Haakon Lenai Vineyard & Tasting Room

Cody and Marque Wright bought this 35-acre Dundee Hills property in 2019 and named it for their children’s middle names. Their first project, Purple Hands, was named for the state of your hands after harvest — this one is named for the reason you do it in the first place.

The site was planted in 1990 by Jon Jennison and called Thistle Vineyard. It faces southeast on 100% Jory volcanic soil, ranging from 400 to 700 feet, planted to Dijon 777 and 115 alongside Pommard. Cody and his farming team run it as a certified organic vineyard, and the winery describes itself as biodynamic winegrowers.

Haakon/Lenai is a separate label from Purple Hands, made exclusively from these estate vineyards. Production runs about 500 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, sold only in this tasting room and through a handful of retailers. Owen Bargreen rated the 2022 Chardonnay 94 points and called it dense and rich with serious aging potential.

Cody’s background runs deep in this valley. His father is Ken Wright, his stepfather Rollin Soles of Argyle and ROCO, his mother Corby a partner at ROCO. He joined the Panther Creek cellar crew at ten and founded Purple Hands at twenty-five with 250 cases.

The tasting room sits in the middle of the vineyard, looking out across neighboring sites. Two flights are offered — one exclusively Haakon/Lenai estate wines, one covering Purple Hands single-vineyard bottlings across multiple AVAs. Guests name host Owen McNally constantly and describe leaving with a genuine understanding of how the wine gets made. It’s about fifty minutes from downtown Portland, and it’s tucked away enough that you’ll have to look for it.