Allen and Jill Methven’s family spans the United States with ties in Michigan, Texas, California, New York, Washington, Hawaii and Alaska but their heart exists in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It is here, near their home in the Eola Hills, that they have planted vineyards dedicated to the grapes that have made this area famous…Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. From these meticulously tended vines, some of Oregon’s finest wines are being crafted in extremely small lots, each hand selected for quality.
A combination of determination and extraordinary people has brought Willamette Valley Vineyards from an idea to one of the region’s leading wineries, earning the title “One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers,” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Our approach is to grow, by hand, the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management, and to achieve wines that are truly expressive of the varietal and the place where they are grown. Since we ferment and barrel each vineyard lot separately (sometimes as small as two barrels) we can save the best barrels for single vineyard bottlings and Signature Cuvée.
Karl & Carole Dinger craft premium wine from only the finest fruit from Washington State and Eastern Oregon. Dalla Terra Vineyard in Wilsonville, the family Estate vineyard, was planted in 1996 and is fondly called the ‘Mother Block” The vineyard sits south facing on Parrett Mountain at 425 foot elevation and is underlain by Jory and Laurelwood soils, over volcanic basalt. It is located at the southern terminous of the Chehalem Mountains AVA. Shallow, quick draining soils, combined with a gentle slope provide a unique terroir for clones of Pinot Noir & Dolcetto. Riesling was planted in 2004 bordering the Estate Allée.
Our winemaking objectives are to craft wines true to their varietal character with as much depth, richness, and flavor as possible without sacrificing balance and elegance. We focus on the finest of the cool climate varietals grown in the Willamette Valley region, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir and the most exquisite warm climate varietals from the Rogue Valley Region, Viognier and Syrah.
