The estate vineyard is sixteen acres, which sits on a southwestern slope approximately 300 feet above sea level near the small town of Elmira. The most prominent topographical features are Demming Ridge at the top of the vineyard and Hannavan Creek, which one crosses at the entrance to the property. It is also interesting to note that LaVelle Vineyard's small estate is on the western side of the last ridge in the coastal range near the southern end of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Standing at the top of the vineyard, one can see eastern slope of the same hill descend to Fern Ridge Lake and the floor of the Willamette Valley. Beyond lie the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and on a clear day one can see the peaks of the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. 

When the estate vineyard was originally planted in the early 1970's, not a lot was known about growing vinifera grapes in Oregon. Plantings included pinot noir, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, riesling, muller thurgau, and chenin blanc. Our growing conditions have since been verified to favor pinot noir production, and Oregon has staked a claim to Pinot Gris as a white wine alternative to Chardonnay. Our particular site has also demonstrated a consistent ability to produce exceptional riesling.

With these factors driving our decision-making, in 1998 we grafted approximately six acres of the original plantings to more attractive varietals. This is a procedure whereby a different varietal is grafted to the existing rootstock. Results vary, but we were fortunate and had a "take" of over 90%. Today the estate vineyard is devoted entirely to pinot noir, pinot gris, and riesling.

Originally, the entire vineyard was laid out on a standard, single wire trellising system. This means that each year during dormant pruning two canes are selected to act as the subsequent year's "fruiting" canes, and they are attached to a single wire which runs down the row approximately two feet above ground. The fruit grows along this wire, while the canopy grows up from these two canes.

Rows in our vineyard are spaced twelve feet apart, and plants are spaced at six foot intervals in the rows. By today's standards this is very inefficient plant spacing. To compensate (without going to the expense of replanting), winemaker Gary Carpenter has introduced a trellis system called the Geneva Double Curtain.

As the name suggests, this is a two-wire trellis. The wires are placed higher than a single wire system (about five feet above the ground), and the canopy (or curtain) grows down instead of up. Each wire extends two feet into the space between the rows. If you stand at the end of a row and look down the row, the trellis forms a "T" shape. This effectively reduces the row spacing from twelve feet to eight feet. But most importantly, we now have twice the canopy and much less sunlight falling on the ground. If we like the results we achieve with the six acres currently deployed with this GDC, additional acreage will be converted in the future.

Over the last thirty years Oregon's vineyard growers have experimented with many clones of pinot noir. Two standards have emerged, Pommard and Wadenswil, which were originally developed at the research stations in Pommard, France (in the Burgundy wine region) and Wadenswil, Switzerland. These two clones constitute the bulk of our pinot noir plantings.

In recent years, experimentation with several Dijon (French) clones has produced some interesting results. We have planted about 1 1/2 acres in Dijon clone 115, which produces smaller bunches, with more intense flavors, and has an earlier ripening habit. While we do not plan additional graftings, we believe the characteristics of this clone will work well when blended with our other pinot noir.

Our estate vineyard supplies only enough grapes for about 25% of our total production requirements. The remaining grapes must be purchased from other growers. Since our goal is to produce super-premium and ultra-premium wines, we are constantly searching for better vineyard sources. Most winemakers will concede that great wine is made in the vineyard, so we consider our growers to be the most important component of our overall production plan.

To encourage reduced crop loads and higher quality fruit, we are willing to pay top prices to our better vineyards. In some cases we contract for grapes by the acre, rather than by the ton, in order to eliminate any potential concerns the grower may have about crop load.



It may sound trite, but at Fox Hill Vineyards our goal is quality and value. Whether your purchase is a $9.00 bottle of Riesling or a $45.00 bottle of Reserve Pinot Noir, we want you to feel that you received good value for the dollar. And that process begins in the vineyard, our own estate vineyard and the vineyards of our grape suppliers. No aspect of the business is more important to us, and none is given more attention.