Vintage Vineyard

Old School Vineyard’s 21 acres are tended by one full-time human employee, grower Stephen Hagen, and a crew of four-legged colleagues, including a team of Belgian draft horses, Ike and Olivia, who help Hagen cultivate under vine rows, till the soil and drill cover crops with precision and accuracy. Dotting the vineyard are a flock of Katahdin-dorper and babydoll Southdown sheep, which Hagen credits as the center of his farming philosophy: “Grow a wonderful, diverse cover crop — a mix of native plants and forage — and the sheep’s job is to make sure we never have to buy fertilizer off the farm.” Two stalwart akbash dogs, Mike and Eva, protect the sheep from mountain lions and coyotes. A Turkish breed, the akbash lineage as protectors of livestock goes back thousands of years. “And during lambing season,” Hagen adds, “Eva is an excellent midwife to the laboring ewes.”

“We’re trying to do something here that not a lot of people are doing,” says Hagen. “We’re not just organic, we’re not just biodynamic, we’re old school.”

The vineyard’s location west of Junction City, just a stone’s throw from where Hagen grew up, compelled him to grow pinot. “It’s the most exciting varietal of grape if you’re interested in growing in a site-specific way,” he says. “Pinot is genetically unstable. It has a tendency to mutate and adapt to the characteristics of where it’s grown. If you’re interested in well-rounded farming, focusing on the needs of the site, then pinot will give you the most rewards for those efforts.”

With a microclimate that carries the heat of the day and an elevation that promotes cooling at night, where vines tap deep into soil that’s at once volcanic and oceanic, Old School’s site and methods are producing a new range of flavors. “Old School fruit — even as it gets dizzyingly ripe — holds its acids well,” Hagen says. The result is a wine that’s well balanced between big, deep, dark fruit and vibrant, mouth-watering acidity punctuating a fine-grained tannin structure. “The floral aromas, the odd spice and earth flavors are rarely seen,” says Drew Voit, Hagen’s winemaker. “The site is doing something unique, something exotic, and we’re just trying to capture it.”

Old School designates are available through Rex Hill, King Estate, Harper Voit and Trathen Hall. A significant portion of their fruit can also be enjoyed in Antica Terra, as well as Broadley’s reserves. And this year, Old School launched its first bottle: a 2009, available through their website (oldschoolvineyards.com). Beacon Hill Winery in Gaston pours Old School, and folks can look for it in local wine shops and on restaurant menus soon.

Hagen invites anyone interested in tasting or learning more about the artistry of “old school” farming techniques to contact him, and come to the farm to see not just how this pinot’s grown, but how he grows it.

“I don’t want to make a lot of wine. I just want to make great wine,” Hagen says.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!