top of page

PHELPS CREEK

OREGON

PHELPS CREEK VINEYARDS
The most westerly vineyard on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge
AVA, Phelps Creek is nestled amongst the foothills of Mt Defiance at
1200 feet elevation. Established in 1990, our small boutique winery focuses
on estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals, annually
producing 5,000 cases of wine in total. Vineyard care takes center stage in
our wine production, where sustainable agricultural practices combined
with careful management of the fruit yields on the vines lead to the
noted luxurious intensity within our bottle.

WINEMAKER COMMENT
Inspired by the winemaking style of the French Beaujolais, but utilizing
those traditional techniques with the elegant and noble Pinot Noir grape;
this 100% Estate grown Pinot Noir invokes a crunchy texture full of fresh
young fruit.

  • Phelps Creek, “Le Petit”, Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge

-

Phelps Creek, Chardonnay, Columbia Gorge

​

VINTAGE
Mother Nature continues to provide unique weather events, with the
spring and fall of the 2022 season no exception. Typically we witness vine
“bud break” the beginning of May. You get a good sense of the timing by
watching the other blooms in the Hood River Valley orchards. On our
estate, grapes push out their first green growth between pear and apple
trees blooming.
In 2022 we received a freak 18” of snow on April 11. We had the house
cherry tree covered in blooms and snow. Needless to say the bees took
some additional vacation. All this pushed our bud break back about 3
weeks into drier weather than typical. Our projected harvest extended
well into October—with the hanging question of can we get the fruit in
before the fall rains?
We adjusted clusters on the vine to our typical low yield targets for flavor
intensity. The fall weather developed miraculous, with no rain until the
final week. On the other hand, cluster weights of the vines far exceeded
yield forecasts. We ended up with significantly more fruit than ever
before, but blessed with great intensity of flavors. It was an epic, if wacky
vintage which made us very proud of our team in coping and of what
you will find in the bottle.

PREVIOUS

NEXT

bottom of page