W i n e r y

Estate Vineyard

Raptor Ridge estate site, the Tuscowallame vineyard, is located in Oregon’s breathtaking Chehalem Mountains, about 25 miles southwest of Portland. The vineyard site slopes east-southeast with sweeping views of Mount Hood and Mount Adams—and on a very clear day, Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier are visible as well. Leveling off at about 500 feet in elevation, this gently sloping land is frequently visited by red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons, barn owls, and great horned owls. Tuscowallame is an indigenous word, translating to “place where the owls dwell.”

Purchased in 2000, our estate site was an aged cherry orchard. A year was spent digging out over 2000 trees, ripping and cross ripping the soils to remove ancient roots. The vineyard was planted in three phases, and each block is named for the vineyard steward who planted it: Adalfo Jimenez in 2001, Macario Ramirez in 2004, and Dustin Miller in 2007. We are proud to have clones 115, 667, 777, and Pommard clones of Pinot noir, in addition to our Grüner Veltliner block. Each block ranges from 250 to 498 feet in elevation, and our vineyards are grown in Loess-based Laurelwood soils with Jory underlayment.

Site Specific Characteristics

Purchased in 2000, our estate site was an aged cherry orchard. A year was spent digging out over 2000 cherry trees, ripping and cross ripping the soils to remove ancient cherry roots. The vineyard was planted in three phases, and each block is named for the vineyard steward who planted it: Adalfo Jimenez in 2001, Macario Ramirez in 2004, and Dustin Miller in 2007. We are proud to have clones 115, 667, 777, and Pommard clones of Pinot noir, in addition to our Grüner Veltliner block. Each block ranges from 250 to 498 feet in elevation, and our vineyards are grown in Loess-based Laurelwood soils with Jory underlayment.

"Our Estate vineyard is a magical place to farm wine grapes! It’s a perfect solar collector, sloping downhill ever increasingly, facing east south east. The soils are a very complex mix of Loess atop an iron-rich volcanic underlay. Now that the vines are ‘twenty somethings’ their roots are deeply exploring this complex profile. The resulting wines dance expressively on the palate."

– Scott Shull, Founding Winegrower

The Willamette Valley

With deep ravines, high peaks, and difficult terrain, planting and farming a vineyard in this region is not for the faint of heart. Despite the odds, pioneers and nonconformists have established vineyards in this region, driven by an intense passion and insatiable drive to produce exceptional wines in the Chehalem Mountains.

sustainability

In 2016, the Shulls made a decision to transition their winegrowing and land stewardship practices to a concentrated effort of sustainability. In addition to our leased vineyard sites adhering to Certified Sustainable, Organic, or Biodynamic farming practices, our Tuscowallame Estate vineyard site earned the LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) Certified Sustainable classification in 2017. Through a 3rd party inspector, we have earned a LIVE Certification every year since 2017, most recently in January of 2022. The standards for a LIVE certification include a focus on caring for the land our grapevines are grown on. Our 27 acres of LIVE Certified sustainable land includes a full quarter of which has been left in an untouched state to encourage biodiversity with our native flora and fauna, as well as habitat creation for species that call the Chehalem Mountains their home. Using natural forms of pest control through beneficial insects, dry-farming practices (meaning no irrigation employment throughout the vineyard), and glass and towel recycling in our tasting room, we are able to employ our ethos of sustainability to reach far beyond the vineyard, and into the experience of drinking Raptor Ridge wine, whether in our tasting room, favorite restaurant, or in the comfort of your home.

experiences

Let's Get Together!

Open daily, we welcome you to visit our estate vine-side tasting room between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm. Reservations are recommended, and walk-ins are welcome when available.