19 April – PORTLAND, OR – Matthew Felton and Jay Mason, two long-term Oregon residents and prominent real estate investors/operators, have partnered to acquire the 105-acre Witness Tree Vineyard, which closed on Friday April 15.. The property is located 10 miles northeast of Salem, Oregon in the Eola-Amity sub appellation of the Willamette Valley AVA.
Witness Tree Vineyard was named after a 250-year-old oak tree, which still stands mid-slope on the vineyard. It was used as a surveyor’s landmark in 1854 “bearing witness” to the northeast corner of the property. Located in the heart of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, the estate borders Cristom Vineyards and is near the highly regarded Seven Springs Vineyard and Temperance Hill Vineyard.
Witness Tree boasts a desirable predominantly east facing orientation, with elevation up to 600+ feet, varying soil types, and an abundance of rock particularly at the mid and upper slopes. Witness Tree embodies the essence of world class terroir, and with a total of 58 acres of planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines, Mason and Felton believe the vineyard will be capable of producing some of Oregon’s very best wines.
Felton and Mason share a common passion for wine and believe whole heartedly in the bright future of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. “While we love the style of old-world wines which aspire to naturally express the terroir in the glass, we could not be more excited about the potential to own a world class vineyard, right in our back yard, and to produce the very best expression of Eola-Amity’s uniquely special soils, minerals and earth.,” comments Mason.
“We plan to continue farming the vineyard organically, with the intention to launch a boutique wine making project,” adds Felton. We will utilize the very best of our vineyard’s blocks, in order to bottle a small quantity of terroir-driven Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Apart from their own project, Mason and Felton plan to sell the majority of the vineyard’s fruit to a select group of producers who share their vision to bottle wines of the highest quality, which are not manipulated, but rather express the integrity of the place. In addition, Mason and Felton hope to commence activity out of the two winery buildings located on-site. As well as producing their own wines, Felton and Mason hope to lease winery space to one larger producer, or possibly to a variety of producers as a custom crush facility. “We are excited about the array of opportunity for this vineyard, which will align with the long-term outlook for our ownership.,” says Mason. Felton adds, “The opportunity to participate in and become a resource for some of the region’s best wine producers is exciting. Owning best-in-class vineyard land close to home, with the opportunity to start a wine project with a focus on quality and terroir is a dream; one which will hopefully become a legacy for our families.”
Mason and Felton are both active supporters of the Oregon community, volunteering time, resources, and board positions with several locally based non-profits such as the Classic Wines Foundation, the Portland Art Museum, and Portland Tennis & Education.
Just wanted to comment…Witness Tree Vineyards was owned by Dennis Divine and his wife Carolyn. Many years ago, we had the chance to tour the property with Dennis (our previous Director at Bristol-Myers Squibb). Went to the very top of the vineyard, where the Witness Tree resides. What a great day. Dennis was all about hospitality. One great story from Dennis, was about cutting down a vineyard of Pinot Noir, and pruning in Chardonnay vine stems…the new wine was appropriately named Chainsaw Chardonnay!
Several years later, Dennis succumbed to complications of diabetes. Carolyn and winemaker Steve tried to keep operations going, until she was no longer able to. From what I understand, Steve kept things going for a few more years.
Glad to know it has been purchased, and hopefully they will continue some of the traditions instilled by Dennis and Carolyn.