In 1906, the Bayless brothers acquired this 234-acre parcel of land on the Savannah Ridge within Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton district for the purpose of dairy and cattle farming along with other crops. Mike and Drenda Bayless manage the property with their children, Michael and Bernadette and son-in-law Cameron Bower. The estate is now in its sixth generation.

Realizing the potential of this undeveloped site, winemakers Ken Wright and Tony Soter envisioned purchasing this property. Instead, the family chose to retain ownership of this picturesque parcel of land and develop the Bayless-Bower estate vineyard.

This 100% estate-grown Pinot Noir is composed of Pommard, Dijon 777, Dijon 115 and Wadenswil Clones of Pinot Noir from the Yamhill-Carlton Ava. It is aged in 20% New French Barriques. The 2018 Ghost Hills Cellars Prospector’s Reserve Pinot Noir unveils a deep garnet appearance and emerges from the glass like a whisper from the land itself. The nose is restrained with whiffs of dried flowers and wet stone. On the palate, there is an integration of ripe red fruits and gentle earthiness. This wine has a bright core brimming with black and red raspberries, dried red currants, allspice, cinnamon and a dusting of cocoa powder in the background. Its youthful energy and vibrant expression are appealing now, but with time in the bottle, the layers of complexity will continue to unfurl, rewarding those who allow this wine to rest for another 7 to 10 years.

By W Peter Hoyne