We recognize that great wines are born from grapes grown at difficult sites with low yields. The severity of the slope and sedimentary Peavine and Willakenzie soils, make our site extremely well drained. The lack of moisture, combined with the warmth of the site, stress vines and control vigor. The resulting fruit is characterized by small clusters and berries with concentrated flavors.  

From the beginning, our philosophy has been to dry farm. Thankfully, we didn’t fully understand how difficult that would be on this site or we probably would have irrigated. Dry farming Lenné has been an expensive because of the warmth of the vineyard and well drained soils. We have had a high rate of young vine mortality resulting in added expense and lost time. While we have a producing well on the property, dry farming remains an integral part of viticulture at Lenné and an essential ingredient of the terroir of Lenné.

We didn’t  pull any fruit off of the vineyard until the 4th year and only managed a little over 5 tons on 10 acres. In our 5th year, 2005, we pulled off another 5 tons. Finally, in 2006, a combination of a heavy fruit set year and the roots finally starting to find water and nutrients, we brought in about 16 tons of fruit. Half of the fruit went into our 2006 Pinot Noirs and the rest to Owen Roe.

We farm minimally, like we make our wine, leaving as little imprint as possible. Our farming practices directly affect the owner as he works in the vineyard more than anyone and in 2007 we farmed organically for the first time.

But being organic isn’t a goal, making great wine is and doing it in a sustainable way is just common sense to us. 

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When we first saw Lenne, it was a warm April day. This Pinot Noir Vineyard had a beautiful view. We thought it would be the perfect vineyard investment. We hope you will find it as the perfect vineyard investment as well. Pinot Noir from Yamhill County is some of the best in the world. This Oregon Pinot Noir will turn out to be among the best Pinot Noir in Oregon.

Oregon Pinot Noir

vineyard investment, Pinot Noir, Yamhill County

Philosophy