The Wine

The view from the top of our Dundee Hills vineyard is remarkable in all seasons. In winter, when fog fills the Willamette Valley, the hills rise up out of the mist like islands. In spring the hills and the valley are alive with a hundred different shades of green as the vines and other plants awake and stretch their new leaves into the warmth. In summer the heat shimmers on the valley floor at midday, and we feel the cool breeze in the afternoon as the sun slowly sets over the Coast Range. In fall the days get shorter and the fruit on the vines turns purple and heavy. Harvest comes and goes, and the foliage begins to turn; first the grapevines and maples turn yellow, and finally the great oaks are the last to lose their leaves. The first storm clouds loom up from the Pacific as another year draws to a close. We can't know if the vines in Block 10 of our vineyard appreciate and enjoy the view, but we like to think that the view is part of the terroir, along with the southern exposure, 700-foot elevation, Jory soil and deep-rooted Pommard-clone Pinot noir vines that grow there. As we selected the barrels that contributed to this wine, we were drawn to the wines made from fermenting whole-clusters of Pinot noir, without any initial destemming of the fruit. Perhaps the clusters we chose had a particularly nice view of the Willamette Valley in the summer of 2016.

The Winery

Winter’s Hill is an estate winery located in the Dundee Hills of Oregon. The Gladhart family owns and operates Winter’s Hill, from managing the vineyard and the rest of our farm, to making our wines, to greeting you in the tasting room when you come to visit. Thirty-five acres of vineyards are nestled into a 100-acre farm that includes fir and oak forests. Winemaker Russell Gladhart studied and worked in vineyards in Oregon, France and New Zealand before joining Winter's Hill full-time in 2004.

Learn more about Winter's Hill Estate
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