Drinking Willamette Valley History: Old Vine Wines From David Hill & Hyland Estates

Plus highlights from recent tastings: Domaine Lumineux, Ruby Vineyard, Soos Creek

Though David Lett is most frequently credited with starting the wine industry in the Willamette Valley when his first vines went into the ground in 1965, his contemporary, Charles Coury, was doing the same at a rather remote location in the Coastal mountain hills around Forest Grove.

As reported on the Oregon Wine History website, in 1966 Coury purchased 140 acres near Forest Grove, then known as ‘Reuter’s Hill or Wine Hill’. He held a master’s degree in enology from UC Davis, and theorized that vinifera varieties such as Pinot Noir could produce quality wine when fully ripened at the end of their growing season. At his winery and nursery he set out to prove the point, though for reasons unknown he abandoned both projects in the late 1970s and moved back to California to open a brewery.

The property has changed hands a number of times over the decades, and had fallen into disrepair when new owners Milan and Jean Stoyanov began renovating the existing old vines at the estate. Since my last visit a couple of years ago, ownership has shifted once again. Mike Kuenz remains as Managing Partner, Chad Stock continues as Winemaker, and Alfredo Apolloni has now become an owner/partner. “Together we have four vineyards, and Chad is now also making the Apolloni wines,” Mike writes. “Both tasting rooms offer different experiences and wines so to our customers it does not look any different since the merger. Both Chad and I are honored to be its current stewards.”

Bree Stock, who holds the rare MW degree and partners Constant Crush Wine with her husband Chad, adds “I can confirm that the old vines are very much back in full production and very healthy. It occurred to me, writing this response to you, that these old vines are more important than ever given that they are still in full production and that the other vineyards planted in 1965 and onwards in the more central part of the Willamette Valley have either fully succumbed to phylloxera or have been replanted on rootstocks, so the David Hill original blocks tell a rare story of the region.”

“Chad makes an Old Vine offering and a single Coury Clone offering of Pinot Noir from David Hill, and also now keeps all of the other varieties that were planted in the '60's in-house. He makes several old vine Rieslings and a new series called the Discovery Series where he isolates varieties like Melon and Savagnin and also creates new expressions from the old vines on the vineyard.”

Digging through my cellar I found old vine Pinots from David Hill’s 2015, 2017 and 2019 vintages. These original Pinot vines, I am told, are a mix of Wädenswil, Pommard and Coury clones, which may be descended from a “suitcase cutting” smuggled in from France back in the day.

The David Hill 2019 Old Vine Pinot Noir was the first vintage made by Chad Stock. I found it to be an elegant and beautifully-detailed wine. Retasted just this past week, it confirmed those first impressions, though a couple of extra years in bottle hadn’t moved the chains significantly. Strawberry, raspberry and cherry fruit, a kiss of new oak, a touch of orange peel, and a slow and elegant descent into a finish with highlights of tea and tobacco. Complex, layered and refined, it surely has many years of life ahead.

The David Hill 2017 Old Vine Coury Clone BlackJack Pinot Noir, sourced from the 1965 Charles Coury block, was “dense with detail, and weaves delicate flavors of strawberry, pine needle, mint, plum, coffee and toffee into a riveting and complete whole. Retasted just this past week, it dazzled with its density, its well-blended flavors as noted above now with some pretty barrel toast as well. It’s a great wine from a remarkable site in an excellent vintage.

I found no past notes on the 2015 Old Vine Pinot Noir. Tasted this past week it’s a big, bold and tannic wine, though with almost a decade under its cork time has sanded over any rough edges. For my taste it’s a little heavy on the new oak and perhaps a touch too ripe. Such ripeness fills out the middle but hides the details, and here the aromatics are all about the barrels, with a nod to black cherry fruit. A good wine, but not showing the hoped for old vine elegance.

In the early 1970s the wine industry in the entire Pacific Northwest consisted of (maybe) two dozen wineries, most of which have long since disappeared. Planting a vineyard was, to say the least, a grand adventure. What to plant, where to plant, when to plant and how to plant were open questions. California provided the model, which was all there was to go on. Oregon, the experts said, was simply too cold and too wet to grow wine grapes profitably.

A few stubborn pioneers saw better prospects coming. They understood that new wineries could provide customers for their grapes, and forged ahead. Hyland vineyard, first planted in 1971 under the guidance of Dick Erath and Charles Coury, was one of the first. Starting with about 15 acres of Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gewürztraminer, the vineyard quickly became an essential provider of grapes to such wineries as Adelsheim, Knudsen-Erath and Sokol Blosser. It remained under the same management from the late 1970s until 2007, when Laurent Montalieu's NW Wine Company purchased the vineyard and began an ambitious program of growth. It now comprises 185 planted acres, most of it Pinot Noir, including some of the original Coury clone vines.

The Hyland Estates brand was introduced shortly after the purchase and continues to make old vine selections from the oldest plantings of Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Noir. Other old vine sources dating from the late ‘70s and early to mid-80’s go into the single vineyard Chardonnay, the single clone Pinots and the Founders’ Selection Pinot Noir.

It’s worth repeating that the term old vine is unregulated, and any label making claims about old vines should include specifics. When and where were the vines planted? Are these still the original bearing vines, or were they grafted onto older roots? A widely-accepted standard is that any wine labeled as ‘old vines’ or ‘ancient vines’ or ‘Grannie’s favorite vines’ should come from plants that went into the ground a minimum of 35 years ago. Where once such vineyards were only found in parts of California, there are now plenty of sites around the Pacific Northwest that meet that rather low bar.

But these David Hill and Hyland Estates wines, along with some rare treasures from the Eyrie Vineyards, truly go back to the very beginning of the modern winemaking era hereabouts. And I find in them subtle, challenging details that exist in few other examples from the region. These old vine wines have extra dimensions in aroma, texture, overall length and a wealth of subtle details. They start with complexity upon the first whiff, and they add delicate, graceful notes on through extended finishes. If wine is ‘time in a bottle,’ old vines express it perfectly.

Here’s a review from last fall awarding 100 points to one such wine. And for the record I’ve given no more than a half dozen perfect scores in the past 25 years.

The Eyrie Vineyards 2017 South Block Reserve Pinot Noir – Planted in 1968 and first bottled as a single block in 1975, these 10 rows of Pinot Noir are as special and iconic as any grapes in Oregon. This legendary bottling was for years cellared at Eyrie and not released. Here is a 'young' wine with almost unbounded aging potential. Elegant, subtle, complex, well-integrated components bring rhubarb, raspberry, pie cherry, tea, a touch of cumin and more flavors into play. After 24 hours baking spices and candied fruits emerge. By any measure this is a stunning achievement that can be enjoyed immediately (with decanting!) or cellared indefinitely – a truly magical wine whose track record of ageability speaks for itself. 97 cases; 12.9%; Dundee Hills; $250 (Dundee Hills) 100/100

From an article I wrote a few years back I’ve gleaned a few interesting comments from winemakers who work and have worked with some of Oregon’s oldest vines.

Luisa Ponzi believes that “the vines seem much more concerned with what is happening below the ground than above when it comes to climatic events – rain, wind, heat, etc – and seem to endure and continue on, while their younger counterparts are more reactionary,” she says. “So cliché, but so much like people.”

 “The longer I make wine, the higher the value I place on vine age,” says Ken Wright. “Whether close or widely spaced, despite clone in most cases, regardless of trellis in most cases, we see complexity and depth from vine age that cannot be duplicated in young vineyards.” He notes that as the vines’ root systems explore more of the soil profile over time, the resulting wine adds aromatic and flavor depth. However, there’s no guarantee that any old vine will offer such depth. “All of this will go quiet if the farming approach ignores support of the oxygen-loving, positive microbiology responsible for the breakdown of raw ore,” Wright cautions.

And Jason Lett, who has more experience making old vine wines than anyone in Oregon, told me that his old vines contribute “imperturbability” during the growing season. “They just give excellent quality, regardless of vintage challenges,” says Lett. “Drought resistance in dry years, bloat resistance in wet harvests.”

Hyland Estates produces a remarkable lineup of wines from the old vine vineyard, as well as estate wines from more recent plantings. Here’s a comprehensive look at the current portfolio.

Hyland Estates 2019 Single Vineyard Brut – After four years en tirage, this newly-released wine opens with a nose-tickling whiff of toast. Mostly Chardonnay, 16% Pinot Noir, this is just the fourth vintage from the Hyland estate, all with quite different percentages of the component grapes. Tart and lightly chalky, this is a snappy young sparkling wine that seems perfect for long term cellaring. Essentially a blanc de blancs despite that  bit of Pinot, it’s stylish and steely, tightly wound and quite dense. I can imagine it developing a lovely nutty character in another decade or two. 129 cases; 12%; $58 (McMinnville) 92/100

Hyland Estates 2021 Winemaker Series ‘Feinherb’ Riesling – You may search in vain for any indication of vintage on the bottle, but the winery says it’s from 2021. It’s aged on the lees for an extended period and retains 25 grams/liter of residual sugar. There’s a lovely sweetness to the Meyer lemon and tangerine fruit, set against acids that keep it off-dry. Highlights of honey and tea gather through the long-lasting finish. Feinherb is a German term to describe intense wines balanced between sweet and dry, which is exactly what you have here. 48 cases; 12.5%; $42 (McMinnville) 93/100

Hyland Estates 2023 Old Vine Single Vineyard Riesling – Three blocks dating back to the 1970s are the source for this wine, a bone dry, tart and racy Riesling with citrus fruit and rind, crisp apple, Asian pear and wet stone flavors. It’s fresh and clean through a lingering finish, with resonant minerality and lip-smacking tartness. Turkey burgers anyone? 600 cases; 12.8%; $29 (McMinnville) 92/100

Hyland Estates 2023 Old Vine Single Vineyard Gewürztraminer – Ripe and rich to the edge of viscous, this intensely flavorful Gewürztraminer touches lightly on the grape’s perfumed, floral qualities and zeroes in on the fruit and skin flavors, to good effect. Sourced from 1970s-era vines, it’s loaded with candied lemon, apricot and pear, with fresh ginger highlights. Finished dry, it’s food flexible, and invites exploration with a wide variety of entrées. I’d start with sashimi and sushi. 800 cases; 14.1%; $29 (McMinnville) 93/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Single Vineyard Chardonnay – This exceptional Chardonnay is sourced from three blocks planted on six acres in 1979. This wine has an almost liquorous charge to it, deftly mixing flavors of citrus rind, pineapple slices, botanical herbs and a dash of sea salt. The flavors fill the palate immediately, then continue indefinitely through a focused finish. Stylistically different from the 2021, but complex, layered and built to work with shellfish (moules marinières) and other light seafoods. 600 cases; 13.2%; $46 (McMinnville) 93/100

Hyland Estates 2023 Estate Rosé – An unusual style, blending 50% Gewurztraminer, 30% Riesling, 15% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir (for color), all from blocks planted in the 1970s. You’ll find white fruit flavors of peach and citrus, with a nice touch of tart pie cherries adding depth and interest through the finish. Just a light hint of residual sugar rounds it out but keeps it quite dry, finishing with a lick of wet stone minerality. 275 cases; 13.5%; $29 (McMinnville) 91/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Single Vineyard Petit Estate Pinot Noir – Produced from more recent plantings around this iconic vineyard, this brings the fresh fruit, forward flavors and juicy snap of young vines. It’s bursting with wild berries, hints of wintergreen and barrel highlights of sassafras and herbal tea. 2000 cases; 13.4%; $30 (McMinnville) 91/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Old Vine Pinot Noir – Hyland Estates divvies up their exceptional fruit into wines that are clone-defined, old vine-defined and other designations; this would appear to be a blend of the many barrels not selected for those special bottlings. No criticism there – this mid-priced blend gives you a nice mix of brambly fruits and savory herbs, firm tannins and tea leaf flavors. 8500 cases; 13.5%; $45 (McMinnville) 92/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Old Vine Single Vineyard Dijon Pinot Noir – A blend of three different Dijon clones from the estate vineyard, the old vine tag suggests that they are roughly three decades past original planting. Streaked with cherry cola, milk chocolate and red licorice, this is smooth and accessible, with a light streak of pungently savory herbs firming up the tannins. 225 cases; 13.9%; $64 (McMinnville) 93/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Old Vine Single Clone Wädenswil Pinot Noir – One of a clone-defined series of old vine bottlings from Hyland, this is crafted from blocks planted in 1979 and 1987 – a chewy, tannic, toasty wine with bold, full-bodied flavors across the board. The cherry and blueberry fruit is concentrated and ripe, and highlights from nine months in one quarter new oak frame the core flavors with roasted coffee beans, baking chocolate, toasted hazelnuts and peppery spice. All of the single clone expressions from Hyland are well differentiated; this being the most tannic. 270 cases; 14.1%; $64 (McMinnville) 93/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Old Vine Single Clone Pommard Pinot Noir – The Pommard clone is often a favorite as it warms the palate with a rich, ripe coating of red fruits. This half organic/half biodynamic site adds nice touches of composted underbrush and dried Italian herbs to the flavors of these 1987-era vines. Winemaker Brian Irvine has brought just the right amount of new oak to bear – 20% over nine months in barrel – adding palate-pleasing mocha and caramel highlights. All of the old vine, single clone offerings from Hyland are exceptional, but this is the one you can pull the cork and enjoy immediately. 240 cases; 13.7%; $64 (McMinnville) 94/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Old Vine Single Clone Coury Pinot Noir – The Coury clone acknowledges Oregon wine pioneer Charles Coury, who along with Dick Erath was an advisor on the original planting at Hyland in 1971. There's a long, partly mythical story about the actual clone, but these vines – the oldest in the vineyard – stand out for their elegance, compelling aromatics, textural details and persuasive length. A significant part of this blend comes from vines planted a half century ago. Scents and flavors of herbal tea, orange blossoms, strawberries and raspberries are in play, leading into a long finish that invites exploration for endless minutes. I would love to taste this wine again in 15 years, for it shows the hidden power that can beautifully age wines such as the Eyrie South Block Pinot Noir. 1600 cases; 13.2%; $64 (McMinnville) 96/100

Hyland Estates 2022 Founders' Selection Pinot Noir – This reserve-level wine is made from the best four barrels of the vintage, though not necessarily from the oldest blocks. Its strengths are balance and texture, with a range of red fruits from currant to strawberry to cherry, kissed with citrus and framed with dark chocolate shavings. The layering of flavors, and the way it builds through the finish, indicate excellent cellaring potential. At the very least it should hit a prime drinking window in the early 2030s. Firm, tannic, structured and still tight, it should be aggressively decanted for near term drinking. 100 cases; 13.6%; $110 (McMinnville) 94/100

Subscribers – you may not be aware that due to the highly convenient email feature that is a big part of the reason I’ve completely fallen in love with writing for Substack, there are space limitations on how much I can write in a single post. In order to maximize the value of every post, and out of a deep respect for how little time any of us can spend wading through the mass of media we are pummeled with daily, I have limited my posts to one a week, generally late on a Thursday. Which means that almost always a little warning note pops up as I write telling me that I am about to run out of space. For me it’s a good news/bad news warning – time to wrap it up, yet no room for everything.

So – catching up now before the warning appears – here are notes on recommended wines from recent tastings.

Domaine Lumineux

This is a Francis Ford Coppola brand formerly called Domaine de Broglie. These new releases are not currently listed for sale on the website.

Domaine Lumineux 2021 Cuvée Pinot Noir – A tasty, lightly toasty bottle (one third was aged in new oak) from a vineyard near the epicenter of the AVA. It’s all estate-grown, mixing multiple clones from various blocks. Black cherry, cola and a touch of sassafras contribute to the generous flavors,. It’s dense yet immediately accessible, accenting the pure Pinot flavors with seams of mocha and cola. The well-balanced finish brings sweet spices, firm acids and ripe tannins, fading into cedar shavings, coffee grounds and pipe tobacco. This medium-bodied wine should continue to drink quite well over the next decade. 4000 cases; 13.7%; $48 (Dundee Hills) 92/100

Domaine Lumineux 2021 Reserve Pinot Noir – This reserve is a selection of the vineyard’s oldest and highest elevation blocks, and sees 40% new oak. It’s dense, compact and firmly rooted in the Jory soils of the vineyard, with complex layering that calls up a mix of earth, raspberries, pie cherries, Dr. Pepper and coffee grounds. Beautifully balanced but rather stubbornly tight, it stays a bit more closed even on the second day compared to the still-delicious Cuvée. Drink that one first and tuck this one away for a few years. 400 cases; 13.5%; $78 (Dundee Hills) 93/100

Ruby Vineyard

I had a great visit at Ruby last month and look forward to doing a full report on their wines this fall. Meanwhile here are a couple of early releases perfect for summer.

Ruby 2023 Lily of the Valley White – A gem of a blend, built on a minerally base, this is two thirds Pinot Gris – old vine from the Merten vineyard – and one third Gewurztraminer. What a fine and racy combination they make, showing a mix of honeydew melon and grapefruit, clean wet rock and citrus rind lining the finish. 75 cases; 13.5%; $35 (Willamette Valley) 92/100

Ruby 2022 Pinot Noir – Designed for near term drinking, this light and lively wine over-delivers in many ways. Being light does not mean being simple; being light does not mean being thin; being light does not mean lacking texture, depth and detail. All of the above applies here. Lovely cherry fruit backed with bracing minerality; if you want a red wine to chill this is a good candidate – but not too cold because you don’t want to lose the details. 13.5% (Willamette Valley) 92/100

Soos Creek

This is a long time value play with excellent grape sources. Here are my favorites from the current releases.

Soos Creek 2021 Soleil – This blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Syrah from unnamed sources. There’s good structure here, medium concentration, and a firm finish with savory highlights. Core flavors bring black cherry and cassis fruit with a touch of espresso. Good balance, good length and astringent tannins drying out the finish. 75 cases; 14.1%; $25 (Columbia Valley) 91/100

Soos Creek 2021 Champoux Vineyard – Just two barrels of Cabernet and one of Merlot in this final Soos Creek vintage from Champoux grapes (after 35 years – since 1989). It’s a lighter, more elegant and relatively soft style compared to past releases from this vineyard. There is a note of caraway punching through, leading into broad flavors of red berries and cherries across the palate. Medium concentration, with a pleasing finish that maintains its focus to the end. 75 cases; 14.1%; $45 (Horse Heaven Hills) 91/100

Soos Creek 2021 Commander Comet Syrah – Leathery hints of brett can be sniffed and tasted, along with penetrating phenolics from the inclusion of 25% stems. The fruit runs through blue and purple berries, adding spicy stem flavors and touches of cured meats, leather, coffee and cut tobacco. Let it breathe as the most interesting, complex flavors develop with air. 50 cases; 14.1%; $50 (Horse Heaven Hills) 91/100

Note To Winemakers and Wine Marketers:  Now that I am unchained from the demands of print, I have rebuilt my tasting practices from the ground up. I do not taste wines for review anywhere except at home under very tightly controlled conditions. I do not do barrel tastings. I do not attend big trade tastings. As time allows I do visit wineries in order to walk the vineyard, learn more about their winemaking and talk trade. After these in-person visits I can bring home wines to re-taste and do formal reviews. I open no more than a half dozen wines at a time and almost always retaste them repeatedly over 48 – 72 hours. I use specific stemware and eliminate all distractions – no cooking smells, no food, no music, just me and the wines. It is the best way I know to give young wines the chance to show their very best. Blind tasting? Not any more. I’m interested in context, history and the luxury of tasting each wine over many hours and days – no slam through sip ‘n’ spit tastings. Deep dives into young wines are the M.O. now.

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Paul