Montinore Estate is a Biodynamic (Demeter-certified) estate vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley AVA of Oregon, United States.
Owner: Rudi Marchesi, and his youngest daughter Kristin. Rudy Marchesi (married to Susan) came to wine and to Montinore Estate via the Bronx and New Jersey. His Italian grandparents Carlo and Rosa Marchesi arrived in New York City from a tiny village in northern Italy. They planted grapevines in their back yard, fruit trees in the front and crammed their tiny cellar with neat rows of barrels, bottles and preserves. Fifty years later, their grandson Rudy broke ground on his first commercial vineyard some 100 miles from the Bronx. Rudy raised his two daughters and his little winery through the 1980’s and 90’s, with everyone working together to bring in the harvest, pile up hoses and tote boxes of wine for nice tourists from New York (after homework was done, of course). He discovered Montinore in 1992 when visiting to his oldest daughter at Reed College in Portland. At the time, Rudy’s enthusiasm about the winery’s potential led him to introduce Montinore wines on the east coast through Allied Beverage, where he led the distribution house’s Fine Wine Division. In 1998, he began consulting on Montinore’s vineyard management, winemaking and marketing as he brokered the wines on the east coast. Rudy’s role at Montinore ultimately evolved into a permanent position as Vice President of Operations in 2001 and President in 2003. In late 2005 Rudy became proprietor of Montinore.
Staff: Vineyard manager: Efren Rosales. Sales & Marketing: Kristin Marchesi.
Vineyards, production: 2018 89 hectares (220 acres) producing 40,000 cases. Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Teroldego and Lagrein.
Biodynamics: 2001 The owners started converting to organic methods, taking it one step at a time whilst seeing improvements in vine health, soil structure and general vitality. | 2003 In 2003 Rudi enrolled in a 9 month course in Biodynamic farming at the Pfeiffer Center in New York and from fall 2003 implementation of BD practices on selected blocks began, with good results. Spray Horn silica 501 pre-harvest in cooler years Rudi told me (IBWC, May 2018). They made their own copper dynamiser (160 gallons). Make compost using local buffalo manure.
Certification: 2008 First vintage with full Demeter Biodynamic certification for both vineyards and winery. | 2018 Still Demeter-certified Biodynamic.
Sparkling wines
Vivace | NV (2016): Muller Thurgau, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling. Interesting sherbet when tasted (IBWC, May 2018).
White wines
Borealis: A blended wine from Muller Thurgau, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.
Pinot Gris: 2016 Made with Biodynamic grapes. 11,000 cases. Nice lighter style when tasted (IBWC, May 2018).
L’Orange: 2016 Nice and saline when tasted (IBWC, May 2018).
Red wines
Pinot Noir: 2007 Part-aged in Hungarian puncheons. Evolved (ExCel 2009).
Pinot Noir Reserve: 2015 Made with Biodynamic grapes. 1,600 cases. Deepish colour, dark briary fruit (IBWC, May 2018).
Pinot Noir Reserve, Graham’s Block 7: 2015 Made with Biodynamic grapes. 250 cases.
Pinot Noir Parson’s Ridge: Ungrafted vines.
Pinot Noir, Graham’s Block: Ungrafted vines.
Contact
Montinore Estate
3663 SW Dilley Road
Forest Grove, OR 97116, USA
Tel+001 503 359 5012 | www.montinore.com