Carabella Vineyard

Carabella produces elegant estate Pinot Noir, Dijon Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Winemaker/geologist Mike Hallock’s minimalist philosophy in the cellar focuses on the elegance and complexity inherent in Parrett Mountain’s volcanic soils. Trained as a winemaker in Colorado, he brought his tanks and equipment over the mountains on a flatbed to Oregon for the first vintage in 1998. Pinot noir is the main emphasis, with seven different clonal blocks fermented separately, then blended prior to bottling to exhibit the complex potential of the vineyard. Making modest use of new French oak, the focus is on the purity of fruit and elegance of style. Blocks which stand out in a particular vintage often merit their own limited bottling. The Dijon 76 Chardonnay is made in a Burgundian style with minimal oak, silky texture and crisp minerality. Carabella also produces an Alsatian-style Pinot Gris, which has an intensity of fruit, aromatics and structure exhibited by only a few of the best vineyards in Oregon.