The Short Story

We began looking for Willamette Valley property in 1996 and a year later found an uncultivated 28-acre parcel on the south slope of Parrett Mountain, just a few miles east of Newberg, OR.  The first ten acres of land were cleared during the summer of ’97 and eleven additional acres a year later— an incredible view south to Salem and the Eola hills emerged!  We burnt slash piles the size of small houses, and removed the large rock from the vineyard.    In the Fall of 1998, we began building our 900-square foot home which was finished in the summer of 1999.

In the Spring of 1999, we planted our first 6-acres.  The initial planting included roughly 1.75-acres each of Pommard and Dijon clones 667 and 777.  In addition, just north of the driveway we planted a ¾-acre mixed-clone block consisting of Mariafeld (a Swiss Pinot Noir clone), Pommard, and Dijon clones 777, 113, and 115.  Subsequent plantings of additional Pommard and assorted “heritage clones” from California have increased the size of the vineyard to its current 16-acres.

When we planted our property it was impossible to project an outcome because there were no other nearby vineyards as reference points.  I knew that grapes liked rocks and our climate was comparable to other sites (despite our relatively high 700’ elevation).  But ultimately, there’s only one way to know what the wine will be like, and that’s to make it and taste it.  From the beginning, the character of Le Cadeau Vineyard was apparent— the aromatics were fresh and intense; the fruit flavors were pure and deep; there were hints of Asian spices mingled with an earthiness that is often not found in young wines.  Those core characteristics remain, regardless of the vintage or the winemaking.

We’ve had the good fortune to work with truly extraordinary winemakers.  All have made excellent wines from our fruit.  But increasingly we’ve come to believe in the addage:  Great wines are made in the vineyard. New clones and rootstocks have been added while we push our farming practices to ever-higher standards.  As we move into our second decade of winegrowing we’re confident that our best wines are yet to come!

Le Cadeau Pinot Noir is all about a very special and unique vineyard.  We showcase various attributes of the vineyard—clones, soils, and “aspect”—by bottling small production cuvees from different sections of the vineyard.  We hope that you find our wines to be exciting and enjoyable.