The Methven Family
Allen and Jill Methven’s family spans the United States with ties in Michigan, Texas, California, New York, Washington, Hawaii and Alaska, but their heart exists in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It is here, near their home in the Eola Hills, that they have planted vineyards dedicated to the grapes that have made this area famous. Methven Family Vineyards exclusively produces estate varietals of Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Riesling in extremely small lots, each hand selected for quality and consistency. The winery also sells its premium grapes to vintners in Oregon and has a custom crush program to craft signature wines by request.
But it’s not only the integrity of their award-winning wines that’s distinctive. One of the most rewarding aspects for Jill and Allen is welcoming guests to the vineyards. Visitors are greeted with a unique and congenial experience at the tasting room, which is beautifully situated amid the vines. Allen and Jill also dabble in beekeeping and cultivating blueberries at their vineyards. But winemaking is their true labor of love, and the sharing of their premier wine with others is the biggest reward, whether it’s on the property or outside of Oregon.
Our Winemaker
On top of working harvests in Burgundy and New Zealand’s Central Otago region, Greg McClellan has been making wine in the Willamette Valley since 2002. Working with the fruit from Methven brings a unique advantage to his winemaking. “Working entirely from estate fruit, we are in control from first to last. This allows me to understand the nuances of each block and be in control of what we do in the vineyard. But the real treat of having our own unique site is the numerous additions Allen and Juan have been implementing over the years. The beekeeping, annual plantings of flowers around the vineyard, all the fruit trees that neighbor certain blocks, and keeping the native trees surrounding the vineyard in good health, all these things contribute to the robustness of the vineyard and make the estate fruit express their origin."
