“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”- Benjamin Franklin

Greetings from sunny Philomath, where spring came early this year! Daffodils, tulips, plum and cherry blossoms are putting on an exuberant show, and the vineyards are awake and getting their first pruning of the growing season. Matt and our eldest son have been busy pruning the Compton vineyard as the lambs and dogs dance around their feet. Our other vineyard sites were pruned as well. Pruning now in spring is an intentional practice to delay grapevine growth and harvest time since our summers seem to be getting warmer each year.

The Compton Family Farm is full of spring babies! Tabitha’s 10 ewes gave birth to 24 lambs, the Alpine goats are due to have kids soon, and the 4-H pigs have arrived. Our friendly pet KuneKune pig, Tips, is still cruising around helping us with grazing and compost. Breve the calf, who was born last June, has grown to be a happy girl and loves her morning scratches.

Why all the animals? Don’t we have enough to do just growing, making and selling wine, and traveling with our boys to wrestling events? Cover cropping, adaptive grazing and no-tilling in our Estate vineyard is the foundation of our regenerative agriculture practice. We are building better soil, and growing better grapes that make wonderful wines, as well as feeding our family with milk, eggs and meat. We are establishing a Compton Family Farm Herd Share program to produce more food for our community. If you’re interested in more details, contact us.

We feel blessed to have watched our middle son wrap up his High School wrestling career in his senior year. This is bittersweet after 11 years of wrestling. We are so proud of all that he has accomplished, and we look forward to seeing what he does in the future. We know whatever path he chooses; he will travel it with grit and determination as these are fine traits that wrestling has instilled in him. Stick with us into 2027 to hear about our youngest son’s senior year he plans on continuing to wrestle.

We appreciate your business and your support always. In good times and in times of disarray, know that we are here with great wines, friendly smiles, and a warm place to gather. Thank you for being a part of our wine club family.

Cheers, Matt & Tabitha Compton

Mary’s Peak Vineyard Riesling, 2023 – NEW RELEASE (All Mix Clubs)
Riesling is Matt Compton’s favorite white wine, and this 2023 vintage is extra special because it is the last harvest of old vine Riesling from Mary’s Peak Vineyard. We call it an “off-off dry” with just a bit of sweetness to balance the racy acidity Riesling lovers crave.

Chardonnay, 2023 (All Mix Clubs)
Our “half-oaked Chardonnay” is a modern twist on a classic style. We whole-cluster pressed old vine 108 Wente clone and Dijon clone Chardonnay and split the lot between our concrete egg and new French oak barrels to ferment and age. Full malolactic fermentation and contact on the lees in both vessels enhances the lingering creamy mouthwatering finish. The oak and concrete aged wines are then blended together for a harmonious balance in the bottle.

Concrete Egg Chardonnay, 2019 (8 Mix and 12 Mix Clubs)
Old vine Chardonnay from the Compton Estate and Hoot & Howl Vineyard is whole-cluster pressed and placed in our concrete egg tank to ferment and age. Concrete allows for a slow, cool fermentation with the wine circulating on the lees for a round, creamy mouthfeel. Concrete retains floral and fruit aromas and flavors that would evaporate out of oak barrels, so you may have never tasted Chardonnay like this before!

Pinot Gris, 2023 92 Rating (8 Mix and 12 Mix Clubs)
Varietal purity is on display here, offering classic Pinot Gris flavors with hints of citrus. pear, peach, and a touch of almond – this one is something special and tastes so nice. The warm summer of 2023 rewarded us with outstanding fruit quality and higher-than-expected yields at harvest time.

Sparkling Brut, Multi-Vintage – NEW RELEASE Silver Medal Newport Seafood & Wine (12 Mix Club)
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. This multi-vintage blend spent about 5 years undergoing secondary fermentation and aging in our cellar.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2023 NEW RELEASE (All Clubs)
Introducing the new vintage of our flagship Garden Series Pinot Noir, blending six dry-farmed vineyards all with old vines averaging 35 years of age. Pinot Noir clones are mostly Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon 115. A truly delicious Pinot Noir to enjoy any night of the week.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2022 90 Rating (8 Red, 12 Mix and 12 Red Clubs)
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 every day Pinot Noir” – Paul Gregutt

Cellar Select Pinot Noir, 2023 (4 Red, 8 Mix, 8 Red, 12 Mix, 12 Red Clubs)
Our Cellar Select label appears when we have a wine that stands apart from the norm. Tabitha and Angela selected this blend. We aged this 2023 vintage Pinot Noir in neutral oak barrels for 2 months (no new oak!) then moved to our concrete egg for an additional 8 months of aging, to make a unique Pinot Noir that’s all about mouthwatering bright red fruit.

Mary’s Peak Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2021 – 92 Rating (8 Red, 12 Mix, 12 Red Clubs)
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.

Alpine CuvéePinot Noir, 2021 91 Rating (4 Red, 8 Mix, 8 Red, 12 Mix, 12 Red Clubs)
A blend of old-vine pinot noir from two dry-farmed vineyards in Alpine, Oregon: Woodhall III Vineyard, planted in 1976, and Bovine Vineyard, planted in 2008. Soils are Basalt and Red Jory series volcanic soils that typically show redder fruit aromas and flavors and elegant tannins. Alpine Cuvée Pinot Noir is aged 18 months in French oak barrels before blending and bottling.

Llewellyn Cuvée Pinot Noir, 2021 – 91 Rating (All Clubs)
Enjoy our blend of old-vine Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon 115 pinot noir from three dry-farmed vineyards off of Llewellyn Road south of Corvallis/Philomath: Compton, Hoot & Howl, and Mary’s Peak Vineyard. These vineyards have alluvial and marine sedimentary soils which grow Pinot Noir that exhibits voluptuous and denser dark red berry and blue/black fruit with darker floral earth tones and bigger, heavier tannins. Llewellyn Cuvée Pinot Noir is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels and 6 months in our concrete egg.