About Brandborg Vineyard & Winery

Terry worked in San Francisco and made wine in Richmond sourcing grapes from the finest cool climate regions of California, always searching for the best pinot noir locations.  Wines made included Santa Maria Valley, Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley pinot noirs.

 Sue lived and worked in the medical profession in Jackson Hole Wyoming.  Terry and Sue met there at a trade and consumer winetasting Memorial Day weekend 1998.   They began a real letter correspondence, in which they shared their life experiences and their dreams for the future.  It became apparent that that future would be partaken with one another.

 Sue moved to San Francisco in 1999 and a search commenced for the perfect pinot noir location. Terry and Sue looked high and low for that spot that had their name on it.  While on a visit to the Umpqua Valley in 2000 they learned that pinot noir had been grown in Elkton since 1972.  In July 2001 they visited Elkton and it just felt and looked right.  After extensive homework revealed that Elkton had the perfect pinot noir climate they returned only two weeks later and found their dream.  They had searched high and low and ended up high.  The property is in the coastal mountains, 25 miles to the ocean, at an elevation of 750 to 1150 feet.

 Vineyard development began and a new winery was completed in Elkton in time to make wine from the 2002 vintage.  Praise for the wines came early, one writer calling their first 2002 Barrel Select pinot noir “the best pinot noir to have ever come from Southern Oregon”.

Grape Growing

The Umpqua Valley in general and the Elkton area in particular, affords an opportunity to grow and make superlative wines in one of the most beautiful viticulture areas of the world.

Located three miles southwest of Elkton, our mountainous vineyard has southern exposures and ranges in elevation from 750' to 1000'. Our soils are sand, clay loams, well drained and perfectly suited to very high quality grape production. We began a 50 acre planting project, dedicated primarily to pinot noir. Our vineyard is being planted to a variety of Dijon and Pommard clones. We have chosen to space the vines at 5' by 8', 1089 plants per acre. Wines from our own estate are on their way...

Winemaking

We handcraft fine varietal wines with minimal intervention to preserve the character of the fruit. This style creates wine that is an invitation to fine dining.While our own vineyard matures, we will be making wine from carefully selected vineyards throughout the Umpqua Valley . This unique and diverse grape growing area has allowed us to select varieties best suited to their individual terroir. The northwest and coolest part of this region is Elkton. Here the marine influence permits only cool climate varietals to ripen. We made pinot noir, riesling and gewurztraminer from the Bradley Vineyard, planted in Elkton in 1983. From the Marshanne Vineyard near Oakland, a warmer inland site, we harvested syrah and cabernet franc. Our pinot noir and pinot gris from the Melrose Vineyard are both very lush and fruity. We selected three clones of pinot noir from the Red Hill Vineyard, the highest in the Umpqua AVA. These grapes see the biggest daily temperature swings in the area and are very well structured.

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Visit Our Beautiful Tasting Room, 345 First Street, Elkton, OR 97436    -   TEL: 541-584-2870   -   Email
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