Farmer's From The Start
ELK COVE -- (INTRO.)
On that weekend in 1974 our parents, Pat and Joe Campbell, invited our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins out to Gaston to help them plant our first 5 acres of vines. Many of these volunteers were farmers in their own right, pear and apple growers in the Hood River Valley where my parents grew up.
As founders, Pat and Joe had the vision and drive to establish Elk Cove, but they couldn't do it alone (at age 4, Adam wasn't all that helpful yet.) They hadn't sold any wine, so they didn't yet have the funds to hire vineyard stewards. So family, friends and neighbors all pitched in, believing in Pat and Joe's vision of a small winery tucked in Oregon's Coast Range foothills where they might sell a little wine out of the barn and live off the land.
Over the following decades, our family along with other Oregon Wine Pioneers put the Willamette Valley on the map as an excellent wine region famous for Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and other cool-climate wines.
The 1st winery and vineyard in the esteemed Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Elk Cove is one of Oregon's oldest wine producers & a pioneer winery.
In 1973, Pat and Joe Campbell found a secluded 500 acre estate in Yamhill County. It was a protected valley with gentle south facing slopes which drained into the steep surrounding canyons and was the perfect location for a vineyard to produce world-class wines. The magnificent Roosevelt elk that roamed the estate added to the majesty to the pristine environs.
They quickly decided they would grow grapes.
With Pat’s farming background and superior palate and Joe’s education in biology and chemistry, they felt confident they could grow grapes and make wine. They immersed themselves in books, took short courses in winegrowing at UC Davis and visited wineries in France. Local winegrowers like the Courys (from David Hill winery), encouraged them and sold them own-rooted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, enough to plant five acres of each in the spring and early summer of 1974. They studied weather and believed those varieties would do well in our climate. The couple produced their first wine in 1977.
Producing interesting & seductive Pinots, their focus has always been to produce nice, stinky, hand crafted, Estate grown wines that can rival the best in the world.
While you take on their robust Pinot noir menu, also enjoy Elk Cove’s Alsacian-style, steel-fermented white wines: Pinot Gris, Estate Riesling, and Pinot Blanc. Other non-Pinot options include a Pinot Noir Rosé, a Sparkling, and a couple of Dessert wines.
“For the pure beauty of its setting, no winery in Oregon can match the breathtaking views form Elk Cove’s splendid wine tasting room.” Says Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate"
Their tasting room flight includes 4-6 Elk Cove wines and they always include at least one of their exclusive Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs.
The $25 tasting fee is waived for ever 2 bottles of wine that you buy.
So if you buy a case of 12 bottles you are receiving 6 free tastings.
ELK COVE -- (INTRO.)
On that weekend in 1974 our parents, Pat and Joe Campbell, invited our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins out to Gaston to help them plant our first 5 acres of vines. Many of these volunteers were farmers in their own right, pear and apple growers in the Hood River Valley where my parents grew up.
As founders, Pat and Joe had the vision and drive to establish Elk Cove, but they couldn't do it alone (at age 4, Adam wasn't all that helpful yet.) They hadn't sold any wine, so they didn't yet have the funds to hire vineyard stewards. So family, friends and neighbors all pitched in, believing in Pat and Joe's vision of a small winery tucked in Oregon's Coast Range foothills where they might sell a little wine out of the barn and live off the land.
Over the following decades, our family along with other Oregon Wine Pioneers put the Willamette Valley on the map as an excellent wine region famous for Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and other cool-climate wines.
The 1st winery and vineyard in the esteemed Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Elk Cove is one of Oregon's oldest wine producers & a pioneer winery.
In 1973, Pat and Joe Campbell found a secluded 500 acre estate in Yamhill County. It was a protected valley with gentle south facing slopes which drained into the steep surrounding canyons and was the perfect location for a vineyard to produce world-class wines. The magnificent Roosevelt elk that roamed the estate added to the majesty to the pristine environs.
They quickly decided they would grow grapes.
With Pat’s farming background and superior palate and Joe’s education in biology and chemistry, they felt confident they could grow grapes and make wine. They immersed themselves in books, took short courses in winegrowing at UC Davis and visited wineries in France. Local winegrowers like the Courys (from David Hill winery), encouraged them and sold them own-rooted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, enough to plant five acres of each in the spring and early summer of 1974. They studied weather and believed those varieties would do well in our climate. The couple produced their first wine in 1977.
Producing interesting & seductive Pinots, their focus has always been to produce nice, stinky, hand crafted, Estate grown wines that can rival the best in the world.
While you take on their robust Pinot noir menu, also enjoy Elk Cove’s Alsacian-style, steel-fermented white wines: Pinot Gris, Estate Riesling, and Pinot Blanc. Other non-Pinot options include a Pinot Noir Rosé, a Sparkling, and a couple of Dessert wines.
“For the pure beauty of its setting, no winery in Oregon can match the breathtaking views form Elk Cove’s splendid wine tasting room.” Says Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate"
Their tasting room flight includes 4-6 Elk Cove wines and they always include at least one of their exclusive Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs.
The $25 tasting fee is waived for ever 2 bottles of wine that you buy.
So if you buy a case of 12 bottles you are receiving 6 free tastings.
They farm their vines on all 3 of the major soil types in the Willamette Valley; Willakenzie (Sedimentary marine), Laurelwood (Windblown loess), and Jory (Volcanic clay) in 6 different vineyards. Discover for yourself the effect of geology on the 3 wines from single vineyard Pinot Noirs by the same winemaker with their Soil Trilogy (if available).
Family owned and operated, winemaker Adam Campbell grew up on the property and joined forces with his parents in 1995.
Elk Cove it the place to be for those who want to dabble in non-Pinot noir sippers.
Salmon Safe certified vineyards.
Last tasting at 4:45.
Elk Cove Vineyards
- See more how Elk Cove specializes in the 3 Pinots HERE:
We can accommodate large groups with advance notice. Reservations are required if you have a large group or are traveling by bus, passenger van, or limo.
Large groups
Groups of 6 or more are welcome to the winery with advanced notice. For groups of 12-16 guests, we require a $500 minimum purchase. This secures a tasting area, preferably on our deck, with a dedicated host who will explain our family history and walk you through a flight of current wines. The space is available for up to 2 hours and you are welcome to bring picnic food. No outside alcohol is allowed. For groups over 16 guests, please contact our Tasting Room Manager, Elissa Fenske, for more details. Please provide one week’s advanced notice to reserve.
Elk Cove Tasting Room
Family owned and operated, winemaker Adam Campbell grew up on the property and joined forces with his parents in 1995.
Elk Cove it the place to be for those who want to dabble in non-Pinot noir sippers.
Salmon Safe certified vineyards.
Last tasting at 4:45.
Elk Cove Vineyards
- See more how Elk Cove specializes in the 3 Pinots HERE:
We can accommodate large groups with advance notice. Reservations are required if you have a large group or are traveling by bus, passenger van, or limo.
Large groups
Groups of 6 or more are welcome to the winery with advanced notice. For groups of 12-16 guests, we require a $500 minimum purchase. This secures a tasting area, preferably on our deck, with a dedicated host who will explain our family history and walk you through a flight of current wines. The space is available for up to 2 hours and you are welcome to bring picnic food. No outside alcohol is allowed. For groups over 16 guests, please contact our Tasting Room Manager, Elissa Fenske, for more details. Please provide one week’s advanced notice to reserve.
Elk Cove Tasting Room
- Hours – daily 10am until 5pm, with our last tasting at 4:45pm. We are closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
- Contact information – to book a group for a tour or tasting, please call us at 503-985-7760 or email us at [email protected]. Our Tasting Room Manager, Elissa Fenske, will contact you back regarding availability.
- Tasting Fee - $15 and is waived with a 2 bottle purchase. Roosevelt Club Members are welcome with up to six guests at no charge.
- Saturday Grand Tour - $50 by reservation only, complimentary to Roosevelt Club Members.
- Private Seated Tastings - $75 per person, $35 for Roosevelt Club Members by appointment only. These will start in June 2017 and be featured around our property. More details to come!
- Patio – we allow guests to enjoy a glass or bottle on our patio. We have the Pinot Gris, Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and the Five Mountain Pinot Noir available by the glass. All bottles are available for sale.
- Groups – we have changed our policy for group visits this year. We now require groups to have a reservation for over six guests. We no longer offer complimentary tastings for groups under seven guests, so each person will be charged $15, or you can pre-pay ahead of time. We will waive the fee with a purchase of a single bottle for pre-arranged groups as we would prefer your guests take wine instead of paying a fee!
- Picnic Tables
Join us for a picnic! Our deck allows food but is 1st-come-1st-serve. We have picnic tables that are available for your enjoyment, with a minimum purchase of our wine. We do not allow outside alcohol or glass in the picnic area. GoVino plastic glasses are available in the Tasting Room for $4.00 each. We do not take reservations for these tables and cannot provide tableside service. All picnicking must be completed by 5pm and these tables may not be available during event weekends.
- Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs – coming from our Estate properties including Clay Court, Mt. Richmond, La Boheme, Goodrich, Five Mountain, Roosevelt and Windhill Vineyard sites.
- White wine selection featuring our first Chardonnay in over 20 years from the Goodrich Vineyard, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Sparkling and our famous Pinot Gris.
Pat and Joe Campbell
Elk Cove Vineyards
Oregon natives Pat and Joe Campbell loved wine. They spent many weekends tasting at wineries near Stanford, where Joe was pursuing a medical degree. Tasting was free and they enjoyed afternoon picnics with wine as developed their palates during the time Joe was an intern in San Francisco. A dinner celebration in 1972 at La Bourgogne Restaurant where they enjoyed a bottle of 1969 Le Musigny clinched their choice of the Pinot Noir grape for their future quest.
Joe and Pat Campbell Photo by Kathryn ElsesserThe Campbells returned to Oregon. In 1973, knowing they wanted to farm, they purchased a hillside property of 112 acres in Yamhill County near Gaston. They quickly decided they would grow grapes.
With Pat’s farming background and superior palate and Joe’s education in biology and chemistry, they felt confident they could grow grapes and make wine. They immersed themselves in books, took short courses in winegrowing at UC Davis and visited wineries in France. Local winegrowers like the Courys encouraged them and sold them own-rooted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, enough to plant five acres of each in the spring and early summer of 1974. They studied weather and believed those varieties would do well in our climate. The couple produced their first wine in 1977.
Asking Joe about his decision to grow grapes, he says with exuberance, “We have not been disappointed!” He elaborates, “At the time, we had no idea how successful Oregon winegrowing would become, and I don’t believe anyone else did either.”
Today, they’re proud to be family-owned with a future not directed by a large corporation, remaining hopeful the tradition of small, family-owned and -directed winegrowing continues. They’re fortunate their son, Adam, decided to become Elk Cove’s second-generation winegrower, explaining that is the legacy of which they are most proud.
Elk Cove Vineyards
Oregon natives Pat and Joe Campbell loved wine. They spent many weekends tasting at wineries near Stanford, where Joe was pursuing a medical degree. Tasting was free and they enjoyed afternoon picnics with wine as developed their palates during the time Joe was an intern in San Francisco. A dinner celebration in 1972 at La Bourgogne Restaurant where they enjoyed a bottle of 1969 Le Musigny clinched their choice of the Pinot Noir grape for their future quest.
Joe and Pat Campbell Photo by Kathryn ElsesserThe Campbells returned to Oregon. In 1973, knowing they wanted to farm, they purchased a hillside property of 112 acres in Yamhill County near Gaston. They quickly decided they would grow grapes.
With Pat’s farming background and superior palate and Joe’s education in biology and chemistry, they felt confident they could grow grapes and make wine. They immersed themselves in books, took short courses in winegrowing at UC Davis and visited wineries in France. Local winegrowers like the Courys encouraged them and sold them own-rooted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, enough to plant five acres of each in the spring and early summer of 1974. They studied weather and believed those varieties would do well in our climate. The couple produced their first wine in 1977.
Asking Joe about his decision to grow grapes, he says with exuberance, “We have not been disappointed!” He elaborates, “At the time, we had no idea how successful Oregon winegrowing would become, and I don’t believe anyone else did either.”
Today, they’re proud to be family-owned with a future not directed by a large corporation, remaining hopeful the tradition of small, family-owned and -directed winegrowing continues. They’re fortunate their son, Adam, decided to become Elk Cove’s second-generation winegrower, explaining that is the legacy of which they are most proud.
