Adelsheim Vineyard

Adelsheim Vineyard traces its roots to 1971, when David and Ginny Adelsheim purchased 19 acres on a volcanic southern slope in the Chehalem Mountains just outside Newberg, Oregon. The following year they planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling on what became Quarter Mile Lane Vineyard, which still holds the estate's oldest and most storied vines. The winery was formally established in 1978 when the site produced its first commercial fruit, making Adelsheim the first winery in what is now the Chehalem Mountains AVA. That debut release comprised 1,300 cases of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris, launching a legacy built on restrained, food-friendly wines that honor Oregon's distinctive terroir.

• Location: 16800 NE Calkins Lane, Newberg, Yamhill County, within the Chehalem Mountains AVA of the Willamette Valley
• Land acquired 1971; first plantings 1972 at Quarter Mile Lane Vineyard; winery founded 1978, the first in Chehalem Mountains
• Original plantings: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling; focus narrowed to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as of 2015
• 35,000-square-foot winery built at Calkins Lane in 1997; tasting room opened there in 2009

Adelsheim Vineyard emerged during Oregon wine's formative era as one of only ten families making wine from estate-grown grapes prior to 1980. David Adelsheim's influence extended far beyond his own cellar: he lobbied the Oregon Liquor Control Commission in the 1970s for more rigorous wine labeling laws, petitioned federal authorities for the Willamette Valley AVA (designated 1983), and helped secure the Chehalem Mountains sub-AVA designation in 2006. He also assisted Maison Joseph Drouhin in establishing a vineyard in Oregon, helped found Oregon Pinot Camp in 2000, and played a central role in establishing the Oregon Wine Board in 2005. Wine Spectator has called Adelsheim one of 'Oregon's longest-standing and most-respected vintners,' and Paul Gregutt has described its wines as 'some of the best that Oregon has to offer.'

• One of only ten estate-producing families in the Willamette Valley prior to 1980; Chehalem Mountains' first winery
• David Adelsheim instrumental in Oregon's strict wine labeling laws, Willamette Valley AVA (1983), and Chehalem Mountains AVA (2006)
• Assisted Maison Joseph Drouhin's Oregon expansion; co-founded Oregon Pinot Camp (2000); helped establish the Oregon Wine Board (2005)
• David Adelsheim received the Oregon Wine Board Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012

Adelsheim currently owns 368 acres across the northern Willamette Valley, with 174 acres under vine across multiple estate sites concentrated in the Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVAs. The Chehalem Mountains is distinctive in possessing all three major Willamette Valley soil types within one AVA: volcanic basalt, marine sedimentary, and windblown loess. This geological diversity underpins the stylistic range of Adelsheim's portfolio. Quarter Mile Lane, planted in 1972, provides the oldest estate fruit on south-facing volcanic soils at 560 to 680 feet elevation. Ribbon Springs, planted from 1995 in the Ribbon Ridge sub-AVA, covers 53.68 planted acres of marine sedimentary soil at 400 to 600 feet. Boulder Bluff, planted in 2003, is the steepest estate site at up to 625 feet on volcanic soils in the Chehalem Mountains.

• Quarter Mile Lane (Chehalem Mts, volcanic, 560-680 ft, planted 1972, 14.83 acres): oldest estate vines; source of foundational Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Ribbon Springs (Ribbon Ridge sub-AVA, marine sedimentary, 400-600 ft, planted 1995, 53.68 acres): Adelsheim's only Ribbon Ridge estate site; Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Chehalem Mountains uniquely holds all three Willamette Valley soil types: volcanic basalt, marine sediments, and Laurelwood loess, enabling significant stylistic diversity
• Approximately 24% of total acreage unplanted or designated for ecological preservation; mechanical weeding used in place of herbicide sprays

Adelsheim's winemaking philosophy centers on responsive, vintage-sensitive decisions in service of expressing the Chehalem Mountains terroir. Winemaking choices including whole-cluster inclusion percentages and barrel elevage duration are guided by each vintage's pace of development rather than fixed formulas. Cap management during fermentation relies primarily on pump overs. The Pinot Noirs have consistently maintained among the lowest alcohol levels of any Oregon producer. Current Director of Winemaking and Viticulture Gina Hennen, who joined in 2007 and has led the program since 2017, oversees an estate-focused lineup anchored by the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the Chehalem Mountains blend Breaking Ground Pinot Noir, the Staking Claim Chardonnay, and vineyard-designated wines from sites such as Ribbon Springs, Boulder Bluff, Laurel Leaf, and Quarter Mile Lane. Elizabeth's Reserve, the winery's historic flagship multi-vineyard Pinot Noir, had its final vintage in 2015.

• Winemaking is responsive to vintage: whole-cluster inclusion, elevage length, and pump-over frequency adjusted by taste and site behavior each year
• Pinot Noirs consistently among lowest alcohol levels in Oregon; emphasis on finesse and food-friendliness over extraction and ripeness
• Core lineup: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (entry, widest distribution); Breaking Ground Pinot Noir and Staking Claim Chardonnay (Chehalem Mountains blends); vineyard-designated single-site wines
• Elizabeth's Reserve, named for the Adelsheims' daughter and first introduced in 1986, had its final vintage in 2015 after nearly four decades as the estate's flagship

Adelsheim Vineyard has attracted consistent recognition from major critics and publications over five decades of production. Wine Spectator has cited it as one of 'Oregon's longest-standing and most-respected vintners.' Paul Gregutt has described its wines as 'some of the best that Oregon has to offer.' The winery is a seven-time Wine and Spirits Top 100 Winery. In 2017, founders David and Ginny Adelsheim completed the sale of their shares to Jack and Lynn Loacker, who had been co-owners since 1994 and had themselves funded the development of key estate vineyards including Ribbon Springs and Boulder Bluff. The Loackers have maintained the winery's independent, locally owned character and kept the existing winemaking team in place, ensuring continuity of both philosophy and personnel.

• Wine Spectator: cited as one of Oregon's longest-standing and most-respected vintners
• Paul Gregutt: wines described as among the best Oregon has to offer
• Seven-time Wine and Spirits Top 100 Winery
• Jack and Lynn Loacker completed full purchase in 2017 after 23 years as co-owners; David Adelsheim continued in advisory role; winemaking team retained in full

Environmental stewardship has been a defining value at Adelsheim since its earliest decades. By 2008, all estate vineyards had achieved LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) certification, the rigorous sustainability standard founded in Oregon in 1997. The winery employs mechanical weeding with clemens weed bars in place of herbicide sprays, maintains wildlife corridors and bird boxes throughout the vineyards, and composts pomace in a closed-loop system. Roughly 24% of total acreage is left unplanted or designated for ecological compensation. Lighter-weight glass bottles were introduced in 2010 for the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé to reduce carbon emissions. The winery has also been a founding member of the Salud wine auction since 1991, raising funds for healthcare access for vineyard workers and their families, and became a Certified B Corporation to formalize its social and environmental commitments.

• LIVE certified sustainable since 2008 across all estate vineyards; LIVE founded in Oregon in 1997 to ensure strict viticulture and enology standards
• Mechanical weeding used instead of herbicides; cover crops including Cereal Rye, Common Vetch, and Crimson Clover protect soil integrity
• Founding member of Salud wine auction (1991), providing healthcare access to vineyard workers; also a Certified B Corporation
• Lighter eco-glass bottles introduced 2010 for entry-level wines; roughly 24% of total acreage left unplanted or devoted to ecological preservation