X Novo Vineyard
X Novo, a variant of Ex Novo, meaning from new or new beginning was our first vineyard planted in 2010 on a 5-acre parcel. Positioned at the terminus of a hill with an east-southeast aspect at an elevation of 550 feet, it looks out across the Willamette Valley toward Cascade Range.
The soils are classified as Gelderman with three to four feet of red, clay-loam soils covering fractured, decomposed basalt. This initial, high density planting - composed of 2 acres of Chardonnay and 1.3 acres of Pinot Noir - brought together more than a dozen selections that now form the core of our vineyard community.
We acquired additional acreage immediately adjacent and to the north of this vineyard in 2018. This land rises to 650 feet in elevation and shares similar soil and east-southeast aspect. Today, X Novo has expanded with additional few selections and now encompasses 6.5 acres of Chardonnay, just over 3 acres of Pinot Noir and just under half an acre of Aligote, all surrounding our small workshop winery immediately to the north of the original vineyard.
Exposed to the prevailing Van Duzer winds throughout the growing season, afternoon temperatures here often run nearly ten degrees cooler than vineyards to the north - a moderating influence that sharpens balance and heightens flavor intensity.
X Novo is an exceptional site, one that captures the distinctive quality and expression of Oregon viticulture.