Dukes Family Vineyards

Pat and Jackie Dukes went to high school together, started dating in college, and married. Jackie worked in real estate; Pat worked in accounting. When his company sold, he retired at 37 and went to culinary school. Neither of them drank wine until their thirties, in California, when a few good bottles turned Pat into a collector.

They came to Oregon meaning to open a restaurant, having heard the market was good. The restaurant business turned out not to be for them. So they planted a vineyard instead.

The estate covers 58 acres on the back side of Walnut Hill at the north end of the Eola-Amity Hills, south-facing, running from 560 feet down to 260. The first 7.5 acres of Pinot Noir went in between 1996 and 2000 with the wide spacing common in Oregon then, with Dijon clones 667, 777, and 828 added later on varied rootstock and some self-rooted. The vineyard was designed around elevation change, soil variation, and clonal diversity. It’s LIVE certified and Salmon Safe. The winery itself is an 1870s barn they resurrected.

Kelly Kidneigh has made the wine since the 2008 vintage. The relationship started in 2006 on a single-barrel project called Nipple Hill while she was at Lemelson. Her style is hands-off and detail-attentive, intervening only when needed, with balance as the goal.

The tasting sits on a patio overlooking Dragonfly Reservoir with the Coast Range beyond, or indoors in climate-controlled seating. A complimentary cheese pairing comes with the estate tasting. Pat sometimes fires up the pizza oven. Emma the winery dog is mentioned in nearly every account of a visit, as are Pat and Jackie themselves, who tend to come down and say hello even on busy days. Pours are generous and pricing runs noticeably below the regional average.