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The Oregonian Domaine Serene buys vines in Burgundy
Domaine Serene, a producer from Oregon, bought a 10-hectare Burgundian estate. This acquisition goes against the current trend: in general, it is rather the Burgundians who buy Oregon estates.
Grace and Ken Evenstad are the founders of Domaine Serene in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. They acquired the Burgundian estate Château de la Crée in Côte d'Or, which dates from the 15the century. It includes vines located in Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges.
These vines are planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including several Premier Crus and two Monopolies.
It is the quality of its pinot noir, a grape variety closely linked to Burgundy, which has given Oregon its international fame. Usually, it is the Burgundian producers who buy land in Oregon. Drouhin was one of the first and Louis Jadot also owns vines there. But few Oregon growers have bought into Burgundy, where land is expensive and even locals struggle to find available vines in the most sought-after areas.
Decanter.com collected the words of Alex Hall, who works for Vineyard Intelligence and advised Domaine Serene on this purchase: “Very few domains of this type are offered for sale in Burgundy. It was an opportunity not to be missed because the Château de la Crée has 10 hectares of vines, including plots located on very popular appellations, while offering a cellar equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and a completely restored château. »
The existing French team will remain in place. It is made up of, among others, Aline Beauné, winegrower, and Nicolas Perrault, vineyard manager. They will work in collaboration with the winemaker of Domaine Serene, Erik Kramer.
The Evenstad family created Domaine Serene in 1989 following the purchase of a 17-hectare property located on the top of a hill, in an area called Dundee Hills, Oregon. Today, Domaine Serene produces wines from six vineyards that cover over 283 hectares, 97 of which are pinot noir and chardonnay.
The Château de la Crée belonged since 2004 to the Swiss director and director Nicolas Ryhiner, who will oversee the transition during the first year. The amount of the transaction has not been made public.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Jane Anson