Lumos Wine Company
West of Philomath up Kings Highway sits roughly 78 acres of Lumos Wine Company. The Crisp Family purchased the property the early 70’s. Dai and his parents planted mostly Chardonnay in 1985 with some Pinot Noir specifically for Rosé in the south block. Now Dai and his wife PK McCoy tend to the almost 15 acres in vines. Some of the property was given to conservationists about 10 years back to support the Fenders Blue Butterfly and Kincaids Lupine, both calling the land home.
The property was originally a Dude Lodge called the H bar H Dude Ranch in the 1930’s and 40's. The original barn on the property had a dance floor were clients could spend their evenings when staying on the property. The barn over time was leaning so badly, it had to be pulled back straight with the tractor and then strengthened. Even after all the work was put into the barn, it still would not pass code. The newly constructed tasting room is attached to the south side of the original barn to afford clients the beautiful views of the vineyards while keeping the rustic feel of the old barn.
The property first started selling commercially in 1987. Dai, 2 years later in 1989, was hired to run Croft Vineyard, and stayed there for 8 years until moving on to Willakenzie Vineyard. Shortly thereafter in 1999, he became the vineyard manager of the 100 acres at Temperance Hill Vineyards. All the grapes are grown organically with minimal sulfites added during creation.
Temperance Hill Vineyard started bottling in 2000 with their first release in 2002. That same year, a warehouse was purchased in McMinnville that was shared with Ransom Vineyards. After a bit of a remodel, Lumos and Temperance Hill brought on Reed College graduate Julia Catrall as winemaker. During the seasons, Julia would spend half the year tending Ransom, Lumos and Temperance Hill wines, while sharing the season in New Zealand with Larry McKenna during their harvest. Julia still remains a prized consultant, but the winemaking reins have been turned over to Boone Crisp, Dai and PK’s son.
A unique wine to the region that Dai has been growing at Temperance Hill is Aligoté, a distant cousin to Chardonnay. With only 1 acre currently dedicated to the varietal, a second acre is on it’s way. While visiting a friend in Paris, they decided to eat dinner at a nearby restaurant, with the friend purchasing the wine for the evening. Dai found it interesting, researched it and brought the idea back to the States. A white Burgundy varietal with notes of lemon and toasted almonds. Using more whole cluster grapes, it makes the Aligoté more aromatic and brings out the suttle nuances. Bright violet floral and strawberry fruit aromas, with beautiful and lively dried strawberry and ripe kiwi flavors. - David Patte - Lumos Wine Co.
The Julia Pinot Gris is named for it’s appreciation after it’s winemaker, Julia Catrall. Barrel fermented rather than stainless steel, fermented dry with no residual sugars. 92 points in Wine & Spirits Magazine, and 90 points in Wine Enthusiast, Paul Gregutt describes the wine with lush fruit flavors combine in a mellow mix of apple, pear and light citrus. It’s a rich wine, creamy and fruit-driven, with substantial weight and length.
The north block Chardonnay on the property ripens a bit late. Elevated around 800-850 feet, the wind pushes the heat out, keeping the vines cooler. Barrel fermented for most of the term with only a brief move to stainless towards the end of fermentation, a middle aged wine.
Lumos has quite a few varietals of Pinot Noir, ranging in age in barrel, vineyards or blocks, but specific to the Lumos property is the Pinot Noir that goes into making the Lumos Rosé. The juices are curated at a specific Ph during fermentation in barrel, made from old vines on the property. Bright violet floral and strawberry fruit aromas, beautiful and lively dried strawberry and ripe kiwi flavors. Lingers nicely on the finish with a hint of fruity hard candy notes.
Coming up the driveway at Lumos you see the old original barn with various items of old memorabilia of the ranch. Look off into the distance and you can still see the snow on the top of Mary’s Peak late into spring. All told, Lumos creates roughly 3,000 total cases of wine with roughly 800 cases of Reds. Sitting in the tasting room or outside on a clear day, you get a sense of nostalgia as you overlook the first vines planted almost 40 years ago by Dai and his parents.
