“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” – Albert Camus

The air has a crisp chill, and Tabitha has started decorating the Tasting Room with pumpkins . . . it must be fall! October brings the exciting culmination of our year-round work in the vineyards as we harvest and crush the 2025 vintage. It truly is a family affair. Our three sons have been an invaluable addition to this year’s grape harvest. Kael, our eldest, is home from college and jumped right into pre-sunrise mornings in the vineyards. He graduated from Corvallis High School with the Oregon Seal of Biliteracy, a dual language immersion certificate and we are so proud to see him utilizing his Spanish speaking skills in the field leading our picking crews. Once the crew finishes picking, Kael loads the fruit on the trailer and delivers the load to Matt at the winery, where father and son process the fruit together. Our two younger sons come over after school to help do punch-downs of fermenting red wines and relieve Kael so he can go set up back in the vineyard to pick the very next morning. Tabitha jumps in on the line as needed and always makes sure everyone is well fed, including our animals at the farm.

The 2025 growing season in our mid-Willamette Valley area started with lots of rain in early spring and normal arrival of bud break. Then after a little rain in June, it stayed warm and very dry all summer. Our vineyards are dry-farmed (not irrigated) so the grapevines build resiliency and send down deep roots to access water and nutrients. Several periods of heat spikes sped up the timing of bloom, fruit set and ripening. We began an earlier than expected harvest on September 13th and continued till the end of the month. 

We enjoyed a record grape harvest at BoVine vineyard this year. BoVine vineyard is owned by our friends, Bruce and Barb Ashenbrenner, who are well-known for their steadfast involvement in our local 4-H. Matt planted Pommard, Wadenswil and 667 clone Pinot Noir vines here in 2008 on land well-fertilized by years of raising cattle. Named for cows (bovine) and grape vines, “BoVine Vineyard” was born. Enjoy the new 2023 vintage BoVine Pinot Noir in your fall wine club release.

Another single-vineyard Pinot Noir in your fall release is Mary’s Peak. Mary’s Peak Vineyard holds a special place in our hearts and in our winery’s story. Matt started working with vineyard owner Rodger Kohnert in 2006 to help restore his Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vines that were damaged in the severe freeze event of late winter 1989. Over the years since, Matt has learned a lot from Rodger’s experience as an O.G. (Original Grower) of Oregon wine. Rodger’s father, Arnold Kohnert a.k.a. “Mr. Pompadour” is recognized as a pioneer of Southern Oregon viticulture, sharing his extensive documentation of Ashland’s weather patterns and grape ripening cycles with other growers. Rodger helped his family plant their Rogue Valley Pompadour Vineyard in the early 80s. This was after Rodger had planted Mary’s Peak Vineyard with 2.1 acres of own-rooted Wädenswil Pinot Noir (from 1977-1980) along with Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. 

Let’s highlight another wine growing family featured in our fall wine club release, the Crofts. The Croft family moved from Alaska to Oregon in the early 80’s and started growing wine grapes in the Monmouth area of the Willamette Valley. Decades later, the third generation of Crofts are stepping into the lead. Our family business collaboration of over 13 years is a natural fit and we truly enjoy working with the Crofts. 

In the spirit of collaboration and celebration, we wish you a season full of gatherings with family and friends, delicious meals, and wonderful wines! Thank you for being a part of our wine club family and supporting our family business. We look forward to growing with you for many more years to come.

Cheers, Matt and Tabitha Compton

Pinot Blanc, 2023
Tabitha’s favorite! Estate Pinot Blanc vines were planted in 1997 at our Compton Family Farms Vineyard in Philomath, Oregon. This Southeast facing vineyard is lower elevation and benefits from the rich soil series of the Willamette Valley. The cooler micro-climate here allows us to pick our Pinot Blanc later in the season when the flavors are full and expressive.

Rosé of Pinot Noir, 2024 – NEW
“Rosé all day” is more like “Rosé all year” around here. Rosé of Pinot Noir makes a lovely pairing with fall flavors and is a must for your Thanksgiving table. Let the wine warm up a bit more when serving in the colder months. We always harvest our Pinot Noir earlier in the season for Rosé and sparkling wines to balance refreshing acidity with lush fruit flavors.

Sparkling Brut, 2019 – 90 Rating, Gold Medal Newport Seafood & Wine Festival
There’s no need to wait for a special occasion to enjoy our elegant Brut. Sparkling goes with everything! Compton Brut is made with old vine Pinot Noir from Mary’s Peak Vineyard and old vine 108 clone Chardonnay from Hoot & Howl Vineyard in Philomath, Oregon, in the traditional method of sparkling wine making: a slow, elegant transformation from still wine to sparkling, all occurring inside the bottle.

Bovine Pinot Noir, 2023 – NEW
Cheers to moo! Matt Compton planted BoVine Vineyard with Pommard, Wadenswil and 667 clones of Pinot Noir in Alpine, Oregon back in 2008. The land was formerly cow pasture, and we appreciate their contributions to the soil. Our Alpine vineyards have a warmer microclimate and more volcanic basalt in the soil than our Llewellyn Road Vineyards and tend to produce Pinot Noir with rich red fruit notes.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2022 – 90 Rating
This vintage of our popular Garden Series Pinot Noir is a blend of old-vine Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon 115 pinot noir from our three vineyards off of Llewellyn Road south of Corvallis/Philomath: Compton, Hoot & Howl, and Mary’s Peak Vineyard. We aged this wine for 10 months in 20% new french oak barrels before bottling. “Peppery red berries, a hint of watermelon, firm tannins and decent length make this a perfect everyday Pinot Noir” – Paul Gregutt

Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022 – NEW, 92 Rating
We haven’t bottled our own Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir since 2011, and this new 2022 vintage is tasting so delicious that you may be a bit miffed we made you wait so long. Organically grown 100% Pinot Noir clones including Pommard, Wädenswil,115, 777 and 667 from seven small, dry farmed vineyards located in the heart of the Willamette Valley. Critic Paul Gregutt describes this vintage as “a tasty, focused wine which should drink well through the rest of the decade and beyond”

Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021 – 92 Rating (All clubs)
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2019 – Library Wine (12 Red Club)
We reserve this special small-lot wine for our wine club members and our Tasting Room guests. Mary’s Peak Vineyard was planted between 1977 and 1980 to the Wädenswil clone of Pinot Noir. Situated on East-facing slopes of alluvial, sedimentary loam soil, and in the rain shadow of the highest mountain in the Oregon Coast range, this dry-farmed vineyard consistently grows top quality Pinot Noir. Allow some time for this delicate wine to breathe and open up in your glass.

4 MIX CLUB
Pinot Blanc, 2023
Rose of Pinot Noir, 2024
BoVine Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2023
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021

4 RED CLUB
BoVine Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2023
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021
Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2022

8 MIX CLUB
Pinot Blanc, 2023
Rose of Pinot Noir, 2024 (x2)
Sparkling Brut, 2019
BoVine Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2023
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2022
Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021

8 RED CLUB
BoVine Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2023 (x2)
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021 (x2)
Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022 (x2)
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2022 (x2)

12 MIX CLUB
Pinot Blanc, 2023 (x2)
Rose of Pinot Noir, 2024 (x2)
Sparkling Brut, 2019 (x2)
BoVine Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2023 (x2)
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021
Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022 (x2)
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2022

12 RED CLUB
BoVine Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2023 (x3)
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021 (x3)
Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2019 (x2)
Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022 (x2)
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2022 (x2)