ABOUT THE VINEYARD

Lazy River Vineyard lies on the steep south facing slope of Mt. Richmond in the Northwest Willamette Valley, three and one half miles from Yamhill, Oregon. Not visible from nearby roads, the vines appear almost magically after travelers complete the one mile drive through a neighbor’s pasture before finally arriving at the Lumpkin Family’s property. The guests’ sense of discovery continues as they walk the slopes and sample the wine. From the top of the hill one looks down to the mixed terrain, interlocking puzzle pieces of woods, rolling meadows, grape vines and ponds. The land is separated north from south by a meandering small river, which by August hardly moves.

A few miles away in Dundee is a prized soil type, Jory. Lazy River is 20 miles west of Dundee. It also has Jory soil, an anomaly left by a westerly detour of the Missoula flood 40,000 years ago. Jory is a prized red clay capable of producing classic Pinot Noir. Lazy River has even more than this. “We are in a cooler location nearly touching the foothills of the Coast Range. The outcome is that our vines have less vigor (good), ripen at a slower pace (also good for developing the flavors of the grapes) and have less plant energy going to create lots of height and many leaves. Outstanding Oregon winemakers make memorable wine with our fruit. Currently, six of them produce bottlings of single vineyard fruit, noted by the designation Lazy River Vineyard on their bottles.” -KWL

“Currently we farm Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. We have nine clones (different strains) of Pinot Noir grafted on five rootstocks. These choices are not random. Their selection is made considering such factors as soil depth, slope, exposure and vigor. These subtle variations effect the final blend of wine, all different for different winemakers.” -KWL

Lazy River is managed by Buddy Beck and Angel Martinez of Advanced Vineyard Systems. Owners are Ned and Kirsten Lumpkin, Francoise Neuville and The Lumpkin Family.