Belle Vallee Cellars
Belle Vallee is a small winery located
in Corvallis, Oregon. They specialize in Pinot Noir, and also make a
Cabernet, Merlot,
Pinot Gris and a very fine 100% Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Port.
They produce approximately 6000 cases per year. The winemaker is Joe
Wright. The owners are Joe Wright, Steve Allen, and Mike Magee.
Belle Vallee operates an 18,000 square foot
winery in downtown Corvallis. Harvests in 2002 and 2003 were about 5,500
cases.

The Belle Vallee Winery Building
Belle Vallée Cellars
currently contracts with thirteen vineyards to produce the high quality
grapes used in its wines. Winemaker, Joseph
Wright, has worked with many of the vineyard managers over the past nine
years, and has developed a great familiarity with the fruit we have selectively
contracted. This knowledge helps develop the consistency and unique qualities
of Belle Vallée Cellars' wines.
Joe's style is to blend the wines
by obtaining grapes from a variety of top locations within Oregon.
This approach helps build complex wines with depth and character beyond
the
reach of a single vineyard. Wines are aged in new French oak, using from
60-100% new oak. All of their premium red wines are unfiltered and unfined.

The Belle Vallee Bottling Line

Joe and Mike with Don and Traute Moore of Quail Run Vineyard

Mike in the Lab
Gorgeous Label for their Top-end Wine

Beautiful label using NW glass art

Belle Vallee Port label art
Belle Vallee's Vineyards
From the winery:
The vineyards that Belle Vallee use for fruit are located in the western
half of Oregon, in two recognized appellations; Willamette Valley and
Rogue
Valley.
Starting
with the
2003 harvest, they relied
on the Willamette Valley to provide all of their cool climate fruit, Pinot
Noir and Pinot Gris.
Winter's Hill Vineyard
Winter's Hill Vineyard is owned and
managed by Peter, Emily and Russel Gladhart. The vineyard was originally
planted in 1990. It is located
in the West Dundee Hills of Oregon. Winter's Hill Vineyard provided Belle
Vallée Cellars with Pinot Noir grapes for our Whole Cluster and
Vintage programs in 2002 and 2003 harvests. The entire vineyard is certified
by LIVE of Oregon (Low Input Viticulture & Enology) as Sustainable
and Salmon Safe.
Temperance Hill Vineyard
Owners Edward and L.S. Koo organically
farm their 100 acre vineyard on a variety of slopes in the central
eastern Eola Hills, located northeast
of Salem Oregon. Dai Crisp manages the unirrigated vineyard established
in 1981. Their fruit was used in our Whole Cluster and Reserve in 2002.
Belle Vallée Cellars expects Temperance Hill fruit to qualify
for our Cuvée, Reserve, and Vintage programs in 2003 and 2004.
Cherry Hill Vineyard
Owned by Mike and Jan Sweeney, this
vineyard encircles a small lake in the southwestern Eola Hills, and
is located to the northeast of Salem,
Oregon. The vineyard was planted in 1999 on five distinct soil types.
Cherry Hill vineyard supplied fruit for our Port, Cuvée and Reserve
programs in 2002. As part of our 2003 program and upcoming 2004 harvest,
Belle Vallée Cellars expects to use Cherry Hill fruit in our Port.
It will potentially qualify for our Cuvée, Reserve, and Vintage
blending program.
Freedom Hill Vineyard
Freedom Hill Vineyard is located in
the eastern foothills of the Coast Range just south of Dallas, Oregon.
It is owned and managed by Dan and
Helen Dusschee. The vineyard was planted in 1980. Our Whole Cluster program
benefited from this vineyard s grapes in 2002 and 2003. As part of our
2003 and upcoming harvests, Freedom Hill fruit will qualify for our Cuvée,
Reserve, and Vintage blending programs.
Vitae Springs Vineyard
Vitae Springs Vineyard is located
in the West Salem Hills in Salem, Oregon and is owned by Earl and Pam
Van Volkinburg. Their son, Joel Van
Volkinburg, manages the vineyards, first established in 1986. In 2002,
Belle Vallée Cellars used Vitae Springs' Dijon Pinot Noir clones
in the Cuvée and Reserve wines. As part of our 2003 program and
upcoming harvests, Vitae Springs' fruit will qualify for our Cuvée,
Reserve, and Vintage blending programs.
Lemelson Vineyards (Stermer Vineyard) Lemelson Vineyards (Stermer Vineyard)
are owned by Eric Lemelson. The vineyard, originally planted in 1997,
is located on the western edge
of Yamhill County, near the town of Carlton, Oregon. The Stermer Vineyard
was part of our 2003 harvest and provides Belle Vallée Cellars
with Pinot Noir grapes that might qualify for our Cuvée, Reserve,
and Vintage blending programs.
Rainbows End Vineyard
Planted in 1993, by owners Al and Arlene Looney, Rainbows End Vineyard
is located five miles west of Monroe, Oregon, in the eastern foothills
of the coastal range. In 2002, we used their fruit in our Vintage program.
As part of our 2003 and upcoming harvests, Rainbows End fruit may qualify
for our Reserve and Vintage blending programs.
Alpine Vineyards
Established in 1976, Alpine Vineyard
is located in southern Benton County, and includes some of the oldest,
best reputed Pinot Noir vines in the
region. Owners Dan and Christine Jepsen were pioneers in the early Oregon
winemaking industry. As part of our 2003 program and upcoming harvests,
Alpine fruit will qualify for our Cuvée, Reserve, and Vintage
blending programs.
Elton Vineyard
Elton Vineyard was planted in 1983
with the Pommard clone of the Pinot Noir grape. It is located on the
east side of the Eola Hills above Hopewell,
Oregon. Dick and Betty O'Brien own and manage the vineyard. With Elton
Vineyard's reputation as one of Oregon's top vineyards, Belle Vallée
Cellars is pleased to be adding their grapes in the 2004 harvest for
qualification in our Cuvée and Reserve programs.
Hyland Vineyard
Hyland is one of Oregon's
oldest vineyards and is definitely a treasure of the Oregon Wine Industry.
Owned and
farmed by Jack Trenhaile; this
33 year-old vineyard sits high up on a hillside in the McMinnville foothills.
New to our harvest lineup in 2004, we expect the Hyland Vineyard grapes
to qualify for our Cuvée and Reserve blending programs.
Momtazi Vineyard
Momtazi Vineyard was established
in 1998 and includes 190 acres of vines. The vineyard is located west
of McMinnville, Oregon in the foothills
of the Coast Range mountains. Owner Moe Momtazi co-manages with Jimi
Brooks. The Pinot Noir grapes from Momtazi Vineyard will be part of our
2004 harvest and potentially qualify for our Cuvée, Reserve, and
Vintage blending program.
Quail Run Vineyard
Owners of Quail Vineyard, Don and Traute Moore, have
been part of the Rogue Valley since the early 1990's. They manage and lease
about 168
acres of vineyards around the town of Talent, Oregon. In 2002, their
Pinot Noir contributed to one-third of our Vintage program. The Merlot
in our first vintage was entirely sourced from Quail Run fruit. In addition,
their Lakeside vineyard near Jacksonville was the source of our Cabernet
Sauvignon and Cab Franc grapes that were used in our 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
release. As part of our 2003 program and upcoming harvests, Quail Run
Vineyards provides for our future Merlot and Cabernet releases.
Del Rio Vineyard
Located in Gold Hill, some fifteen miles north of Medford, Del Rio Vineyards
is quickly building a solid reputation for the Rogue Valley. Owned by
Lee Traynham and owner/managers Rob and Jolee Wallace, the vineyard was
planted in 1998. Del Rio Vineyard provided obtained fruit in 2003 for
our upcoming Syrah release.
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