Cherry Hill Winery
Cherry Hill WineryCherry Hill Winery and Vineyard is a newly-constructed 12,000 square foot winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The winery produces about 5,000 cases of estate-grown Pinot Noir each year from the 55-acre Cherry Hill Estate vineyard, planted in 1998 and 1999 to Pinot noir.
The area, just north of Firesteed Winery and northwest from Salem, has long been known as "Cherry Hill", and through the 1960's, cherries were grown commercially across the entire rolling valley. Before cherries were even cultivated, wild cherries grew in the area. Around 1990 the vineyard property was purchased by a well known California winemaker, William Hill, one of the Napa valley winemakers who pioneered that region's vineyards. Hill’s special facility with hillside sites is famous: he developed Atlas Peak, Diamond Mountain Ranch, Mount Veeder and other distinctive appellations in the Napa region. That same ‘nose for slopes’ led him to the Eola Hills. The undeveloped rural district around Cherry Hill had all the right ingredients for world-class pinot noir: the right cool climate, southwestern slopes, elevations between 250-500 feet, and the essential rich, well-drained Jory soils. (In fact, Jory soil is named for nearby Jory Hill in Oregon’s Marion County.) William Hill acquired a large tract of land in the Eola Hills early in the 1990s. He divided the property into three separate parcels, all of which are now planted to pinot noir and one of which was purchased in 1998 by Cherry Hill owner Mike Sweeney. William Hill continues to pursue vineyard development in the area with his Premier Pacific project.
Cherry Hill is the dream fulfilled of owners Mike and Jan Sweeney, who live in Indianapolis IN, but commute to Oregon to join in the grapegrowing and winemaking process. Mike and Jan are Burgundy aficionados who have traveled extensively in France and Oregon and really know their Pinot noir. Their passion for Pinot has directed Cherry Hill's focus, and the vineyard is planted in Pinot noir, either Pommard or Dijon clones. The 2003 Pinot noirs from Cherry Hill are the first releases from the winery, and were made by winemaker Chris Luby. Chris was formerly assistant winemaker at Firesteed and Flynn. The wines are quite excellent for such young vines, and the winemaker, vineyard management, and owners are to be commended for their excellent first vintage. As those who follow Oregon Pinot noir are aware, 2003 was a hot, dry vintage, and carefully and skilled winemaking produced very fine wines, but the vintage was not an easy one. Cherry Hill Winery also features six guest cabins, where visitors can participate in the vineyard and winemaking process, or just relax, fishing at the seven acre pond, stocked with trout and bass. A "soup kitchen" is staffed by a fulltime chef and nearby Van Duzer, Bethel Heights, Cristom, and Witness Tree wineries offer additional wine tasting oportunities. |
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