VIDON Vineyard
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Wine enthusiasts will enjoy a visit to VIDON Vineyard where they are likely to meet Don Hagge in the quiet atmosphere of his tasting room. Visitors will also have views of vineyards on the rolling hills of Willamette Valley. Don Hagge is a serious winemaker and prefers individuals and small groups to visit his winery.
It was in 1999 that Don and Vicki Hagge began clearing the land to plant grapevines. The name for the winery is a combination of Don and Vicki’s names.
Today the property has 12.5 acres of vineyards. Don noted that it is interesting to watch a vineyard go into dormancy. He believes that the moisture available seems to encourage the leaves to hang on the vines longer. VIDON vineyards are planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Syrah, Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. The vineyards are certified Salmon-Safe and LIVE. During our late November visit, some of the vines still had autumn colored leaves.
Don describes his life as first a farmer, then a physicist and eventually a winemaker. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Don was a physicist and had visited a few wineries in Napa. He then visited France where he enjoyed French wine and food. Don did astrophysics research at the Goddard Space Flight Center before becoming Chief of the Physics Branch in Houston for the Apollo program. His last mission was Apollo 13. He then went to Silicon Valley and worked in the high tech industry. It was in 1999 that he decided to get back into farming.
Visitors to VIDON Vineyard will see solar panels on the roof of the winery and tasting room. According to Don, the solar panels generate enough energy for one-half of the power he needs for the winery and his home. Inside, the tasting counter with seats is close to the winemaking equipment. Visitors can sit and enjoy talking with Don or staff about his wide range of experiences and the VIDON wines.
Just outside of the tasting room small areas with chairs and tables are available for sitting and enjoying beautiful views of vineyards in Willamette Valley. Come sit and stay awhile while enjoying a glass of VIDON wine.
VIDON Wines
While visiting with Don we tasted several of his wines. All of the wines were produced from grapes in the Chehalem Mountains AVA.
The Pinot Gris 2014 with 15% alcohol was aged in flex tanks. The wine was a light yellow color with aroma notes of citrus and some minerality. The taste offered citrus with some tropical fruit notes. The finish was crisp and fruity. Chardonnay 2014 with 15% alcohol was a light yellow colored wine. The wine offered an aroma with oak influence and apple. The taste had butterscotch, apple and pear notes. The fruity finish was crisp.
We tasted four years of Pinot Noirs crafted with a blend of three clones. The 3 Clones 2010 was a translucent dark ruby colored wine with 13.7% alcohol. The Pinot Noir was produced with three grapevine clones. The clones were 115, 777 and Pommard. The wine offered notes of red raspberries and sandalwood. The wine was medium-bodied with medium tannins. The finish was crisp and fruity. The 3 Cones 2011 wine was a translucent ruby color with a sienna hue. With 13.9% alcohol, the wine had an aroma of red raspberries and sandalwood. The taste offered notes of red raspberries. Again this wine was medium-bodied with medium tannins. The finish was crisp and fruity yielding to spices.
The 3 Clones 2012 wine was a translucent light purple color with 15% alcohol. The aroma was of dark fruits and sandalwood. The taste offered black and red raspberry notes. The medium-bodied wine offered medium/bold tannins. The crisp finish had fruit yielding to spices. The 3 Cones 2013 wine was also 15% alcohol. The translucent ruby colored wine offered dark fruit and sandalwood notes. The taste was of red and black raspberries. This 3 Clone wine was full-bodied with medium/bold tannins. The finish was crisp with fruit yielding to spices.
Three Specially Named Wines
Don also produces three single clone Pinot Noir wines named for his grandchildren. All three wines had 15% alcohol. The 2012 Brigita Clone 777 was a translucent dark ruby colored wine. The aroma and taste were of red raspberries and spices. The wine was medium-bodied with medium tannins. The finish was crisp and fruity yielding to spice. The 2012 Mirabelle Clone 115 was a translucent dark ruby color with a purple hue. The wine offered notes of baking spices and dark fruit. The wine was medium/full-bodied with medium/bold tannins. The finish had spice with dark fruit notes. The 2012 Hans Clone Pommard was a translucent dark ruby color with a purple hue. The aroma included sandalwood, spice and dark fruit notes. The taste was of black raspberries The wine was medium/full-bodied with bold tannins. The finish was spicy and fruity.
Barrel Select 2010 Pinot Noir was translucent ruby with sienna hue colored wine. The aroma and taste were spicy with notes of red raspberries. The wine had a medium/full-body with bold tannins. The finish was fruity yielding to spice.
Those interested in specific winery wine clubs will discover that Don and Vicki have a unique alternative to joining a winery wine club. They call it Vidollar Rewards. All purchases earn Vidollars. Purchases online and in the tasting room can accumulate Vidollars. Tastings are complimentary for members. In addition, purchases and Vidollar history is online. Check with VIDON Vineyard for additional details if you are interested in participating.
Enjoy a visit to VIDON Vineyard tasting room where you will avoid large groups of people and where you are likely to hear firsthand Don’s story. Spend some time in this beautiful setting, surrounded by rolling hills of vineyards.
VIDON Vineyard
17425 NE Hillside Dr.
Newberg, Oregon 97132
GPS: N45º 20.780’ W123º 01.003’
Article written December 2015
Support the following Oregon Wineries.
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