Vineyards

Battlecreek Vineyard is located in the mid-Willamette Valley, southeast of Salem. Developed in 2000 exclusively to Pinot Noir, its 85 acres comprise 21 different combinations of rootstock and clone. This low elevation site balances warm days and cool evening breezes funneled down the Van Duzer corridor. Working with this fruit both for Daedalus and as the vineyard’s consulting winemaker has provided a crash course in the diverse attributes yielded from this site’s volcanic soils and comprehensive vine selection.

Carabella Vineyard was first planted in 1998, and is already gathering a reputation as a vineyard capable of producing exceptional Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The vineyard lies on the southeastern flank of Parrett Mountain in the north Willamette Valley, between 500’ and 600’ in elevation. Its complexity derives from a diverse mix of volcanic soils: Nekia, Saum and Jory, lying on both east and west slopes. We currently source Dijon 114, Wädensvil and Pommard clones of Pinot Noir, along with Pinot Gris.

Maresh Vineyard lies between 500’ and 660’ on a south-facing slope of Jory soil in the Dundee Hills. Worden Hill Road divides the north and south sides of the vineyard. The 12.5 acre south vineyard comprises the oldest plantings: Riesling and Pinot Noir planted in 1970, with the “youngest” vines planted in 1978. The Pinot Noir blocks in the south vineyard primarily are Pommard, along with a significant minority of Wädensvil. Since we began sourcing fruit from Maresh in 2002, it has come almost entirely from the south vineyard. Beginning in 2007, we will incrementally begin leasing the entire south vineyard. This unsurpassed vineyard rarely sets more than 2 tons per acre, and when it does, we reduce the crop to around 1.5 tons per acre anyway.

McDuffee Vineyard is a small, family-owned vineyard just outside of The Dalles in Eastern Oregon. The 1.5 acre south-facing Syrah block was planted in 1997. We love this vineyard because it’s plenty warm enough during the season to ripen Syrah, but at 550’, and bordered by Mill Creek, it dams the cool evening air, retains it through the early morning, and thereby retains its acidity and fresh fruit. It makes structured, well-balanced Rhone-style Syrah.

Seven Springs Vineyard lies on an east-facing slope of Jory soil in the Eola Hills. The earliest plantings were own-rooted, with additional grafted plantings added in 1996. All the early planting were of the Pommard clone. A 3.5 acre planting of Dijon 115 clone Pinot Noir on rootstock was planted in 2000. We source from the Pommard block as well as contracting the entire new 115 block.