Vineyard Partners

For the 2022 vintage, we partnered with ten growers spread throughout the Willamette Valley & The Rocks District AVA of Milton-Freewater. Nine vineyards and one cider orchard. We value stewardship of the land and our relationships with the farmers who tend our grapes. We respect the hard work these families have put into farming the vines and want to give them mention here:

Björnson Vineyard, Eola-Amity HIlls AVA (Pattie & Mark Björnson), Certified Salmon-Safe and sustainable by L.I.V.E. (Low Input Viticulture and Enology). We sourced Pinot Noir for our 2022 Pinot Noir Rosé from Björnson vineyard's south-southwest sloping Kaitlyn's Block (Nekia soil 440-540 ft elevation, Pinot Noir clone Wadenswil, planted in 2012). Pictured below is a get better card from the team all decked out in CHO merch during harvest 2022, including their dog Loki. Mark and Pattie are the sweetest couple. "Wow! Look me up when you want to get married!" Björnson is where we made our wine for the 2022 vintage and the upcoming 2023 vintage while we build out our production space. When Dave injured his back at the beginning of harvest 2022, Pattie made sure we were covered in the cellar with a stellar team of interns!

Cancilla Vineyard, Tualatin Hills AVA (AJ & Katie Trommello), Certified Organic and Salmon Safe. We had already fallen in love with this vineyard when we were on the prowl for Cho Vineyards. AJ & Katie took over this vineyard in 2021. Currently farmed under the management of Jessica Cortell of Vitis Terra who is overseeing the planting of Cho Vineyards. We sourced Pinot Noir clone 777 for our juicy 2022 Pinot Noir Pétillant Naturel from the Trommellos. They also have their own label Throughline Wines.

Fern Creek Vineyard, Willamette Valley AVA (Nick Konen of Forest Hills Farms), organic farming practices. Fern Creek is a 3 acre parcel planted in 2019 to Chardonnay Clone 76. The organically farmed site is bordered by non-arable land that was recently restored through a multiyear project with the NRCS and the Tualatin Soil Water Conservation District providing habitat for native species. We picked from Fern Creek, on the boundary of the Chehalem Mountains AVA, on a clear sky morning at 45 degrees F on 9/27/2022. We sourced Chardonnay for our very first blanc de blancs.

Four Lakes Vineyard, Lake Chelan WA (Carl Koester & family). In 2022, our first crop was harvested from Four Lakes Vineyard. Lake Chelan is encompassed in the larger Columbia Valley AVA, but has a much higher elevation and temperate climate than the more southern AVAs in the Columbia Valley. With pumice like gravelly sandy loam influenced by glaciation from the Continental Ice Sheet and volcanic activity from nearby Glacier Peak, we believe Lake Chelan possesses unique characteristics to make a beautiful Chardonnay pet-nat.

Laurel Vineyard, Laurelwood District AVA (John, Lynn & Andrew Albin). At Laurel Vineyard positioned at 1000 ft elevation, the grapes are some of the last Pinot Noir to be harvested in the valley due to the cooler climate and later ripening. The Laurelwood soil is a unique soil series of freshwater sedimentary topsoil (windblown loess formed by glaciers during the last ice age) over a fractured basalt subsoil. Dave went to Oregon State University with Andrew Albin who studied fermentation science. We're lucky to have this connection to the Albins who planted these vines in 1981 with the foresight to make sparkling wine forty years later.

Luvi Vineyard, Laurelwood District AVA (Razvan & Alina Lupusoru) organic farming practices, dry farming and no tilling. On the Chehalem Mountains, just around the corner from Cho Vineyards, Luvi Vineyard was planted in 2005. The vineyard rests 500 ft elevation on Laurelwood soil, farmed by the Lupusorus. Having been exposed from a young age to Romanian wine culture, Razvan & Alina decided to continue the tradition of growing their own grapes, making their own brandies and jams, while managing their 2 acre farm when they immigrated to the United States - a vineyard, orchard, vegetable and berry garden and chicken coop.

Robinson Vineyard, Willamette Valley AVA (Michael Lundeen). Sustainable farming practices, certified Salmon-Safe, Certified Fish Friendly Farming. Primarily cascade series soil.
Sylvia's Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA (Michael Lundeen). Sustainable farming practices, dry farmed. One of the honors of being a small producer is getting to work with exciting vineyards from all over Oregon. Sylvia's Vineyard is situated at 200-250' in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA on Jory soil, planted in 2005.

Hallowed Stones Vineyard, Rocks District AVA of Milton-Freewater (The Brown Family). This coveted fruit from the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater is nestled entirely on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. This terrain was long viewed as unworkable due to the presence of large cobblestones covering the ground - remnants of the former riverbed that once covered the southern portion of the Walla Walla Valley floor. The first vines were planted in this region by French winemaker Cristopher Baron 25 years ago. Now it is deemed one of the most distinctive AVAs in the US with savory, umami-like characteristics derived from the cobbled soils and specialized farming practices. Hallowed Stones Vineyard's Syrah is own-rooted, planted in 2006 on Freewater Very Wobbly Loam at an elevation of 888 ft.

Idyll-Acres, Turner Oregon (7 heritage clone cider apple varieties for our apple-grape coferment). Yes! The Chos are working with cider apples. When frost hit the Willamette Valley after bud break, winemakers were concerned that yields would be low. Many of our grape growers began holding back fruit, making sure they had enough for their bigger clients. This made it difficult for small producers like us. This is when the idea for an apple-grape Coferment was born - cofermenting cider apples with the remaining skins from a grape press.