Illahe

ILLAHE, pronounced Ill-Uh-Hee, is a local Chinook word meaning “earth” or “place” or “soil”

At Illahe, their goal is to make wine as naturally as possible from soil to bottle. They work by hand on small lots with age-old techniques and materials. Their focus is to grow and make quality Pinot Noir and white wines that express the vintage and their varietal characteristics. They don't use enzymes or additives. Some of their wines are made entirely by hand, with no electricity or modern mechanization. They use a gentle wooden basket press and age our Pinot Noir in French and Oregon oak.

Quality wine starts with quality fruit in the vineyard. Their 80-acre, south-facing vineyard lives in shallow clay soils. Like their friends in the Deep Roots Coalition, which is committed to dry agriculture and responsible water practices, they do not irrigate mature plants. As one of Oregon’s few horse-powered vineyards they utilize a team of Percheron draft horses to mow and deliver grapes to the winery at harvest.