Eola-Amity Hills & Van Duzer AVAs | Biodynamic Overview

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Location 

• Sources from its 18 acres of certified organic and biodynamic estate vines in the Eola-Amity Hills region as well as from non-organic growers, one organic grower and one biodynamic grower

• The modern, new winery and tasting room, built in 2014, are located on the vineyard site in Amity, Oregon, with sweeping views of the vineyard and Mount Hood

Best known for

• Celebrated Oregon winery making highly rated Pinot Noir and acclaimed Riesling

• Produces 20 wines from certified organic or biodynamic vines ($24-50, 90-92 pts.)

• The estate vines were planted in the 1970's; they're some of the oldest Riesling and Pinot Noir vines in Oregon

• Founder Jimi Brooks was a regional biodynamic evangelist who persuaded other vintners to try Biodynamic farming, with great success

• Brooks's died suddenly at age 38 during harvest in 2004; his fellow Oregon winemakers  banded together to get Jimi's grapes in and make his wine

• Brooks' son, Pascal Brooks, then age 8, inherited the winery, making him the world's youngest winery owner; the story of the winery and the Brooks winery is a tale well told in the feature length documentary American Wine Story

• After Jimi's death, his sister Janie Brooks Heuck transformed Brooks from a hole in the wall winery in a barn to a renowned producer - with the ongoing help of Chris Williams, winemaker; it's now an elegant and popular destination winery

• In 2019, it became a certified B Corp, meeting standards in governance, workers, community, and environment; it also became a member of 1% for the Planet, donating a portion of its profits to environmental nonprofit Demeter USA

• Jimi Brooks was a huge fan of Riesling, who often persuaded old time growers not to rip out their vines (and replant them with the increasingly popular and more lucrative Pinot Noir grapes); the estate vineyard has preserved some of the oldest Riesling vines in Oregon

• Stuart Pigott, author of The Best White Wine on Earth: The Riesling Story says of Brooks: "...produces the most daring and individual Rieslings in Oregon. The focus is on dry wines, but the sweet Rieslings added to the range in recent years are no less original"

• USA Today named Brooks one of the top 5 "must visit" wineries in Oregon

• The winery was selected as one of Wine & Spirits magazine's Top 100 Wineries (worldwide) in 2019

Biodynamic vineyard case production

1,000 (out of 20,000 total)

Certified

Vineyards, biodynamic, 2012-present, Demeter USA 

Winery, biodynamic, 2015-present, Demeter USA 

Free

Daily tour (by appt.)

$20

Flights of 6 wines (3 different options) (walk in)

$60 

Vineyard tour and tasting (by appt.)

$75

Tour and seated tasting (with food) (2 hours) (by appt.)

CONTACT

Brooks

21101 SE Cherry Blossom Lane 

Amity, OR 97101

503.435.1278

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Location

• Sources its wines solely from its 30 acres of estate vineyards on a 200 acre property in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills AVA

• The wines are made on the vineyard site

• The tasting room, a popular event and wedding venue, overlooks the vineyards

Best known for

• A rising start artisanal family winery run by growers who also make small lot estate wines 

• Makes 8 wines from certified vines ($32-55, 92-93 pts.)

• Founders Craig and Gabriele Keeler bought the site in 1989 and began the long, arduous process of revitalizing the abandoned, overgrown property; it's now a thriving natural landscape and biodynamic vineyard

• The vineyards, on shallow sedimentary soils, are planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Riesling; most date back to 2008

• The couple also sells grapes to local wineries

•  At the suggestion of the Keelers' son Nicholas, the Keelers decided to incorporate concrete eggs and clay amphoras into the winemaking process

• Kevin Healy, winemaker oversees the process, utilizing traditional steel tanks and oak barrels as well as the newer vessels in various combinations

• All the wines are made using native yeast fermentation 

• Nicholas Keeler also makes acclaimed wine under his own Authentique Wine Cellars label, using Keeler Vineyard grapes for some of his wines

• Critical acclaim for Keeler Estate's wines has been ramping up; Wine Enthusiast selected its amphora fermented riesling as an "Editor's Choice," while Wine & Spirits magazine awarded Keeler's Pinot Noir 92 pts. and included it in its "Year's Best Pinots" 

Organic and biodynamic vineyard case production

1,600 (out of 1,600 total)

Certified

Vineyards, organic, 2012-2018, Stellar Certification Services; organic, 2019-present, Oregon Tilth; biodynamic, 2012, Demeter USA

Winery, biodynamic, Demeter USA

$20

Tasting (by appt.)

$50

Vineyard tour and tasting (by appt.)

$50 

Pinot Noir experience (by appt.)

• Pop up wine tastings are available at offsite locations (by appt.) 

• Cheese and charcuterie platters are available with advance notice.

CONTACT

Keeler Estate Vineyard

5100 SE Rice Lane 

Amity, Oregon 97101

Tasting Room | 503.687.2618

Gabriele Keeler, General Manager | 503.550.0308

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Location

• Sources estate wines from its 87 planted acres of gentle sloping vineyards in the east-west Van Duzer Corridor AVA, cooled by marine breezes; the soils are marine sedimentary

• The winery and tasting room are on the vineyard site in Rickreall

Best known for

• Innovative grower and winery that's a rising star—growing a wide array of lesser known grape varieties and embracing a pure, hands off winemaking style

• Makes 12 wines from organic and biodynamic vines ($20-50, 90-92 pts.)

• Proprietor Dag Johan Sundby, a Norwegian ex-footballer, moved to Oregon and founded the winery, with family backing, in 2005

• While Pinot Noir is a mainstay, Johan's natural winemaking approach yields a Chardonnay bottled with its lees, an orange wine (produced through carbonic maceration) and a pétillant naturel (a sparkling rosé made via the méthode ancestrale, which finishes the tail end of primary fermentation in bottle , producing a lightly carbonated wine)

• The wine growing team includes Dan Rinke as the winegrower and Morgan Beck as the winemaker

• The team has adventurously planted varietals beyond the traditional Pinot Noir—grafting over vines to more exotic varieties including Blaufränkisch, Gruner Veltliner and Melon de Bourgogne—and selling grapes to local, natural winemakers, including Bow and Arrow, Day Wines and MInimus

• The winery's second label, Farmlands, offers up a value priced Pinot from the estate vines; Decanter rated its 2015 Pinot 91 pts. 

• Early on, eight out of nine of its Johan's releases scored 90 pts. or better from the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator, something of a tour de force for a newcomer

• In 2017, it released its first Zero Zero Pinot Noir, a natural wine made without manipulation or added sulfite

Organic and biodynamic case production

5,000  (out of 5,000 total)

Certified

• Vineyards, organic,, 2010-2018, Stellar Certification Services; organic, 2019-present, CCOF; biodynamic, 2010, Demeter USA

• Winery, 2010, Demeter USA 

$10

Tasting at indoor wine bar or outdoors (walk in)

CONTACT

Johan Vineyards

4285 N Pacific Hwy W.

Rickreall, OR 97371

503.623.8642

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