David Adelsheim

Wine Pioneer

Few people in the world know a bottle of Pinot noir as well as David Adelsheim. After meeting several of the first families to plant grapes in the late 1960s, David and his former wife Ginny purchased 19 acres in Yamhill County in 1971, becoming part of the ten families to make wine in the Willamette Valley before 1980.

His French connection began by spending a summer in Burgundy to discover the “secrets” of Pinot noir, but found the real secret is the place itself. He learned while interning in Beaune at the experimental winery, Lycée Viticol, then returned to the Pacific Northwest, taking on roles of a winemaker, a vineyard manager, sommelier (and scientist!). Through it all, he constantly searches, experiments, evolves—finding new ways to help Oregon wines flourish. He helped establish the Oregon Wine Board and rebuild the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, helped push Oregon State University to import clones from Burgundy, and met with scientists in six areas of France and Germany to persuade them to share their clones with Oregon winemakers.

We’re proud of our role in Oregon’s wine history. Each day we strive to create remarkable Oregon Pinot noir and Chardonnay that connect wine lovers around the world to the spirit and beauty of Oregon.

David Adelsheim

Nobody’s planted any laurels around here to rest on. It’s always been in our DNA to ask what the next great challenge is going to be. What can do we do for our brand, to help the industry?

David Adelsheim