Adelsheim Vineyard

David Adelsheim and his then-wife Ginny purchased 19 acres on a hillside in the Chehalem Mountains in 1971, joining a small cohort of early Willamette Valley producers who had begun planting Pinot Noir on the basis of David Lett's 1965 Eyrie experiment. Quarter Mile Lane Vineyard was planted in 1972 with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling on south-facing volcanic soils at 560 to 680 feet elevation. The first commercial Adelsheim vintage was 1978. David Adelsheim's lasting contributions to Oregon wine extend well beyond his own estate. He was a central figure in the drafting and passage of Oregon's appellation regulations in the 1980s, the state-level rules that established Oregon's stricter varietal labeling requirements and an AVA framework that became a model for protected-origin wine identity in the United States. He helped establish research and education exchanges with Burgundian institutions including Maison Joseph Drouhin, whose 1987 establishment of Domaine Drouhin Oregon in the Dundee Hills cemented the Willamette Valley's Burgundian alignment. He was among the founding organizers of the International Pinot Noir Celebration, which has been held in McMinnville every summer since 1987 and remains one of the world's most influential gatherings of Pinot Noir producers, writers, and sommeliers. David Adelsheim continued as an active senior advisor to the Oregon industry through the 2010s and 2020s, including in an advisory role with Adelsheim Vineyard following the 2017 ownership transition.

• Founded 1971 in the Chehalem Mountains; Quarter Mile Lane Vineyard planted 1972; first commercial vintage 1978; one of the original Willamette Valley estates alongside Eyrie, Ponzi, Sokol Blosser, and Erath
• David Adelsheim was central to drafting and passing Oregon's 1980s appellation regulations, which established stricter varietal labeling and an AVA framework that became a national model
• Co-founded and helped organize the International Pinot Noir Celebration, held in McMinnville every summer since 1987
• Established research and education exchanges with Burgundian institutions including Maison Joseph Drouhin

Adelsheim Vineyard is one of the few major Willamette Valley estates to have built a long-running commitment to a varietal beyond the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris that define the region's commercial backbone. David Adelsheim's interest in Alsace led him to bring Auxerrois cuttings from Alsace in 1977; the estate's Auxerrois is planted at Ribbon Springs in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, and Adelsheim was among Oregon's earliest commercial producers of the variety, first bottling it in 2004. Auxerrois is the second principal Alsatian Pinot-family white (alongside Pinot Blanc and the broader Pinot Gris family) and is widely planted in Alsace and Luxembourg, but it has remained almost entirely absent from the rest of the United States. The Adelsheim Auxerrois bottling has continued through every subsequent ownership and winemaking transition. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel with no malolactic conversion, preserving the variety's distinctive profile of orchard fruit, white peach, lime pith, and a saline, lightly bitter finish that sits stylistically between Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. The bottling remains one of the most distinctive whites in Oregon and is a fixture on wine lists looking for an Alsace-adjacent expression from a domestic producer. The Adelsheim white wine program also includes a steady Pinot Gris release and a Chardonnay program that has expanded considerably since the 2010s with Dijon-clone plantings. Rosé of Pinot Noir, including the Artist Series rosé, has become a meaningful part of the portfolio.

• Among Oregon's earliest commercial Auxerrois producers (Alsatian white grape, planted at Ribbon Springs; brought from Alsace in 1977, first bottled 2004); the bottling has continued under every subsequent ownership and winemaking transition
• Adelsheim Auxerrois is fermented and aged in stainless steel with no malolactic conversion; profile sits between Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc with saline, lightly bitter finish
• Chardonnay program expanded with Dijon-clone plantings since the 2010s; aged in French oak in the broader Burgundian register
• Pinot Gris and Artist Series Rosé of Pinot Noir round out the white and pink portfolio

Jack and Lynn Loacker became co-owners of Adelsheim Vineyard in 1994 and were instrumental in expanding the estate's vineyard footprint over the next two decades. The Loackers purchased and developed Ribbon Springs in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, a site they began planting in 1996 with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Auxerrois, and Boulder Bluff in the Chehalem Mountains, planted in 2003 to Pinot Noir on a steep southern aspect. In July 2017, David and Ginny Adelsheim sold their stake to the Loackers, who became 100 percent owners. David Adelsheim continued in an advisory role, and the business is now led by chief executive officer Rob Alstrin. David turned to the Loackers specifically because of their commitment to keeping the winery independent and locally owned. Lynn Loacker is now the sole owner and has continued as the steward of the winery. The ownership transition was paired with a winemaking transition. Dave Paige had been head winemaker since 2001, having taken over from David Adelsheim, and during his tenure grew production from roughly 25,000 cases to roughly 50,000 cases and expanded distribution to more than 20 countries. Gina Hennen joined Paige in the cellar in 2007, was promoted to assistant winemaker in 2011, became associate winemaker in 2015, and was promoted to winemaker in January 2018. Hennen is only the fourth person to hold the winemaker role since Adelsheim began commercial production in 1978. The 2018 vintage was the first fully overseen under her direction, and she has continued to lead the cellar through subsequent vintages.

• Jack and Lynn Loacker became co-owners in 1994; expanded the estate by developing Ribbon Springs (planted from 1996) and Boulder Bluff (planted 2003)
• In July 2017 the Loackers acquired full ownership; David Adelsheim continued in an advisory role; David's stated reason was the Loackers' commitment to keeping the winery independent and locally owned
• Lynn Loacker is now sole owner and continues as steward of the winery
• Dave Paige served as head winemaker 2001 through 2017 (production grew from 25,000 to roughly 50,000 cases); Gina Hennen was promoted to winemaker in January 2018, only the fourth winemaker since 1978, and now serves as Director of Winemaking and Viticulture

Adelsheim owns 368 acres with about 169 planted across six estate vineyards in the Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVAs, with 65 to 75 percent of fruit in any given vintage coming from estate sources. The estate vineyards include Quarter Mile Lane (the original 1972 site on south-facing Jory volcanic soils at 560 to 680 feet), Bryan Creek (across the road from the original vineyard with second-oldest plantings and the estate's only sparkling-program blocks), Calkins Lane (purchased in 1988, home of the current winery built in 1993), Ribbon Springs (about 53 planted acres on Ribbon Ridge marine sedimentary soils at 400 to 600 feet, planted from 1996), Laurel Leaf (set on Laurelwood soils near Bald Peak, the highest point in the Willamette Valley, added in 2020), and Boulder Bluff (a steep southern aspect in the Chehalem Mountains, planted 2003). The distribution of estate sites across the Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVAs lets Adelsheim work with two of the Willamette Valley's most stylistically distinct soil registers. Chehalem Mountains fruit (Jory volcanic at Quarter Mile Lane and Bryan Creek, Laurelwood loess at Laurel Leaf) tends to yield Pinot Noirs with red fruit aromatics, bright acidity, and supple tannin; Ribbon Ridge marine sedimentary fruit at Ribbon Springs yields wines with darker fruit, more structural concentration, and firmer tannin. The single-vineyard Pinot Noir program built around Ribbon Springs, Laurel Leaf, and Boulder Bluff lets the estate's wine portfolio express these differences explicitly. Farming has progressed toward sustainability certification across estate vineyards, including LIVE certification and progressive movement toward organic and regenerative practices.

• about 169 planted acres (368 owned) across six estate vineyards in the Chehalem Mountains and Ribbon Ridge AVAs; 65 to 75 percent of fruit per vintage from estate sources
• Chehalem Mountains sites: Quarter Mile Lane (1972 original, Jory volcanic), Bryan Creek (second-oldest plantings), Calkins Lane (added 1988, current winery built 1993), Laurel Leaf (Laurelwood soils, added 2020), Boulder Bluff (2003)
• Ribbon Ridge: Ribbon Springs (about 53 planted acres on marine sedimentary soils, planted from 1996)
• Sustainability: LIVE-certified across estate vineyards with continued progression toward organic and regenerative practices

Adelsheim's wine portfolio is one of the most complete in the Willamette Valley. The Pinot Noir lineup is anchored by the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, an accessibly priced multi-source blend that is the most widely distributed Adelsheim wine, and the Breaking Ground Pinot Noir, a mid-tier estate-focused blend with more concentration. Quarter Mile Lane Pinot Noir is the single-vineyard expression from the original 1972 estate vineyard. The current single-vineyard program also includes Ribbon Springs, Laurel Leaf, and Boulder Bluff bottlings. Elizabeth's Reserve, affectionately known as The Lizzie, is the flagship Pinot Noir. Named for David and Ginny Adelsheim's daughter Elizabeth, it was first produced in 1986 as a vineyard-designate from the oldest estate plantings and was made as a single-vineyard wine for many years before being reblended in the early 2000s as a reserve assembled from the estate's finest barrels across the best lots. The wine is sourced from selected vineyards across the Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, and Eola-Amity Hills and aged in a higher percentage of new French oak than the rest of the lineup; the profile leans toward blueberry, lavender, and delicate spice, with structure built for medium-term cellaring. White wines include the long-running Auxerrois (an early Oregon commercial bottling and still one of the most distinctive whites in the state), a Chardonnay program that has gained meaningful weight with Dijon-clone plantings since the 2010s, and Pinot Gris. The Artist Series Rosé of Pinot Noir rounds out the warm-weather catalog with rotating label artwork from regional artists. Stylistically Adelsheim sits in the Willamette Valley's restraint-leaning Burgundian register, closer to producers like Eyrie and Ponzi than to the more polished, oak-influenced houses like Domaine Serene or Beaux Frères. Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast ratings across the portfolio are consistently in the 89 to 93 point range, with single-vineyard releases and Elizabeth's Reserve regularly scoring higher.

• Pinot Noir core: Willamette Valley (entry blend), Breaking Ground (mid-tier estate blend), Quarter Mile Lane (single-vineyard from original 1972 site), and single-vineyard Ribbon Springs, Laurel Leaf, and Boulder Bluff
• Elizabeth's Reserve (The Lizzie) is the flagship Pinot Noir: first produced 1986, originally a single-vineyard bottling, reblended in the early 2000s as a reserve of the estate's finest barrels with higher new French oak
• Whites: Auxerrois (an early Oregon commercial bottling), Chardonnay (Dijon-clone-expanded since the 2010s), Pinot Gris; Artist Series Rosé of Pinot Noir
• Stylistic position: Burgundian-restraint register, closer to Eyrie and Ponzi than to Domaine Serene or Beaux Frères; consistent 89 to 93 point critical scores across the portfolio