Ghost Hill: Five Generations on One Yamhill-Carlton Farm

I don’t like the fact that I am outside writing this on a Friday at 10 minutes to 9:00 pm, and it’s getting dark. We are at a point in the summer where I start grasping onto every little sliver of summer that I can. In a few weeks, I will be in 142% denial when Starbucks releases their annual Pumpkin Spice Latte, signaling the start of the F word. Yes, fall is great and all, but summer! I hear kids in the neighborhood having a blast playing. It fills my heart to an extreme. You don’t get that with the F word or the W word. Maybe a little with spring, but it is seriously reserved for summer. I hope you are enjoying summer!

On a side note, this time last year I decided to cut down this newsletter from every week to once a month. I am not going to promise anything, but there is a chance some additional newsletters will pop up in your inbox before September…

Last month I mentioned a Wine Journey Journal project. Thank you to those who signed up and thank you for the emails! I still have them in my inbox to reply. Stay tuned for more info!

For those of you who have no clue what I am referring to, I am doing a project where I mail out physical journals and you tell me a story about your wine journey. I am going to take these stories and post them on Block 55’s social media account. Want to participate? Take a whole 1.35 minutes and give me your details.

Another successful Oregon Pinot Camp is in the books!

How you seen the new Antica Terra space? It’s amazing!!

Katherine Cole is diving in BioDynamic Farming again.

Bledsoe McDaniels has a new tasting room in Walla Walla.​

Have you heard the news about IPNC? Here is a piece on why IPNC really matters.

The Women In Wine Conference was another huge success this year!​

Revino is crushing it with their recycled wine bottles program!​

What have you heard about Ballsall Creek? Not much, start here!​

Five years ago, I started a wine journey. I wasn’t sure what the journey would look like or how long it would last. Heck, to this day, I still have no idea where this will take me or how long it will go. Maybe at some point, the answers to these questions will make themselves apparent. In the meantime, I keep digging deeper and deeper into wine country, sniffing out little gems everyone needs to know about.

Shall we start off with a little gem of a winery that began it’s story in 1906 and is still going strong with its fifth generation? Now, before you jump to any sort of conclusion, I am not referring to five generations of winemaking. I am referring to five generations of land stewardship here in Oregon.

How many generations can you go back in your family? I am aware of my great-grandma, which gives me four generations of knowledge, including myself. I know next to nothing about my great-grandma and have only seen a picture. It’s fascinating to me to be able to track the ownership of a family-owned property for 118 years.

In 1906, two brothers, Daniel and Samuel Bayliss, purchased 234 acres in Yamhill-Carlton. In the 1920s, the farm added dairy operations. In the 1930s, Daniel’s son Samuel D and his wife Barbara bought the property for wheat, hay, clover, peas, and sheep. Moving into the 70s and 80s, their son Mike and daughter-in-law Drenda became more involved, adding Black Angus cattle. One of the things Mike’s dad used to say about the land was that it was only good for raising squirrels. Mike had higher ambitions for the land, though. Also, in the 70s, Mike took a class from Chemeketa Community College (I had no idea they had classes back then) on viticulture and told his dad they should plant a vineyard. As most good dads do, he fully supported his son by dismissing the wine industry as a “frufru business.”

Mike’s determination didn’t waver one bit. In 1998, he was talking with his new son-in-law, Cameron Bower, in a Hong Kong bar. Cameron, who was working for ExxonMobil at the time, discussed planting the vineyard. Cameron helped back the planting of the vineyard, and later that year, Mike invited a certain famous winemaker by the name of Ken Wright to come out and look at the property to see how viable it was for a vineyard.

They spent time walking the property, examining the soil, and discussing the possibilities. Ken was thorough in his evaluation, kicking the dirt around and considering all aspects of the land. After their walk, they sat in the driveway in front of the house. Mike, eager for Ken’s expert opinion, asked him what he thought.

Ken’s response was a game-changer. He remained silent for a minute or two, contemplating, and then finally asked, “How much do you want for it?” This question was a significant endorsement, signaling to Mike that the land was indeed ideal for viticulture. Ken’s offer to buy the property confirmed that the hill had the potential to produce high-quality Pinot Noir. They began planting in 1999, starting with four acres and eventually expanding their vineyard.

Circling back a little, Cameron met Mike’s daughter, Bernadette, in Guam while playing rugby in 1990. Cameron was in the Air Force, and Bernadette was a teacher. She had worked for Oregon public schools before Measure 5 was passed and was laid off. Guam provided a new opportunity and adventure for Bernadette.

Cameron and Bernadette were still living overseas after the vineyard was planted, but they were still heavily involved. They lived a few years in New Zealand, where they explored Pinots from a different region. They also did a long stint in China. Around 2014 or 2015, the couple moved back to Oregon.

The whole idea behind planting the vineyard was to only sell grapes. They never had any intention of making or selling wine until 2006, when an unfortunate incident happened. A young winemaker at the time was unable to pay for his fruit. Instead of showing up with money, he showed up with 100 cases of bottled wine with no labels, also known as shiners. It was at this point that Mike, Cameron, and Bernadette had to make some difficult choices, which resulted in starting the brand Ghost Hill Cellars.

Why Ghost Hill Cellars? Well, there is a legendary story dating back to the 1850s when gold was discovered in Oregon. A certain prospector struck gold in Southern Oregon and decided to stop for the night and camp out on the property. Needless to say, he didn’t make it through the night, nor did his horse. It is said that to this day, he still wanders the property looking for his gold.

Who was the mysterious 2006 winemaker? I wasn’t exactly told, but I was told in a roundabout way. Can I really reveal who it was? I can’t. He is still around today and making incredible wines. Maybe you will see me in wine country one day, and if you ask me, I might provide some hints if you are really that interested. But does it really matter? It doesn’t. Everyone starting out doing something struggles and has hard times.

I seriously need to get a move on with the actual visit and tasting! I get too bogged down in the backstory, and when stories start to crossover, I need to dive deeper to get all of the juicy nuggets. My editor, though, is looking over my shoulder, giving me the stink eye. Let’s dive into the tasting, shall we? We shall, but first, a teeny bit more backstory.

Mike and Drenda still live in the original farmhouse built in 1906. When the wines got some decent press, they were doing tastings out of the house. Drenda had to move the tastings out of her house. Eventually, a “tasting room” was put together. It was within a 30-second walk of the house, and up until this year, tastings were done from this little “tasting room.” There are a handful of OGs saying Ghost Hill sold out with their new tasting room.

I don’t know which tasting room you would prefer to visit, but I don’t think Ghost Hill is selling out one bit. I think the new tasting room is stunning with one heck of an incredible view.

When I got to the tasting room, Cameron greeted me with a great handshake and took me on a quick tour. I should have done my homework before visiting, but if you have been reading for a while, you know I enjoy going in with next to no knowledge. I want to be a sponge to all of the stories and information. There is an immense amount of backstory that I could have gotten more details about. Guess this means I need to follow up with a podcast soon?

During the tour, Cameron gave me an idea of how much land there was and where Soter also had land. There was mention of how Ken Wright was working on a new sub-AVA for the area. I do believe he is trying to get the name Savannah Ridge for the AVA.

After the little tour, I sat at the table with Cameron, Bernadette, and Mike. I found out during our talk that it was Mike’s birthday. I loved sitting there, talking with them, and hearing their stories.

One story Mike mentioned to me was how his dad built a cellar under the house using dynamite to get rock out and how the kids would spend a couple of hours a day after lunch digging out the cellar. Can you imagine if someone used dynamite today to create a cellar? I have to say I miss how things were done in the older days. Can you imagine sitting down to have lunch one day and hearing a big blast from your neighbor with guests? I am sure the guests would be like, “What in the heck was that?” Your response, “Oh, don’t worry about it. That’s my neighbor building a cellar under the house.”

Cameron also mentioned to me some advice he got from Tony Soter at dinner one night. The advice goes a little something like this: “Make good wine and stay small. Once you reach a certain level, all you end up doing is talking to wine publications and others about your wine.”

Speaking about wine and Tony Soter, a little tidbit I didn’t know was that Eric Hamacher used to work with Tony Soter. Why do I mention Eric out of the blue? Well, since 2015, Eric has made the wine for Ghost Hill. If you don’t know Eric, it’s okay. Grab me in wine country and we can dive deeper!

As we were sitting around the table talking, Cameron was pouring wines for us to dive into, and yes, here we are, over 1,500 words in, and I finally get to the wines.

The first wine is the 2023 Pinot Noir Blanc, aka White Pinot Noir. Did you know Tony Rynders got the idea of making White Pinot Noir from an Italian winemaker during IPNC? I didn’t know this either until I interviewed him on the podcast. How many other producers are you aware of that make a White Pinot Noir? I mean, the number is small, and the process is crazy similar when using Pinot Noir for Sparkling. Champagne producers have been doing it for hundreds of years!

Anyway, what did I think of the 2023 Pinot Noir Blanc? I always enjoy a White Pinot Noir, and having it slightly chilled is perfect for summer. What I enjoyed most about this wine was the great acidity level, and it was full-bodied!

Next up was the 2022 Pinot Noir Rosé. If you have been reading for a while, you are aware I am not a fan of Rosé. Why? The tartness on the mid-palate and finish is too much for me. This Rosé had 12 to 18 hours of skin contact with some good acidity, and I didn’t get that tartness I am not a fan of. I was very pleasantly surprised!

The 2019 Bayliss Bowler Prospector’s Reserve Pinot Noir held a nice red color in the glass with a great nose. On the mid-palate, it was young, vibrant with a dainty body, and a good fill of spice on the finish. I enjoyed this being 5 years young, and I ponder what it will be like in another 5-10 years.

Well, I shouldn’t wonder much longer because after the 2019 was the 2016 Bayliss Bowler Prospector’s Reserve. It was much like the 2019, but on the nose, you could smell the additional three years. How does one describe the extra three years? I don’t know, but it was delightfully there.

To finish out the wines, Cameron opened a 2017 777 Pinot Noir. If you know much about Pinot Noir clones, 777 is a clone, and this is a wine dedicated to that clone. As we were sipping the wine, Cameron let me know this was picked in between the rains. I enjoyed it immensely. It was again dainty, light, elegant with a great spice note finish.

The new tasting room is open for tastings but isn’t “officially” open yet. They are looking at doing a Grand Opening in October. Every year, the club members gather for a pig roast. Every Friday night during the season, they are open until 9:00. I heard there are some good times occurring on Friday night!

What else does one say about a winery that has a rich backstory, a new tasting room, a winemaker with deep Oregon roots, and a nice lineup of wine? Well, there is only one thing to say: go make a reservation for a tasting, and when you see Cameron or Bernadette, tell them, “A.J. sent me!”

With Gratitude,

A.J.

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PS - If you ever find yourself daydreaming about the perfect summer evening, a glass of wine in hand, and the sun setting over a beautiful vineyard, remember that sometimes reality can be just as good—if not better. Cheers to uncovering the gems and making every sip a memorable one! See you in wine country!