HillCrest News

Girl on Grapes Visits HillCrest

I am always talking about the many positive attributes the Umpqua Valley possesses and how they shape our area into such a terrific wine region. The lack of corporate America and the tradition of family owned wineries is to me something to be very proud of and sets our area apart from so many other wine regions in the world. This family owned component is no more evident then at Hillcrest Vineyard, where the whole family is involved in turning out some of the very best wine Oregon has to offer. Notice I said Oregon and not just the Umpqua Valley?
 
Visiting Hillcrest Vineyard is an absolute treat, from their quaint, rustic and oh so charming building with stunning views of the surrounding hills to their production of some of the best wines I have had the pleasure of tasting. Dyson & Susan DeMara along with their children came to Oregon and purchased Hillcrest Vineyard which is the oldest active winery in the state. They were not new to the winery biz having owned a winery in the Napa Valley prior to their move and the experience and knowledge they bring to the art of wine making is nothing short of amazing.
 
Having a chance to talk with Dyson about his wines and how he crafts them is something I could do everyday for the next ten years and never get bored. Dyson is the most passionate winemaker I have ever had the pleasure of meeting (I have met many from all over the world) and is what I call a true purist. He believes in allowing the earth, weather and overall terroir to dictate the direction of his wines and stays away from the various tricks that can be used to manipulate wines into conforming into certain flavor profiles. Dyson believes good wines taste like a grape and great wines taste like a place. He delights in running a small family owned winery as it allows him the creativity to try different things and even to grow grapes and make wines previously thought impossible. There is no schedule set by anyone or anything other then the wines themselves and decisions on aging time are based on how the wines are shaping up rather then the need to bottle and sell and make room for the next years harvest. All of this freedom for a passionate, creative wine maker like Dyson means you and I are the lucky beneficiaries of amazing, high quality, terroir nuanced wines. Take for example his chardonnay done in a very different style then most American chardonnays. It is left “on the lees” meaning that after fermentation the juice is left to remain on top of all the dead yeast and skins, etc., which provides additional flavors, body, and richness. This is a very laborious and time consuming practice. Well worth the extra time and energy as this 2006 chardonnay is so good I can’t stop thinking about it. Oh and it does not stop there. Every wine Hillcrest Vineyard makes is of the highest quality, including his 2006 Syrah that most impressed the Greatest of the Grape judges this year and which has my friends and me dreaming of the days ahead, with this syrah in it! Having a family owned winery like Hillcrest Vineyards with a winemaker like Dyson among us, is one of the best things about living in Oregon wine country!
 
Diane Clerihue-Smith and her husband H. Bruce Smith run “Oregon Wine Country Tours” based in the Umpqua Valley. Contact them at: www.owct.us or 1-866-WINEVAN