Johan Vineyards

Dag Johan Sundby grew up in Norway, went to school for marketing, served in the army, and played football before coming to the United States. He established Johan Vineyards in the Van Duzer Corridor and pushed for the AVA’s approval, which came in 2019.

The estate covers 175 acres with 87 under vine, sitting directly at the mouth of the corridor — 60 miles south of Portland and 40 miles east of the Pacific, which means maritime wind pulls through the vineyard constantly. Soils are calcareous sedimentary, unusual for the valley.

The farming is the point. Organic certification from Stellar and Biodynamic certification from Demeter both came in 2010, well ahead of the current wave. They work with Steiner’s preparations 500 through 508, compost on site, plant cover crops, and integrate sheep and chickens for fertilization and pest control. Over 30 acres are held as a biodiversity preserve of virgin oak savannah and active riparian zones.

The vineyard is divided into twelve blocks with sixteen different varieties, including ten Pinot Noir clones and seven of Chardonnay, across multiple rootstocks, aspects, and soil types. That diversity serves both their own wines and the many producers who buy fruit here. Beyond Pinot and Chardonnay there’s Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and other varieties rarely seen in Oregon.

Morgan Beck came to Johan in 2015 after winemaking positions in California, became winemaker in 2018, and added General Manager in 2020. Her parents were in horticulture; she came to wine through restaurants, Oregon Pinot, and travel in South America. Her winemaking is low-manipulation and native-yeast, with the aim of letting each growing season speak rather than chasing a style.

In 2021 Mini Byers bought Johan, the same year she purchased Cowhorn Vineyard in southern Oregon. She grew up in wine, spending her childhood weekends helping her family build a vineyard from bare ground.

Wine & Spirits named Johan a Top 100 Winery in 2021.