First planted in 1971 by four families working together (the Kreimeyers, Markleys, Welches, and Trenhailes), the vineyard spans over 200 acres with about 100 acres under vine, making it one of Oregon’s oldest and largest vineyards.
Sitting on a south facing bench at 600 to 800 ft in the foothills of the Coastal Range, this site benefits from cooler temperatures in the summer and warmer temperatures in the winter allowing for a longer and more uniform ripening period.
With just over 100 acres planted on volcanic Jory and Nekia soils, holding similar attributes to the red dirt of the acclaimed Dundee Hills AVA, the old, own-rooted Pommard, Wadenswil, and Coury Pinot Noir vines together with the newer plantings in 1989 to Dijon clone 115 provides a number of blending options from this unique site.
“We have always believed in making wines that reflect a sense of place, and this historic vineyard presents the ultimate expression of terroir.” – Laurent Montalieu
The historic Hyland Vineyard lies nestled in in the foothills of the coastal mountains near McMinnville, Oregon where it benefits from the influence of cool maritime air every evening that is the trademark of the Willamette Valley’s Pinot Noir.
Originally planted in 1971, just five years after the first Pinot Noir was planted in the Willamette Valley, the 100 acre vineyard has been the source of fruit for many top scoring wines from some of Oregon’s most recognized producers.
In 2007, the Hyland Vineyard was acquired by Laurent Montalieu and Danielle Andrus Montelieu in partnership with John Niemeyer who are working to optimize the existing vineyard quality and honor its past by introducing the first estate wines. For decades, the fruit from the vineyard has produced many award winning wines from benchmark producers under their own labels and this legacy continues today:
Antica Terra Pinot Noir
City Winery Pinot Noir
Coure de Terre Pinot Noir and Riesling
Solena Estate Pinot Noir
King Estate Winery Pinot Noir
Siltstone Pinot Noir and Riesling
Erath Pinot Noir
Tendril Pinot Noir
Penner-Ash Pinot Noir and Riesling
Retour Pinot Noir
Sokol Blosser Muller Thurgau
Winemaker Laurent Montalieu
Laurent graduated from the Institute of Oenology in Bordeaux in 1987. Following stints at Chateau La Tour Blanche near Sauternes, and Domaine Mumm in the Napa Valley, Laurent landed in Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley in 1988, where he held the position of winemaker for Bridgeview Vineyards. After seven successful vintages with Bridgeview, Laurent moved north to the Willamette Valley to join Willakenzie Estate as partner and winemaker. He left Willakenzie in 2003 to focus on Solena Estate with his wife Danielle.
Today, Laurent handcrafts not only the Solena Estate and Hyland Estate wines, but he also serves as winemaker and co-founder of the Northwest Wine Company, a state-of-the-art winemaking company with facilities in Dundee.
