Carabella Vineyard
| Mike and Cara Hallock own and operate Carabella Vineyard in the North Willamette Valley. They purchased the vineyard site in 1995 while living in Denver, Colorado. In Denver, Mike was a petroleum engineer who became interested in wine when an "Urban Winery" opened in downtown Denver and he started volunteering to help out with the winemaking. The owner of the winery, called Columbine Cellars, moved his California winery to Denver in hopes of capturing a new market. While the winery did not prove to be a success, the owner turned to his talented assistant, Mike, to the last vintage of the Columbine's wines by himself, producing Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Caught up with the wine bug, Mike purchased and moved the winemaking equipment at Columbine to Oregon, trucking tanks, fermenters, and barrels to their new home in Oregon. He traveled between Denver and Oregon from 1996 through 2001, spending about 2 months a year in Oregon making the Carabella wines. In 2002, the family moved to Oregon, and now live in a house near the vineyard. Carabella does not house a winery, and Mike has used a number of facilities to make his wines over the years. In 1998 and 1999, he made his first vintage at Yamhill Valley Vineyard, meeting winemaker Kathy Joseph, who was also using the facility, and learning from her. In 2000, he started working at the Eola Hills facility, and still makes his Pinot gris there. Starting with the 2006 vintage, he makes his Pinot noir at the new 12th & Maple custom crush facility, managed by Aron Hess (Daedalus Cellars). Mike learned winemaking by taking classes at U.C. Davis along with his apprenticeship to the Columbine winemaker in Denver. Carabella sells a bit over half their grapes to other wineries, including Rex Hill, Daedalus, Owen Roe, and Zelko. The rest of the grapes are used by Mike to make the Carabella wines. The Carabella Estate Pinot noir is made from all five of the clones planted in the vineyard. Mike used about 1/3 new barrels, with the other 2/3rds second and third year barrels. He strives for a Pinot noir of elegance and finesse, rather than an overly extracted, over oaked bomb.
Usually producing about 2700 cases a year, the bountiful 2006 vintage saw an increase to over 5000 cases of wine for Carabella. Mike, Cara, and 9 year old daughter Eve, assisted by vineyard dog "Zinnia", a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, may eventually build a winery, but for now, continue to enjoy their vineyard and to refine the fine wine that comes from their unique site. Carabella Vineyard is an ideal 49 acre site on the southeast side of Parrett Mountain in the North Willamette Valley. It was planted by winemaker Mike Hallock in the spring of 1996 with fi ve clones of Pinot Noir, Dijon 76 Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. The vineyard is now in its 7th harvest. Carabella’s grapes are also featured in vineyard designate wines made by Rex Hill, Daedalus, Owen Roe and Zelko. All Carabella’s wines are sourced from the estate Vineyard. Most of the vineyard is planted to fi ve Pinot Noir clones on southeast slopes with an ideal altitude of between 500 and 600 feet. Gravelly volcanic soils, Nekia, Saum and Jory, have proven perfect for dry farming our low yielding vines. Two blocks of pinot gris (clones 146 and 152) produce distinctly different fruit as do two separate blocks of Dijon 76 chardonnay. Past vintages have earned 90+ point scores from the Wine Spectator and Wine & Spirits.
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Carabella
Vineyard is composed of many blocks of Pinot noir clones and two clonal
blockseach of Chardonnay
and Pinot gris. By focusing on the clones as distinct components of a
larger blend, an extraordinary balance and consistency is achieved in
the wines. The wines are lush, full bodied, and fruit driven, not over-oaked.
Harmony and balance are the focal points of Carabella wines.
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