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AWA R D S ers, and Bernau is the CEO. He started out by purchasing 40 acres of land near the Enchanted Forest amusement park south of Salem. He bought vines from Susan Sokol Blosser in Dundee and the Casteel brothers at Bethel Heights near Salem, who didn’t charge interest as a way to help out the enthusiastic entrepreneur. The first harvest was in 1989. Dean Cox came on as Willamette Valley Vineyards’ winemaker and brought in Forrest Klaffke as his assistant. Cox died of a heart attack in the middle of harvest in 1995, and Joe Dobbes came in and helped as a consultant. Dobbes Jim Bernau returned the following summer as head winemaker, a post he held PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS until 2002. Klaffke has been head winemaker since 2002. WILLAMETTE VALLEY In 1997, Bernau purchased Tualatin Estate near Forest VINEYARDS / Turner, Ore. Grove, one of Oregon’s oldest vineyards. Jim Bernau didn’t start out wanting to “That was one of our big breaks,” Bernau said. make great Pinot Noir or build one of “(Founder Bill Fuller) had 83 acres of vines planted in Oregon’s largest wineries. He was just 1973. It’s one of Oregon’s treasured vineyards, and that’s a guy from Roseburg whose father was hired by Richard where our best fruit comes from.” Sommer, the granddaddy of Oregon Pinot Noir, to do Bernau has since expanded the vineyard to 200 acres some legal work for HillCrest Vineyard. of vines. In the early 1980s, Bernau was hired to develop a About the same time, Dobbes saw an opportunity with white paper to explain to state lawmakers why they Rogue Valley grapes, and Bernau created the Griffin should support the Oregon wine industry by creating the Creek label. At 2,500 cases, it’s a small part of Willamette Oregon Wine Advisory Board. The legislation passed in Valley Vineyards total case production that nears 100,000 1983, a year before the federal government approved the cases, but the brand has performed well for Bernau. Willamette Valley as an American Viticulture Area. Now, Bernau has leased revered Elton Vineyards and By that time, Bernau was bitten by the wine bug and has purchased an adjacent 80 acres. smitten with the idea of getting into the industry. But he “It’s going to take me another 15 years to see the didn’t have the means to get started and came up with a results of that effort,” said Bernau, who at 57 years old novel approach: stockholders. has no intention of slowing down. “I worked my way through He’s also helped revive interest in Oregon Riesling, college by working in a producing more than 20,000 cases. He’d like more, but Willamette sawmill,” the energetic Bernau most growers are interested in putting Pinot Noir or said. “I had no resources. My Valley Pinot Gris in the ground. idea was to build a world-class “We made a lot of Riesling in the early days because I Vineyards winery by organizing many had to pay the bills,” he said with a laugh. “I couldn’t 8800 Enchanted Way S.E., wine enthusiasts, and the only afford not to make Riesling.” Turner, OR 97392, 503way to do that was with a pubBut his passion has always been with Pinot Noir, the 588-8894, www.wvv.com. lic stock offering. It was never The tasting room is open alluring grape that has bewitched many an Oregon wine my original intention, but it from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. enthusiast. Today, Bernau and his team craft a dozen difdaily. The Tualatin Estate was the only way for me to do ferent bottlings of Pinot Noir. tasting room in Forest it. I didn’t know any wealthy “We’re concentrating on improving our Pinot Noir Grove is open noon-5 p.m. people, just people like me.” plantings,” he said. “The whole idea behind Willamette weekends from March Today, Willamette Valley Valley Vineyards is making classic cool-climate wines.” through December. Vineyards has 5,000 stockhold— ANDY PERDUE
oregon winery of the year
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