Thistle Wines

Maresh Red Hills Vineyard/
Red Barn Tasting Room

It takes a long time to make a great winegrowing region ...

The Dundee Hills creation started about 15 to17 million years ago when in far eastern Washington very fluid lava erupted and flowed west over portions of southwest Washington and the northern part of what is now the Willamette Valley. During this period Basaltic Lava flowed right over the top of the Dundee Hills, because at that point the hills did not exist. Starting about five million years ago, mass tectonic uplift started to occur, as the North American plate slipped under the Pacific plate. This created what is now the Coast Range of Oregon, southwest Washington and northern California. One of the many ripple effects of all of this land movement was the uplift of a single landmass which rose up from above the now northern Willamette Valley floor, creating this very special place our vineyards and wineries call home…the Dundee Hills.

Further defining our appellation were the catastrophic Missoula Floods. These floods happened between 15,500 and 12,700 years ago, on the interval of one flood every 60 to 90 years. The flood was caused by a glacier heading south clogging rivers near Missoula, Montana. Lake Missoula would grow into a very large lake, and every 60 to 90 years would break through the ice damn rushing down from Montana into and eventually filling the Willamette Valley to a depth of 300 to 330 feet. As each of these floods receded, a small layer of sediment was laid down over the Willamette Valley, covering all elevations below 300 to 330 feet. This is where the read definition of the Dundee Hills became apparent. Anything below 300 to 330 feet was a sedimentary based soil, while anything remaining above that elevation remained predominantly Jory soil.

Pinot Pioneers

David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyards, who is affectionately known as Papa Pinot, made his way to the red hills in 1965 with the goal of finding the perfect cool climate suitable for planting Pinot noir. Another early pioneer is Dick Erath of Erath Winery, who arrived in 1967, planted his vines high up in the Dundee Hills, and is still passionate about making high-quality, affordable Pinot noir. Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser came to Dundee shortly after in 1971, and continue to raise the bar for sustainable and organic vineyard management in Oregon. And when Robert Drouhin purchased land in Dundee in the 1987, the arrival of Domaine Drouhin brought the wine world’s attention to the Willamette Valley.

Now that Oregon has finally reached its maturity as a major winegrowing region, the next generation of Dundee Hills growers and winemakers, alongside the pioneers, are establishing the Dundee Hills as the preeminent winegrowing region in Oregon. History is being made with each new vintage!