Whether you end
up in the Territorial tasting room or you bump into Allan or John on their
route to hand deliver wine to Oregon shops
and restaurants, you’ll get the sense
that the Territorial team is serious about
making good wine and serious about encouraging
anyone who is interested to give their wines
a try. They decided to open an urban winery
in order to invite the community—and
not just the wine-touring crowd, though you’ll
often run into them at Territorial, too—to
view wine tasting as interesting and enjoyable,
not exclusive or intimidating.
It seems we owe
the undeniably good vibe that emanates from
the Territorial winery to the fact that the
people involved are there because they’re
passionate about wine work.
After detailing
some of the less romantic aspects of his
job—long days of physical
labor, machinery gone berserk, phones ringing
off the hook, disappointing weather patterns—Allan
said, “If this wasn’t what I was
doing as a livelihood, this would be my hobby.
I’ve always loved it—I still do—,
and I can’t imagine not loving it anymore.”
Territorial Vineyard and Winery makes Estate Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Riesling, and Rose of Pinot noir
in the mid-Willamette Valley. Alan, Jeff and John stand out from the crowd of
new, small wineries with their
luscious, value priced wines and attention to the vineyard and winemaking.
Founded by two Lane County wine grape-growing families,
Territorial Vineyards & Wine Company vinifies what it grows. They say: "dig the
elegance and distinction of site-driven wines built with viticultural grooviness
and oencological prowess".
Alan and Jeff manage their vineyards for quality alone. Since they wear both
hats, grower and producer, they are free of the common dynamic often setting
the farmer and winery at odds in terms of production levels, grape contracts
and vineyard expenses associated with proactive, labor-intensive approach to
viticulture. Since it will show up eventually in the bottle, the owners spare no expense
or effort in the vineyards to raise the very best fruit their sites can yield.
This means religious adherence to sustainable, low-impact farming methods combined
with aggressive crop and canopy management.
Through annual soil sampling and
amelioration via organic amendments they feed the soils first, allowing the soils
to feed the vines. Allan and Jeff are thus able to ensure long-term vineyard health in
addition to superior fruit quality year in and year out.
Equinox Vineyard
Jeff and Victoria's vineyard sits on a hill
in the Crow Valley. The site faces the south and west, underlain by deep
Bellpine soils. Equinox implies
a balance that is strived for in the care of the grapes and in their lives. The vineyard
was first planted in 1993, and the owners
produce Estate wines from carefully tended grapes, consisting
of various Dijon clones of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris, eleven
acres in all.
Bellpine Vineyard
Alan and April's property west of Junction
City is home to Bellpine, first planted in 1999. Bearing the name of
the soil type, this vineyard is producing great grapes. Bellpine's gently sloping 15 acres consists
of 5 clones of Pinot Noir, along with a small block of Early Muscat.
Territorial's Willamette Valley Pinot noir is proof that great Pinot still exists for under $20. The nose is filled with pretty red fruit, accented by lilacs and graham. Silky smooth but juicy,
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The Teritorial Stone's Throw Pinot just plain rocks. An outstanding value it's big in style, but still classically Pinot. The Stone's Throw is immediately inviting with a nose of strawberries an
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Vinified in the traditional style, this off-dry Riesling opens with gorgeous aromas of dried flower, spice honey and candied apricot. Luxurious and full in the mouth, but with the acidity to balanc
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Seductive aromas of mineral, pear and apple open up to a mouth-filling mid-palate swimming with tropical fruit flavors and hints of spice. While full and viscous in the mouth, this wine is punctuat
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Dry. Immediate room-filling aromas of grapefruit, tangerine and rose petal, followed by crisp fruit flavors and a pleasing, palate-cleansing acidity. Great on its own as a chilled, summer afternoon qu ...read more
This wine should be called Capital "L", the L standing for LAYERS. Delicious aromas of red, blue and fruit with soft toast, rich baking spices, and a smidge of dried thyme hint at what's to come...At ...read more >>
