Happy Thanksgiving friends,
As I write in the quiet morning sun on Thanksgiving eve my heart overflows with feelings of gratitude and good will. The Thanksgiving season has always been my favorite holiday for so many reasons – warm days and crisp nights; a sense of bounty from the recent harvest; the birthdays of my son Ad and the four legged member of our family, Trixie; the annual release of the Beaujolais Nouveau; crackling fires and family and friends with whom to enjoy it; and a lifetime collection of friends with whom to share past memories and new beginnings.
Will Work for Wine
Many of you know that in 2012 I exchanged the rigors of my professional career in banking and wealth management for the challenges offered by a more entrepreneurial route. I now spend most days in my boutique consulting/executive coaching business helping executives, entrepreneurs, and successful families achieve their goals. In the meanwhile, since 2010 I have been nurturing our family vineyard and wine business and that is what I want to update you on today.
New Family Member
This summer I married my longtime friend, love, partner, and confidante, Leslie Searle. We were married on a cloudless, warm sunny day on the Terry vineyard near Yamhill, Oregon surrounded by that which we treasure most – our children, close friends, Trixie, the ring bearer and new equine friends. The ceremony took place under an ancient, stately oak tree surrounded by beautiful Pinot Noir vines from our most prized block. Be on the lookout for our Wedding Tree Pinot Noir. It represents the connection of all that we hold dearest.
Rick and Leslie on their wedding day with Trixie the ring bearer.
In the beginning…
In the vineyard …and… at the winery
In January 2010, I found a gnarled, rocky, overgrown and abandoned Christmas tree farm near Yamhill, Oregon nestled in the foothills of the Coastal Range. It rose steeply from a gravel county road at 215 feet up to 520 feet high with a commanding view of Mount Hood to the east and nothing but forested mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean 50 miles to the west. It was the first property that a realtor showed me and we discounted it as too much work and proceeded to look at over forty other properties. On a balmy Thanksgiving night in 2010, poolside, enjoying a bottle of Beaux Freres Pinot Noir, I decided to make an offer on the bedraggled Christmas tree farm. A thorough but quick due diligence period followed and in a matter of a few weeks I was the proud owner of a jumbled pile of rocks, wild blackberry vines and lots of poison oak.
We hired the best vineyard management company in the Willamette Valley, Results Partners. Our vineyard manager is a youthful 30-something named Evan Bellingar. He and his team manage all development and farming activities. Development started immediately which meant the deconstruction and clearing of decades of brush and vines and 40 foot high Christmas trees gone wild. Then came the ripping of the sparse topsoil to make room for root growth of new, soon-to-be-planted, grape vines. A ripper literally claws the earth to a depth of four feet or more. It’s hot, dirty work and requires enormous amounts of diesel to fuel the large earth moving equipment for several months. The ripping unearthed the biggest surprise of our entrepreneurial venture so far. Massive boulders seemed to magically (or tragically, some may say) rise to the surface like bubbles in boiling water. Some were the size of Volkswagens. Needless to say, we had enormous cost overruns on our “excavation” line item in the budget. Once the clearing was completed, we were amazed at the staggering beauty of the steep and undulating slopes that had been hidden under decades of overgrown brush and tree growth. Enough boulders and stones have been “harvested” to build a future winery and rock fence lining the 3,000 foot driveway. In November 2011, we planted over 25,000 grape vines, including 15 different clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with varying root stocks based on individual plots’ soil characteristics.
For the next two years, I waited impatiently for a vineyard to appear. I joked with Evan that it looks more like I’m growing rocks and weeds than a vineyard. The young vines grew slowly and the weeds from the newly liberated seed bank grew, well, like weeds – fast! Unbelievably, the rocks continued to percolate to the surface – by the thousands. Our vineyard became famous, or infamous perhaps, for its profusion of rocks – unlike any other vineyard in the region. Farmers clucked sympathetically at how much it must have cost to “clear” this rock garden and how many bent farm implements are in my future. Local wine makers began to call me, unsolicited, wanting to buy our fruit. Rocks are the bane to farmers but an aphrodisiac to winemakers due to the aromatics and minerality that they impart to the flavor profile of the fruit and hence the wine.
Today…
In 2012, I met Jared Etzel, son of Mike Etzel of Beaux Freres, and nephew of Robert Parker, the wine critic. Jared has rock star wine DNA, having worked on his family’s vineyard since pre-school days, obtaining degrees in enology and viticulture and then making wine in Napa before returning to Oregon. Jared became my winemaker and our team was completed. Ad and Colleen Terry and Jared Etzel and Evan Bellingar are all within 2-3 years of being the same age and represent the youthful future of our wine business. In 2013 we made 200 cases of Pinot Noir. The wine is patiently bottle-aging and ready to be purchased once our label is approved. I hope to have it available for you to buy and share with your clients, family and friends by Christmas or New Year’s Day.
Our next communication will be sent to you in a couple of weeks. It will be shorter than this one. We will discuss the record-breaking 2014 harvest, our estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that is ready to go into our new French Oak barrels to be released for your enjoyment before next Thanksgiving.
Order your 2013 Pinot Noir wine now.
We only made 200 cases and about 25% are pre-sold. You may order by calling me direct at 503-839-6343.
Please share this with your friends and fellow wine lovers. We are a new brand; unknown in the industry, and available only through direct sales at this time. Word of mouth referrals are so very appreciated.
Connect with us by following us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and through our website. Our links are:
- https://www.facebook.com/andwinecompany
- https://twitter.com/andwinecompany
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/terry-family-wines
- https://www.instagram.com/andwinecompany/
- https://andwinecompany.gcsmarket.com/
Thank you for your friendship and for taking the time to read our story. We wish you a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving season.
The Terry Family
Rick Terry family, Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Rick Terry family, Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon
