Holloran Vineyard Wines
Miller, Elizabeth. “Re: Confirming Sunday Jul 17.” Message to Bill Holloran. July 17, 2016 at 3:03 PM. Email.Hello Bill, I think we are here, we are in a vineyard on a hilltop.Holloran, Bill. “Re: Re: Confirming Sunday Jul 17.” Message to Elizabeth Miller. July 17, 2016 at 3:04 PM. Email.OK stay there, I'll come get you.This probably wasn’t the meeting place... grapevines were all I could see. A few minutes later Bill Holloran’s pick-up truck came climbing up the hill to fetch me and I apologized for my bad GPS coordination, but soon realized the great fortune of my mistake. We were standing in the middle of Le Pavillon vineyard, the oldest vineyard of Holloran Vineyard Wines in the heart of Dundee Hills. Bill said, ‘we might as well walk around’, and I followed. Bill Holloran’s story starts with a long career as a technology executive, after which he moved to Oregon in 1999 to ‘dabble’ in wine. Dabbling did not last... his original case production of 500 has turned into about 5,000 cases per year. In Oregon, Holloran is synonymous with high quality wines. Le Pavillon Vineyard was planted long before Bill came along in the early 1970s. Today, Le Pavillon can thank biodynamic practices for its life. Bill walked me through the vineyard’s vigorous rows, showing healthy grape development and canopy, but told of several years ago when Le Pavillon was unhealthy and struggling. Bill had been farming it organically since 1999, but organic was not enough. Only after Bill brought in a biodynamic expert in 2005 did the vineyard return to the quality that first made it famous. Unlike organic agriculture, which simply aims to avoid synthetic products, biodynamic agriculture works to actively heal, to make the soil even healthier than it was when you began. Today, Le Pavillon nurtures high quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling. All of Bill’s vineyard blend to make the Holloran Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2012. We tasted this bottle and more in the under construction future winery in Dundee. When it’s complete, it will offer enormous opportunity for growth, more cellarage, and a view of the south facing Le Pavillon slope. Bill popped open several Pinot Noir, all barrel aged in French oak, Chardonnay and a surprising Tempranillo! I might have made a wrong turn that day, but Bill Holloran is making all the right turns with viticulture that has both restored his land and made for outstanding wines.
Holloran Wines
Miller, Elizabeth. “Re: Confirming Sunday Jul 17.” Message to Bill Holloran. July 17, 2016 at 3:03 PM. Email.Hello Bill, I think we are here, we are in a vineyard on a hilltop.Holloran, Bill. “Re: Re: Confirming Sunday Jul 17.” Message to Elizabeth Miller. July 17, 2016 at 3:04 PM. Email.OK stay there, I'll come get you.This probably wasn’t the meeting place... grapevines were all I could see. A few minutes later Bill Holloran’s pick-up truck came climbing up the hill to fetch me and I apologized for my bad GPS coordination, but soon realized the great fortune of my mistake. We were standing in the middle of Le Pavillon vineyard, the oldest vineyard of Holloran Vineyard Wines in the heart of Dundee Hills. Bill said, ‘we might as well walk around’, and I followed. Bill Holloran’s story starts with a long career as a technology executive, after which he moved to Oregon in 1999 to ‘dabble’ in wine. Dabbling did not last... his original case production of 500 has turned into about 5,000 cases per year. In Oregon, Holloran is synonymous with high quality wines. Le Pavillon Vineyard was planted long before Bill came along in the early 1970s. Today, Le Pavillon can thank biodynamic practices for its life. Bill walked me through the vineyard’s vigorous rows, showing healthy grape development and canopy, but told of several years ago when Le Pavillon was unhealthy and struggling. Bill had been farming it organically since 1999, but organic was not enough. Only after Bill brought in a biodynamic expert in 2005 did the vineyard return to the quality that first made it famous. Unlike organic agriculture, which simply aims to avoid synthetic products, biodynamic agriculture works to actively heal, to make the soil even healthier than it was when you began. Today, Le Pavillon nurtures high quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling. All of Bill’s vineyard blend to make the Holloran Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2012. We tasted this bottle and more in the under construction future winery in Dundee. When it’s complete, it will offer enormous opportunity for growth, more cellarage, and a view of the south facing Le Pavillon slope. Bill popped open several Pinot Noir, all barrel aged in French oak, Chardonnay and a surprising Tempranillo! I might have made a wrong turn that day, but Bill Holloran is making all the right turns with viticulture that has both restored his land and made for outstanding wines.
Holloran Wines
