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SAVORY SIPS: COEUR DE TERRE

Tracy Onufer headshot

Tracy Onufer

Jul 13 2022
Couer de Terre

Date of Visit:
Jun 16 2022

Address:
21000 SW Eagle Point Rd, McMinnville, OR 97128

AVA:
McMinnville

Website:

www.cdtvineyard.com

THE PLACE

Coeur de Terre Vineyard, or CdT for short, is located in the McMinnville AVA about 6 miles southwest of McMinnville as the crow flies. The owners, Scott and Lisa Neal, focus on minimally invasive farming and organic growing methods. They feature estate-grown pinot noir, chardonnay, and syrah, and also produce pinot gris, riesling, and rosé. They recently planted riesling vines, so an estate-grown riesling will also be offered in the near future. Scott and Lisa started Coeur de Terre, or “Heart of the Earth,” in 1998 and are still running the show 24 years later.  They take a hands-on approach in the vineyard, which includes grafting plants in the estate greenhouse from current vines and directing all viticulture activity.  However, when it comes to turning the grapes into wine, they want the fruit to speak for itself and make minimal inputs in the winemaking process.  Their site is 92 acres, 38 of which are planted with grapevines. The site’s elevation ranges from 280-550 feet, and soils include a mix of clays and sands, marine sedimentary, and marine volcanics. 

Couer De Terre
Couer de Terre
Coeur de Terre
Couer de Terre

THE BRAND

Scott and Lisa have been farming their property organically from its inception and are dedicated to being good stewards of their land through regenerative practices. Coeur de Terre is a no-till vineyard, and they treat the land as a holistic ecosystem. They purposely farm less than half of their available land and leave the rest to the native environment, enabling a healthier system and carbon sequestration. 

THE EXPERIENCE

Coeur de Terre’s wines are a reflection of their agriculturally diverse location. Their Taste of Place wine flight includes their estate-grown chardonnay, pinot gris, rosé, estate-grown syrah, and two estate-grown pinot noirs. During my time at Coeur de Terre I was fortunate enough to get a taste of their 2020 Estate Chardonnay, 2021 Pinot Gris, 2021 Rustique Rosé, 2015 Estate Syrah, 2017 Renelle’s Block Reserve Pinot Noir, 2017 Sarah Jane’s Block Reserve Pinot Noir, and 2018 Héritage Estate Pinot Noir.

I purchased two bottles of their 2021 Pinot Gris, a bottle of the 2021 Rustique Rosé, and a 2014 Sparkling Riesling (a limited production that I spied while looking around the Tasting Room). 

THE WINE

  • 2020 Estate Chardonnay ($50): This is Coeur de Terre’s first vintage of their estate-grown chardonnay, a blend of 20% stainless steel and 80% neutral French oak fermentations. The aroma is light with notes of nectarine and peaches. The fruit shines brightly with nectarine flavors, medium-high acidity, and a medium body. 
  • 2021 Pinot Gris ($22): Coeur de Terre extracts some tannins from the grapes during pressing, then cold ferments the juice for 4 months followed by 4 months of aging on the lees. The pinot gris has a high-intensity aroma with notes of tropical fruit. The wine is off-dry due to residual sugar, with pineapple flavors, medium acidity, and a light-to-medium body. 
  • 2021 Rustique Rosé ($24): Coeur de Terre’s rosé is unique in that it is a blend of pinot noir and syrah grapes – they’re one of the only Willamette Valley wineries using syrah as part of their rosé blend. The blend percentages differ each year depending on the fruit. The 2021 version has a high-intensity aroma of red fruit with a hint of pepper. Its flavors include cherry and raspberry and it is lightly spiced with medium acidity and a light-to-medium body. 
  • 2015 Estate Syrah ($42): Coeur de Terre is one of the few vineyards in the Willamette Valley with syrah grapes. The cool climate lends to a syrah similar to one from the Northern Rhône in France. The aroma is light with black fruit notes. On the palate are subtle black fruit flavors along with pepper and smoke, with medium acidity and light tannins. 
  • 2017 Block Designate Pinot Noir ($65): Every day, Coeur de Terre rotates this estate selection between their Renelle’s, Sarah Jane’s, Abby’s, and Tallulah’s Run Pinot Noir blocks. These wines showcase CdT’s dedication to family: Renelle’s is named for Scott’s mother; Sarah Jane’s for Lisa’s great grandmother; and Abby and Tallulah are Scott and Lisa’s daughters. The four wines have four different personalities and reflect the different soils located in each of the blocks. 
  • 2018 Héritage Estate Pinot Noir ($42): This is Coeur de Terre’s flagship wine, and typically sells out before the next vintage is released. It is a blend of the best expressions from each of the four pinot noir blocks each year, which makes every vintage unique. The 2018 Héritage has a medium-intensity aroma of red fruit and pepper. It is delicate, with a light body, light tannins, a light-to-medium intensity, and red fruit flavors.

For your next dinner party, I would definitely recommend the Pinot Gris. However, to add to your collection of wine in the cellar, the Héritage Estate Pinot Noir is well worth it.

THE HIGHLIGHT

During my visit, I sat inside and had the fortune of watching Scott taste and assess the 2020 Pinot Noir blocks to determine the best blend for the 2020 Héritage. I asked how they were impacted by smoke from the 2020 fires, and he let me try a small-batch pinot noir made from affected grapes. I detected no faults in the wine, but they chose not to do a full production from those grapes because of the uncertainty at that time. With 20/20 hindsight, he said he wished they had done the full production. 

THE TAKEAWAY

It is well worth the time to make a trip to Coeur de Terre’s beautiful tasting room to enjoy their wines and their story. The staff will treat you like a longtime friend and provide in-depth information on the owners, the vineyard, and the wines. Jon Cabe led me through the tasting and made me feel like a valued guest, not just a random customer. A mother-and-daughter duo also did the tasting flight while I was there and I overheard them profusely gush about Jon’s knowledge, attention, and how welcome he made them feel. I couldn’t agree more. 

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