Our Story
“Hanging less grapes adds labor and cost, but there are no shortcuts when the goal is the finest expression of a specific vineyard in the wine.”
Robert Morus’s journey has been marked by two dreams: flying & planting a vineyard. After a childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bob Morus’s call to flight brought him to the Air Force. An Air Force career led to becoming an airline pilot, and an assignment as a pilot brought Robert to base at the PDX airport.
Still dreaming of a life on the vineyard, Morus drew a 90 mile radius around the PDX airport. He spent time exploring options in Hood River and the Willamette Valley.
However, the search quickly came to a close when he stumbled upon a 60-acre property boasting stunning views of Mount Hood, the valley, and sprawling orchards.
The Beginning
“Right then I knew our search was over; this site was too special and deserved further, serious exploration”
Our Vineyard
Nestled on the west hills of the Hood River Valley, Phelps Creek Vineyard is a testament to the boundless potential Bob Morus saw on that first visit.
Sprawling across steep slopes, ringed by tall pine trees, bordered by a cool, babbling creek, and overlooking the expansive green valley, Phelps Creek vineyard exemplifies the beauty of rugged wine country.
We first planted our oldest vines of Pinot Noir in 1990, adding a block of Dijon clone Chardonnay two years later. Over the years we have expanded the vineyards and now nurture 34 acres (25 Acres of Pinot Noir, 4.5 acres of Chardonnay and 1/2 acre of Pinot Gris). In addition to our estate fruit, we experiment with growing "alternative whites" just across the Columbia River on Underwood Mountain.
Our Viticulture
Alexandrine Roy joins us from Burgundy, France as Director of Winemaking. The fourth generation Vigneron continually amazes our team with her timeless techniques steeped in French tradition.
The collaboration began serendipitous as her and our Founder, Bob Morus met at the International Pinot Noir Celebration in 2007. Both of our site’s terroirs were so similar it inspired a winemaking partnership.
Originally brought on to produce a special cuvée from our estate Pinot Noir, her role has expanded to contributions reflected in all of our wines.
Our Winemaking
Established in 1990. Our small boutique winery focuses on estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals, annually producing 5,000 cases of wine in total. Vineyard care takes center stage in our wine production, where sustainable agricultural practices combined with careful management of the fruit yields on the vines lead to the noted luxurious intensity within our bottlings.
