.

Anne Amie’s estate vineyards are located in the rolling hills of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and on the steep hillsides of the Chehalem Mountains AVA, both nestled in Oregon’s verdant Willamette Valley. The LIVE and OSCW certified winery is located on the Yamhill-Carlton property, a few miles from both Lafayette and downtown Carlton, Oregon.

Artisanal Wine Cellars
Newberg, Oregon — Artisanal Wine Cellars is a small, independent winery housed within a cooperative winemaking facility called August Cellars. Tom and Patricia Feller specialize in handcrafted, small batch, high quality wines that are reasonably priced. Current releases include Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Rosé, Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir.

Artisanal Cellars was established in 2005 and produces high quality, small quantity wines, primarily from the Willamette Valley. Total annual production is approximately 1200 cases. They produce their wines in a cooperative wine making studio in Newberg, Oregon. The model they use allows them to select vineyards and varietals from specific viticultural areas and microclimates and to concentrate on producing the finest quality wines.

The name of the winery sprang from Tom's love of the American Arts and Crafts movement with its focus on simplicity and quality. Tom, an electrical engineer, has always had an appreciation of process and analysis. An avid homebrewer for years, wine was clearly the next step. After immersing himself in the winemaking program at Chemeketa Community College, he launched Artisanal in 2005. A combination of art, craft, and a good solid base in science is all important in the structuring of all of Artisanal Cellar’s wines.

Carabella Vineyards
Wilsonville, Oregon — Carabella Vineyard is a 58 acre site on the southeast side of Parrett Mountain in the new Chehalem Mountains AVA, North Willamette Valley. Winemaker Mike Hallock makes wines exclusively from Carabella Vineyard fruit. Twenty seven acres are planted to five pinot noir clones on the southeast slope with an altitude of between 500 and 600 feet. Gravelly volcanic soils, Nekia, Saum and Jory, have proven perfect for dry farming the low yielding vines. The vineyard is farmed sustainably, using no herbicides. Two blocks of pinot gris (clones 146 and 152) produce distinctly different fruit as do two separate blocks of Dijon 76 chardonnay. Hallock uses the diversity within the vineyard to make wines of elegant complexity.

The aim is to plant as much diversity within the vineyard as possible, so the winemaker has a broad spectrum of blending elements going into the final blends. In addition to the Carabella label, fruit from the vineyard goes to several other high quality winemakers in the Chehalem Mountains and Red Hills AVAs.

Coleman Vineyard
McMinnville, Oregon — Coleman Vineyard is located in the Coast Range foothills of Yamhill County in the Willamette Valley, was initially planted in 1991. The vineyard consists of 13.5 acres of Pinot Noir, clones Pommard, Dijon 114, and Dijon 115, along with 9 acres of Pinot Gris. The site is 300-500 feet elevation with silty clay loams on a fractured volcanic basalt base. 

The Coleman family farm is dedicated to conserving the land for the health of family, wines, and for future generations. With this in mind, the Coleman’s strive to cultivate the soil under sustainable land management practices. Coleman uses cover crops, compost, and in-row cultivation to produce a natural cycle of nutrition and organic matter in the vineyard. Each vine is carefully tended by hand over the growing season. This careful attention to detail, along with experience and ongoing education, results in an intuitive farming style that they constantly attempt to translate into the wine.

David Hill Vineyards
Forest Grove, Oregon — The Stoyanov's have owned the David Hill property since November 1992. The name, David Hill, comes from the hill that the vineyard is on and from David Hill Road.

The land was homesteaded in 1883 (it was then known as Rueter's Farm), and grapes were planted at that time. The property went through several hands until the Stoyanovs bought it in 1992. During 1993 and 1994 the house and winery buildings were extensively restored, while keeping the original exterior shape of the house.
At this time the vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir (50 %), Riesling (10 %), Pinot Gris (15 %), Chardonnay (10 %), Gewürztraminer (10 %), and miscellaneous varietals (5 %). They offer mostly estate wines.

J.Daan
Carlton, Oregon — Justin and Megan Van Zanten were twenty-three years old when they founded J. Daan Wine Cellars. Justin had been working as a cellar assistant at a Willamette Valley winery and envisioned a family winery of his own. He started with a modest 100 cases of 2003 Willamette Valley Pinot noir ($18/bottle). The wine received 90 points from the Wine Advocate. Robert Parker noted Justin's effort, "...the 2003 Pinot noir, his first release, is outstanding..." Today, Justin and Megan produce 1200 cases a year and have added Rhone varietals to their repertoire.

J.Daan’s current releases include Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc from Alder Ridge Vineyard in Columbia Valley (only 98 cases made!) Also available are Sankey Kegs, that hold 25 bottles, of “Rouge” (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) and a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir… perfect for glass pour or large events.

Kramer Vineyards
Gaston, Oregon — Oregon’s Willamette Valley is one of the few places in the world suited to growing world-class Pinot Noir. Estate vineyards perched on a ridge edging the Coast range supply a broad spectrum of bottlings. Keith and Trudy Kramer planted the vineyard in 1984 and produced their first vintage in 1989. Currently the vineyard is 20 acres with 6.5 acres of Pinot Noir, 4.25 acres of Dijon Chardonnay, 3 acres of Müller-Thurgau, 3.25 acres of Pinot Gris, and 1 acre of Carmine. Pinot Noir clones include Pommard, Dijon 115, Wadenswil, and Gamay Beaujolais and most recently (not in production yet) 667 and 777. The owners are continually upgrading the vineyard. All of the wines are estate grown and bottled. It is one of the few certified Salmon Safe vineyards in the Willamette Valley.

Domaine Meriwether
Gaston, Oregon — Domaine Meriwether produces Rosé, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Sparkling wine. The Meriwether style of sparkling wine is classic in nature with a commitment to the traditional Methode Champenoise practices. They have sought growers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with whom they can collaborate to assure that the fruit they purchase matches their specific needs. This critical process of vineyard selection contributes to the complexity and nuanced flavors of the finished wines when they are ready for release years later. Meriwether seeks delicacy in their wines and subtle rather overt expressions of varietal character and flavors. With each vineyard showcasing its unique soil, slope and elevations provides a way for Meriwether to complete each style properly by starting with the highest quality fruit of each varietal that they can find.

Winemaker Ray Walsh was raised in New Zealand and has a wine background in France, Germany, Australia and Oregon as of the early 90’s. Managing Partner Buzz Kawders was a sales and marketing wine consultant who took over Domaine Meriwether in 2005. Annual production level of Domaine Meriwether is 5000 cases of sparkling wine and 2000-3000 of still wines.

Plowbuster
Willamette Valley, Oregon — Plowbuster wines are made by winemaker Mike Hallock from vines grown on rocky soils in the Chehalem Mountains. The Unoaked Chardonnay is a pure expression of chardonnay from the stony soils of the northern Willamette Valley. Fermentation was in 100% stainless steel. This is a crisp, aromatic, mineral laden chardonnay. The Pinot Noir expresses the elegance, complexity and depth of pinot noir grown in the same stony soils. Think about herb roasted chicken, grilled vegetables and most of all, mushrooms.

Ribbon Ridge Vineyards
Yamhill County, Oregon — In 1978, Dewey and Robin Kelly purchased a 41-acre parcel on Ribbon Ridge with the expressed intent of developing a vineyard. They were the first to buy property on Ribbon Ridge for a vineyard. It would be 22 years before the vision was realized, but it was never far from their thoughts.

In 2000, they picked up where they left off 22 years before and began developing the vineyard property in earnest. They contracted with Advanced Vineyard Systems to plant and develop the initial nine acres. Today, AVS does most of the heavy lifting but Robin helps with the pruning and other field work and Dewey helps with the tractor work every chance he gets. Their daughters, Melissa, 28, and Jessica, 24, share their interest in the vineyard and participate as school, work and other activities permit.

Commercial production began in 2003 and they currently produce between 250 and 300 cases of Pinot noir annually. Dewey Kelly is the principle winemaker with a great deal of support and assistance from good friends and family. For the first five years, they produced our wine at Carlton Winemakers Studio, and after a year in Carlton at Scott Paul Wines, Ribbon Ridge is happy to now be making our wines at the Portland Wine Project in their hometown of Portland.
Ribbon Ridge Vineyards features Pinot Noir, an Alsatian White Blend and Early Muscat.

Stag Hollow
Yamhill, Oregon — Stag Hollow is an Old World-styled vineyard located in the Yamhill-Carlton District (American Viticultural Area (AVA)) in the northern Willamette Valley, Oregon. The estate-grown pinot noirs are nurtured on moderately steep south-facing slopes of Willakenzie soils planted at a very high density, exceeding 3,000/acre. This is a small, family estate with an unwavering commitment to crafting profound and concentrated wines that express attributes of the vineyard and distinct management practices to enhance wine quality.

The 34 acre estate is being planted slowly to better understand terroir and grape variety interactions at this site. Currently, nine clones (cultivars) of pinot noir, including five of the newly introduced French Dijon clones, are planted. Other varieties include chardonnay, including four of the newly introduced French Dijon clones, muscat ottonel, early muscat, and experimental blocks of northern Italian varieties

Wahle
Carlton Winemakers Studio, Oregon — The Wahle family began planting the first commercial vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton region of Oregon in 1974, planting Pommard, Wadenswil, and assorted Coury clones on their 100 acre hilltop site just outside of Yamhill. Mark Wahle grew up tending to the vines that for years were sold to several of the areas most talented winemakers. In 1988, after graduating from his Viticulture and Enology studies at UC Davis, he further honed his skills at vineyard and winery sites in Germany and California before returning home to his roots in pursuit of crafting fine Pinot Noir from the family farm. Mark and his wife, Shaghayegh, discovered a 2nd prime vineyard site in 1999. This 310 acre site in the Eola Hills similarly enjoys a breathtaking hilltop view of the surrounding wine country. This is the 'Holmes Hill' vineyard site, recognizing the original homesteader of this unique property.

The focus today is on a commitment to quality practices in the vineyard, which shines through in each of the three estate wines produced by Mark. On both sites, yields are kept to under 2 tons/acre, and sustainable vineyard practices in all production operations are a top priority. With the hope of capturing site and vintage specific character, irrigation is avoided. Planting sites are nestled between the lower elevation coastal mountain range and the higher elevation Cascade range, and have found the most success on south facing hillsides with elevations ranging between 300-550 feet. Soils are generally well drained and low in vigor. Cool summer nights help the vines to retain grape acidity and express intense flavors.

Wahle Vineyards and Cellars focuses on fine, limited production Pinot Noir.

Wetherell Vineyards
Willamette Valley, Oregon — In 2002 Robert Wetherell, a Southern Oregon vintner, assembled this Willamette Valley Pinot Noir for a customer in Chicago. When the customer failed to take delivery, Wetherell made the wine available to Mitchell at an outstanding price. A terrific value in good Oregon Pinot Noir at a price point unavailable anywhere else.

Winter’s Hill
Dundee, Oregon — The Gladhart family owns and operates Winter’s Hill, from managing the vineyard and the rest of our farm, to making wines, to greeting you in the tasting room when you come to visit.

Thirty-five acres of vineyards are nestled into a 150 acre farm including fir and oak forests. They are certified by LIVE (link) and SalmonSafe in recognition of our efforts. The first wines bearing the name were 298 cases of 1998 Pinot Noir. Production has grown slowly and steadily as wine lovers in the Northwest and around the country have discovered their Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and dessert wines such as the Golden Nectar.