Welcome to Winter's Hill.
Overlooking the new vineyard from the top of the old vineyard
| Winter’s Hill Vineyard has been in the family since 1961, when Emily Gladhart’s parents, John and Lena Winter, purchased a fruit and grain farm on a corner of Oregon’s Dundee Hills. Peter & Emily and their son Russell planted the first 19 acres of grapes in 1990, 12 acres of Pinot Noir and 7 acres of Pinot Gris. The vineyard’s elevation of 525 to 730 feet on south facing slopes provides optimum warmth during summer days while exposing it to cool ocean breezes every afternoon that drop evening temperatures into the 50’s. These conditions bring the slow, gentle ripening so essential to the delicate character of fine Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. |
| The vineyard is divided into 10 blocks ranging in size from 2/3 to 6 acres. The smallest, block 5, has the shallowest soil and is sheltered below a patch of woods. The single guyot trellising systems yields about 1& 1/3 tons of intensely flavored Pinot Noir. This is typically the principal source of our Reserve wines. Block 1 is west facing, and thus warmer than blocks two and three which face east, receiving the morning sun. The combination of fruit from these three areas brings the multi-layered flavors of our Pinot Noirs. |  |
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The soil in block two and the upper portion of block three is more shallow and rocky than much of the rest of the vineyard. This is where our first Pinot Gris was planted, so that the more demanding growing conditions would help off-set the natural vigor of the this variety. This Pinot Gris is trained in a technique known as cordon pruning, which results in smaller clusters and more concentrated fruit flavors. |
| In 1997 we began planting the second phase of our vineyard using plants grafted to a number of different rootstocks that are resistant to phylloxera. We were able to use different clones of both Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir whose combination serves to enrich the flavor profiles of the wines. The warm western aspect of this slope and the low yields from the grafted plants helps bring early harvests and a better chance of escaping fall rains. |  |
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Our entire vineyard is certified by LIVE of Oregon (Low Input Viticulture & Enology) as Sustainable and Salmon Safe. This program seeks to promote sustainable viticulture while minimizing the use of agricultural chemicals and fertilizers and protecting the farmer, the environment and society at large. This was only achieved after a three year trial period and site inspections. After undergoing rigorous screening by an independent lab our estate wines are certified Live and Salmon Safe as well. |
Tasting
Room Peter and Emily Gladhart
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