The Wine

This 2018 Pinot noir comes from a two-acre block of forty-year-old own-rooted Chardonnay vines. Planted in 1979 on one of our most favored south-facing slopes, for twenty years these vines reliably produced admirable Chardonnay. Then in 2000, at the age of twenty, the entire block was drastically decapitated and grafted over to Pinot noir. It was a scene of terrible carnage. The old vines wept profusely through their bandages for weeks, until they finally capitulated and grudgingly accepted the alien implants as their new heads.

For years after this trauma the old vines were sullenly resentful, capricious and unreliable. Then abruptly in 2012 they gave us some of the most beautiful Pinot noir of our estate vineyard. Suspicious that it might be a trick, we waited and watched for several years to make sure they weren’t kidding. They weren’t kidding. This wine is the fruit of their renaissance.

The WInery

Bethel Heights Vineyard was established in 1977 in the Eola-Amity Hills by Ted Casteel, Terry Casteel, Pat Dudley and Marilyn Webb. In 2006 Ben Casteel, son of Terry and Marilyn, took over from his father as winemaker. Over the last forty years Bethel Heights has grown and evolved, but the original 50 acres of own-rooted Pinot noir and Chardonnay vines planted in the 1970s continue to provide the backbone of our estate-grown wines. Gnarly old vines, geologically complex hillside soils and direct impact from Æolian winds all conspire to create highly energized wines with depth of character and distinctive personalities.

Learn more about Bethel Heights Vineyard
Follow: @bethelheightsvineyard

All wine is sold FOB the location of the winery that produced the lot purchased. WVWA is not responsible for shipping wine. Shipping or delivery arrangements, expenses and insurance are the sole responsibility of the purchaser. Any shipment of wines out-of-state is the responsibility of the purchaser, who is solely responsible for compliance with the laws and regulations of said state.

The producing winery currently has distribution in the below listed countries and states. A list of distributors is available upon request.

CA: AB, BC, ON, QC

DK

UK

USA: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MA, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA, WI