Welcome to J.L. Kiff Vineyard

We are Joel and Laurie Kiff and we make delicious Pinot Noir from our 9-acre vineyard, which is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, just northwest of McMinnville, Oregon, in the beautiful Willamette Valley.

We are open by appointment! Click the button below to schedule your tasting appointment. If you are scheduling a same-day appointment, please text us at: (971) 237-6745

About

Joel and Laurie, the 'J' and the 'L' in J.L. Kiff Vineyard, farm and produce Pinot Noir (and more) on a hillside just outside McMinnville and not too far from Carlton. The vineyard is 9 acres. Our winery is a converted pole barn, which is where you can come to taste the wine, too. We are very much a 'do-it-yourself' operation… you will not find fancy decor, but the wine is intriguing and you will be served by the people who grow the grapes and make the wine.

J.L. Kiff Vineyard is the closest estate winery to McMinnville, Oregon.

Wines

J.L. Kiff Vineyard grapes are farmed by Joel, who pretty much knows all 9000 vines personally. We make our wine on-site, which makes us the closest estate winery to McMinnville, Oregon! We are excited to share it with you.

To order, please email visit@JLKiffVineyard.com

 

WINES AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE

2016 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir

An early spring, a warm summer, and an early harvest. The vineyard continues to adjust to being dry-farmed. Vines that struggle make the best wines.

Price: $40 per bottle

Label art pen and ink by Adam Kiff

Review: Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast 91 pts

As in 2015, this estate-grown fruit hits 15% alcohol yet retains a fine, concentrated focus. The burnished fruit brings in strawberry rhubarb pie, cranberry and sharp black cherry notes. There are darker streaks of espresso also. Tasted twice over several months, this slightly reductive wine will benefit from another couple of years of bottle age. Drink after 2022.

Review: Doug Wilder, Purely Domestic Wine Report 94 pts

The nose is ripe and saturated black fruit, abundant spice and rose petal. There is excellent fruit intensity on entry that sustains into the mid-palate where layers of fruit and dry spice create a firmly focused finish. Drink 2020-2028.

2015 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir

A warm summer, and the first summer when we did not irrigate the vineyard. Intense and full-bodied.

Price: $40 per bottle

Label art watercolor by Erin Sullens

Review: Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast 93 pts EDITOR'S CHOICE

Sourced entirely from the estate, this supple, juicy and utterly delicious wine is also a very fine value. A jumble of raspberry, marionberry and blackberry fruit, it's had just the right amount of barrel aging to add a touch of toast and coffee to polished, fully ripened tannins. Despite the high alcohol, this is a wine of true finesse.

Review: Doug Wilder, Purely Domestic Wine Report 93 pts

The nose is lean cherry, spicy blueberry, and florals. The palate entry is a textured red apple, cherry, and pie spice leading to a core of crisp dry red stone fruit with beautiful weight and structure. Drink 2020-2028.

 

 

2014 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir

The 2014 was made using an unusually high percentage of Dijon clones, resulting in a more red fruit flavors. The clusters were large, producing a lighter bodied wine as compared to other warm summer vintages.

Price: $40 per bottle

Label art pen and ink by Adam Kiff

2013 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir

A true Cinderella story starting with a big rain, a wild yeast fermentation, and 5 years of aging in the cellar prior to release in 2018.

Price: $55 per bottle

Label art watercolor by Erin (Kiff) Sullens

2012 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir

The 2012 growing season was one of the most ideal in the Willamette Valley. Plenty of warm days and cooler in the fall months. The clusters were small, resulting in more body and flavor concentration. There is a small percentage of whole-cluster fermentation in this wine.

Price: $55 per bottle

Label art pen and ink by Adam Kiff

2011 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir

2011 was an unusually cold summer, which yielded wines with amazing aromatics, lighter body, and moderate alcohol levels. If you are a fan of the cooler vintages, you will enjoy this.

Price: $55 per bottle

Label art watercolor painting converted to black and white by Erin (Kiff) Sullens

2010 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir

Our inaugural vintage. The vines were in their 5th year. The growing season was fairly cool, which produced wines with a balance of fruit, acidity, tannins, and a little spiciness.

Price: $55 per bottle

Label art pen and ink by Adam Kiff

2018 J.L. Kiff Vineyard Rosé of Pinot Noir

This is a Rosé with plenty of flavor and color, yet crisp and refreshing. A gorgeous deep pink color created by leaving the skins and juice in contact for 4 days.

Price: $22 per bottle

Label art watercolor by Erin (Kiff) Sullens

2018 Chardonnay

Our second Chardonnay bottling. 50% stainless steel, 50% neutral barrel-fermented. The barrel ferment lasted 10 months. Nice tropical fruit notes.

Price: $32 per bottle (SOLD OUT)

Label art watercolor by Erin (Kiff) Sullens

Blog

Posted on

Grapes and Heat

We are going though our first major heat wave of the summer, with triple-digit temperatures for 3 or 4 days in a row. I haven’t found very many Oregonians who like heat waves, but the discomfort does give us something to talk about. I very much appreciate people’s concern about how the grapes are doing …

Continue reading “Grapes and Heat”

Posted on

My Name is Dirt

Mid 1970’s, somewhere in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I am a kid on my first family backpacking trip. And I don’t know some basic common sense things, like how far from the campfire is a good distance for bedding down for the night. I figured closer to the fire is warmer, and warmer is good. …

Continue reading “My Name is Dirt”

Visit Us

We look forward to hosting you for a wine tasting appointment!

Click the button below to schedule your tasting appointment. If you are scheduling a same-day appointment, please text us at: (971) 237-6745

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