Managed by Dai Crisp since 1999, this second-generation vineyard was first planted in 1981 by the Koo family on what is believed to be the remnants of an ancient volcano. The vineyard is primarily made up of Pinot Noir, with a few acres of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. With an elevation range of 660 to 860 feet, Temperance Hill is a cool site, providing excellent growing conditions for Pinot Noir. The soils are predominantly Nekia, Rittner and Jory, with grapes planted on many different slopes with varying exposures.
15
Crew Members Dedicated To The Vineyard
26
Wineries That Source Fruit From The Vineyard
41
Age Of The Oldest Planted Vines
Certified Salmon Safe & Organic
Dai Crisp, one of the pioneers of organic grape growing in the Willamette Valley, took over management of Temperance Hill in 1999 and began farming it in accordance with USDA Organic Certification standards. The vineyard was Certified Organic in 2012 and is also Salmon Safe Certified. Dai uses mechanical cultivation rather than herbicides and usually does two jobs at once, like mowing while in-row cultivating, to increase the efficiency of fuel and tractor use. All the handwork is done by a 15-person crew, the core of which has been Dai since 1999.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
Classifications in Burgundy define vineyards as grand, very good, or worthy, at least, of the village name. New World vineyards, with less history, have no such official levels. But vineyards do rise to the top of our tastings, the quality and distinction of their fruit showing through the winemaking of any number of different producers. This year, when we tallied the vineyard-designated wines from across the US, Temperance Hill came out on top.
The site always has a kind of death-defying balance. It’s so explosively aromatic it jolts you out of your chair, showcasing one of Oregon’s more esoteric bouquets.
(Dai Crisp) is a spectacularly good grape grower. He pays a lot of attention to balance and the health of the individual vines. As a result the fruit is more complex. The wines are more layered and more consistent in their quality.
2014 Grower of the Year
Crisp is as respected as any grower in the state. An unassuming man with an obvious love for his work, he farms for an all-star client list, 80 percent of which makes vineyard designates from Temperance Hill grapes.
What’s evident is that for each of these winemakers, Temperance Hill grapes occupy the highest rung of the quality ladder.
OUR CLIENTS
22 wineries rely on Dai and Temperance Hill to provide them with superior-quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris grapes.
ANGELA ESTATE
The goal at Angela Estate is to create a warm, casual gathering place centered around wine and hospitality in the Willamette Valley. Angela Vineyards farm the land responsibly and sustainably and harness age old winemaking principles to craft wines that appeal today.
ANTICA TERRA
Antica Terra wines are produced by the acclaimed winemaker Maggie Harrison from premier vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley. The majority of the wines are made from the 11 acre Antica Terra vineyard on a rocky hillside in the Eola-Amity hills, with some supplemental fruit sourced from distinguished vineyards nearby like Temperance Hill Vineyard.
AUTHENTIQUE WINE CELLARS
Authentique’s focus is Single vineyard designate Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Stewards of the land, they work with Tilth Organic and Demeter Biodynamic certified grapes. When you taste Authentique you experience the energy of a passion, a time and a place. Each and every vintage of their wines are made with intent and great care, exemplified by the excellent winemaking skills of Nicholas Keeler.
BROOKS
Founded in 1998, Brooks seeks natural balance in the vineyard and cellar, to show the true expression of terroir in their wines. They are passionate about organic and biodynamic farming; as they believe it not only creates better wines, but these important practices help keep our earth alive and ecosystem intact.
DIVISION WINEMAKING CO.
Division Winemaking Company produces small batch wines focused on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rosé of Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir from sustainably farmed vineyards. The winery is part of the Southeast Wine Collective in Southeast Portland.
ELIZABETH CHAMBERS
Elizabeth Chambers Cellar is a small, McMinnville-based winery specializing in Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. The winery was founded in 2013 by Liz Chambers, a 3rd generation Oregonian whose family was one of the pioneers of winemaking in the state.
ELK COVE
Elk Cove Vineyards is one of Oregon’s oldest and most respected wineries. The winery was founded in 1974 by Pat and Joe Campbell, and winemaker Adam Campbell joined forces with his parents in 1995. Elk Cove remains proudly family owned.
EVESHAM WOOD
Founded in 1986, Evesham Wood is based on the idea that small is beautiful. To maintain a high level of quality, they obtain optimally ripe low-yield fruit from the best possible sites in the Willamette Valley, and use minimal intervention in the winemaking process.
GOODFELLOW
Goodfellow Family Cellars is a winemaker owned and operated winery in Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley. Founded in 2002, and producing approximately 4000 cases annually, Goodfellow focuses on old vines planted in unique and beautiful sites, conscientious farming, and techniques of tradition in the cellar.
J.K. CARRIERE
J.K. Carriere makes primarily Pinot noir (and a bit of Chardonnay), producing classic, vivid and ageable wines with fruit on the first uptake, movement on the palate and elegance throughout. The wines are classically built and substantial, residing at the highest end of the acid spectrum amongst domestic Pinot Noir.
LAVINEA
Lavinea is a wine brand created by esteemed winemaker Isabelle Meunier and co-partner Greg Ralston. Building on years of critical acclaim and focusing on some of the most renowned vineyard sources in the Willamette Valley, Isabelle and Greg Ralston are proud to produce wines that are crafted to be the highest expression and purest voice of site-specific terroir.
LUMOS WINE COMPANY
The Lumos Wine Company was launched in 2000 by husband/wife team Dai Crisp and PK McCoy. Dai grows all of the fruit that goes into the Lumos wines on three different USDA Certified Organic vineyards; Wren Vineyard – the Lumos estate vineyard; Temperance Hill Vineyard – highly esteemed Grower of the Year for 2014 vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA and Logsdon Ridge Vineyard aka Rudolfo. In 2016 Lumos was named one of the top 100 wineries in the world by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
MALOOF WINES
Maloof Wines is a husband-and-wife winery team based in Dundee, OR. They are dedicated to making wines full of energy, with the number one goal of truly capturing a place and time in each bottle. They work closely with our farmers to achieve this goal, and consider them to be the true inspiration of our work.
MARTIN WOODS
Martin Woods is both the home and winery for winemaker/vigneron Evan Martin. The small team of Martin Woods farms according to sustainable, wholistic principles. The wines become what they want to be, not what they want them to be. They value the timeless quality of elegance and a dynamic range of fresh aromas and flavors as well as textural complexity, fine structure and tension.
MEGAN ANNE CELLARS
As enthusiastic admirers of the Willamette Valley, Mark & Megan McNeilly consider it a second home; it’s where they married and spend time with friends and family during coveted downtime. Their venture, Megan Anne Cellars, was conceived in 2014 as a collaboration between the couple and former Evening Land winemaker Isabelle Meunier. This Willamette Valley Pinot Noir project presents a softer, more feminine side of the Mark Ryan Winery family — the inaugural vintage released in fall of 2016.
NICOLAS JAY
As stewards of the land, and passionate oenophiles, the Nicolas-Jay team endeavors to discover and reflect the unique terroir in their wine. The wines are produced from Bishop Creek Vineyard and carefully selected, premier vineyard sites through the Willamette Valley, including the acclaimed Temperance Hill Vineyard.
PORTLAND WINE CO.
Vintner and owner Matt Berson makes wine for the Portland Wine Company under the label Love & Squalor. Temperance Hill Vineyard is one of six esteemed vineyards that Matt sources fruit from. Their winery is based in a shred facility in McMinnville’s Granary District and has slowly grown production to nearly 2000 cases.
RANSOM
In 1999, Ransom began the production of a number of small-batch fine wines using a hands-on approach based on human instinct and intuition, with minimal intervention and no robots. The wines exemplify true varietal character and express the individuality of their growers, vineyards, and vintages.
RAPTOR RIDGE
Founded in 1995, Raptor Ridge specializes in hand-grown single vineyard Pinot Noir sourced from a rich tapestry of select Willamette Valley sites plus our own estate. Proprietors Scott & Annie Shull create intriguing wines by blending intuition honed over 20 vintages with the methodical approach of maintaining hundreds of separate lots.
RATIO
Based in Carlton, Oregon, Ratio Wines is the personal project of esteemed winemaker Anthony King. Ratio is a conduit for King’s ongoing attempt to understand and hone his ability to express the place and make wines that are both individual and worthy of praise within the context of wines from anywhere in the world.
Sokol Blosser
Sokol Blosser has survived, grown and prospered as a family-owned and run operation, and have been a crucial part of developing and shaping Oregon’s now prominent wine industry. They create wines of world class quality that are produced sustainably, mindful of the environment, that express the distinctive flavors of their hillside vineyards.
ST. INNOCENT
St. Innocent Winery was founded in 1988 by Mark Vlossak who continues to be their winemaker and President. St. Innocent produces small lots of handmade, vineyard-designated wine from some of the best sites in the Willamette Valley. Since their founding they have grown from 600 cases that first year to the current production of 8-10,000 cases, yet each wine is still handcrafted in the very same manner.
UNION WINE CO.
Union Wine Company’s owner and winemaker Ryan Harms goal is to make hand crafted wines from Oregon that are financially accessible without sacrificing quality. Based in Portland, the name Union was chosen to honor and bring together the diversity, spirit and character of Oregon that we love.
VINCENT WINE CO.
Vincent Wine Co produces single vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Gamay Noir, handmade with classic methods from vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Their first vintage from Temperance Hill Vineyard is 2015 with some of our old vines.
VIOLIN
Producing Pinot noir and Chardonnay in Oregon’s Willamette Valley since 2013, Violin Wine seeks to produce the clearest and most delicious picture of place and time that liquid can hope to convey. Their mission is to craft beverage time capsules from dry-farmed vines on the hillsides of their beautiful valley home.
WALTER SCOTT WINES.
Walter Scott Wines is an Oregon winery specializing in Pinot noir, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay from exceptional Oregon vineyards. Their focus is to produce wines of elegance and purity, while conveying transparency of site and character of vintage. The winery and the majority of their vineyard sources are found in the Eola-Amity Hills.
CONTACT US
Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding Temperance Hill Vineyard. Use the form at right to send us a message, or send us an email: info@temperancehillvineyard.com.
