“An
excellent vineyard site and pinot noir, Illahe
is a Chinook Jargon word meaning “earth,” “land,”
or “soil.” We feel this fits both our location in Oregon
and our desire to craft wine that expresses the variety of soils
on the estate, which include golden sedimentary clay, orange volcanic
soils, and light taupe loams.
Illahe Vineyards was established in 1999 by Lowell Ford, grower of Oregon grapes since 1983. The vineyard is home to 22 acres of established pinot noir, with 10 more acres in their second year. The vineyard also holds red varietals tempranillo and lagrein and white varietals riesling, pinot gris, grüner veltliner, and siegerrebe. Earlier this year, the vineyard was awarded LIVE certification for sustainability. Our owner, Lowell Ford, manages the vineyard. He has grown grapes since the pioneer days of the Oregon industry, and worked to create the Northwest Viticulture Center at Chemeketa. Winemakers Brad Ford and Michael Lundeen believe in the benefits of carrying grapes directly from the vineyard to the sorting table, meticulous sorting, small-batch fermentation, pigeage, light pressing, and a balanced barrel regime to create clean, aromatic, and expressive wines. Illahe Vineyards is working closely with Terrapin Cellars, made by Rob Clarke at Eola Hills, and with Genius Loci, made by Michael Lundeen. |
