David Hill Vineyards & Winery – Restoring Charles Coury's Historic Vines
I last visited David Hill about a year ago. I'm fascinated with old vines and this special site has some of Oregon's oldest, originally brought in and planted by founder Charles Coury. Milan Stoyanov and his wife Jean purchased the historic property in 1992 and while planting additional acres they set about restoring the farmhouse and original vineyard.
Today the expanded vineyard is on 40 contiguous acres spread across a southeast, south and southwest facing hillside in the newly-minted Tualatin Hills AVA. The oldest plantings of self-rooted Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Chasselas, Muscat, Sylvaner, Sémillon, Riesling and Gewürztraminer are more than a half century old. The work of restoration is ongoing under the direction of Managing Partner Mike Kuenz and Winemaker Chad Stock.
I asked Mike for more background on the original vines. "I do not believe we were planted in 1965," he explained in an email. "I believe Coury rooted some things in the fall and there is a chance Row 1 was planted but again no proof only some interviews I have done. I simply say the property was purchased in 1965 and was planted in the following years. Some of these dates are from original maps that supposedly date back to Coury and David Teppola who worked with Coury."
"What we did was all pretty basic and just TLC" he continues [PG – nothing about renovating an old vineyard is easy!] Mike: "I will just take you back a little bit to 2013 when I arrived. The vineyard was farmed conventionally and the alleyways had severe compaction. The short shoots were a major issue as were yields (under a ton per acre) and due to that they had taken part of the vineyard to cordon cane pruning. This caused a lot of splitting of the heads forcing us to make a lot of deep cuts in those first couple years to bring the energy back to one head.
For us, step one was to set LIVE/Salmon safe as our benchmark with zero use of glyphosate. We looked at it through both viticulture and agronomy. It was really basic alleyway work with fish emulsion and compost as well as a till cycle of every other row with biomass cover crop seeding.
The older part of the vineyard had been pruned and managed differently by different stewards over the years. Due to the height of the heads and trellis system the canopy had no chance to be healthy. We went in and replaced all posts giving two more feet to the canopy. This had immediate impact. Today we see normal yields throughout the vineyard and are pleased on both the vineyard analysis as well as the fermentation analysis. In 2020 we were able to take the self-rooted vines to a no till seed; so far happy with the results."
A recent addition is the nearby Wirtz vineyard planted in 1974 by David Wirtz (the first? winemaker at Rex Hill). It too is self-rooted and dry farmed. Kuenz believes that much of that original material came from the Coury vineyard. "However the original Pinot Gris and Chardonnay we believe most likely came from David Lett."
Recently Tasted Wines from David Hill
The recommended David Hill wines featured below offer a rare trifecta of historic vineyards, unique varieties and affordable prices. In addition the week's top three wines are featured above with labels and website links.
David Hill 2020 Block 16 Sylvaner
Tualatin Hills; $20
98 cases; 13.2%
The winery has designed highly graphic new labels for limited old vine bottlings such as this lovely Sylvaner. Planted in the mid-1960s by pioneering vintner Charles Coury, this unique white wine offers flavors of hibiscus tea and starfruit, dried lemon peel, rosewater and Anjou pear. One quarter was fermented and aged in amphorae and the rest in stainless steel.
David Hill 2020 Estate Gewurztraminer
Tualatin Hills; $25
234 cases; 13.2%
This bone dry effort emphasizes the distinctive floral scents and flavors of the grape without dousing the taster in perfume. It’s aromatic, dry and textural having been aged for seven months in an Austrian oval cask. Classic lychee, lemon drop, ginger and spicy pear flavors are tight and focused, with a crisp, lingering finish.
David Hill 2020 First Pick Riesling
Tualatin Hills; $24
44 cases; 13.7%
Fermented and aged in neutral oak, this uses fruit that has been lightly affected by botrytis (noble rot). It's dry but has a light honeyed quality, both in scent and flavor. It's pleasantly dusty, with a touch of truffle, good concentration and supporting acidity. Contrast this with the Last Pick Riesling.
David Hill 2020 Last Pick Riesling
Tualatin Hills; $24
90 cases; 13.7%
Tart and lemony, this was half done in acacia barrel and the rest in stainless steel. It's sappy and supple and hits the perfect balance between sweet fruit and tangy acids, lingering through a finish with lemon drop appeal. A light saline quality completes the aftertaste.
David Hill 2020 Estate Pinot Gris
Tualatin Hills; $25
145 cases; 13.8%
Gently scented with a whiff of sea breeze this elegant wine charms with flint, sea salt, honey and pear components all gracefully melded. Aged in a 50/50 mix of Austrian oak oval and stainless steel it's remarkably focused and precise, with a long salty finish.
David Hill 2020 Estate Wirtz Vineyard Pinot Gris
Tualatin Hills; $35
138 cases; 13.3%
The Wirtz vineyard dates back a half century, and these vines are reputedly from original Eyrie cuttings. This captures old vine precision and elegance, with a subtle flinty character under apple fruit and skin, pear fruit and skin, hints of citrus rind and a lightly salty minerality. This is a very special wine and should not be missed!
David Hill 2019 Old Vine Pinot Noir
Tualatin Hills; $50
61 cases; 13.4%
These truly are old vines, dating back to the mid-1960s. Layered with subtle notes of orange peel, blood orange under pretty cherry with a light vanilla streak. The texture and depth show in the finish, which goes on and on. A mix of Coury clone, Wadenswil and Pommard from the same era, this is an elegant and beautifully-detailed wine.
David Hill 2019 Estate Wirtz Vineyard Pinot Noir
Tualatin Hills; $50
176 cases; 12.8%
This is not a big wine, but detailed and balanced. Just 15% new oak adds a nice frame of toast. The wine is still young, tight, focused with great penetration. It smoothes out with air.
To purchase direct from the winery: https://www.davidhillwinery.com/shop.html
