Luminous Hills is dramatically tucked into a steep, forested slope on the eastern side of Oregon’s coastal range and is owned by Byron Dooley. Interestingly it transitions from volcanic soils, primarily Jory, on top, to eroded marine sedimentary rock, Willakenzie and Peavine, on the bottom. Its high elevation preserves acidity and makes it our latest ripening site, while its steep slopes provide excellent exposure to the sun. Andrew discovered the property while doing pruning weights for Jessica Cortell in 2012 and was stunned by the situation and beauty of the site.
2021 could have possessed any combination of a wide range of challenges not smoke related and all our winemaking friends would have dropped to their knees and thanked the stars. To have lost something so precious the year before, one of a finite number of vintages in a life, was devastating. To have it followed by what I’ll term to be a neo-classically perfect vintage felt like a balancing of universal fates. Our valley’s classic cool nights anchored the vines as they worked. There was heat, concentrated, record breaking heat, yes, but this is the new world and we’ve spent the last decade and more listening and learning. We farm through a more sensitive lens, we make wiser, more forward thinking decisions in the winery. We work at elevation near the cool air of forests, on east facing slopes just for summers like this one. When the wines became clear in the cellar we saw a shimmering intensity, catching the light from every angle. Luxurious and fine, destined for long life, but brimming with an infectious joy on day one. An ode to sunshine yes, but to forests who drink the rain deeply as well, if this is the new way, lead on.
We speak often about our preference for ripening fruit with light rather than heat. It is why we work with high elevation sites that take time to develop. In vintages where the sun is bountiful, we retain tension, clarity and delicacy. At Luminous Hills in this vintage those characteristics abound, and at the same time, the wine is is luxurious.