Vintage 2010 brings to mind some catchy phrases. The year of the birds – Hitchcock style, let ‘em hang and our favorite, and slogan for the vintage – “Hang ‘10”! Yes, harvest was later than normal. An exceptional cold, wet spring followed by what many seasoned producer’s recall as one of the shortest summers. However, 2010 was not the worst of years. The ‘attack of our feathered friends,’ whose almost unprecedented assault on valley fruit, also indicated nature’s signal that the fruit was ripe and grapes good indeed. Winemaker, Adam Campbell, comments in response to vintage nervousness, “you know, we have been doing this for almost 40 years, and it’s not the first time we’ve had slow ripening. We’re optimistic about it and we know exactly what to do.” Even science agrees. Climatologists show similarities to the great 2008 vintage; reporting lower yields, small berries and full flavor development at lower brix levels – all signs pointing to high quality wines with lower alcohols.

Elk Cove Vineyards is one of Oregon's oldest and most respected wine producers. Founded in 1974, by Pat and Joe Campbell, our focus has always been to produce hand crafted, Estate grown wines that can rival the best in the world. Estate vineyards now cover over 220 acres on four separate sites in the Northern Willamette Valley. Steep south facing slopes, of Willakenzie and Laurelwood soil types with excellent drainage, provide the perfect environment to grow the world class wine grapes that are the basis for creating Elk Cove wines. Proper site selection and meticulous vine management along with harvesting at very low yields creates the concentration and depth of flavor that are hallmarks of Elk Cove wines.