King Estate

Wines & Vines, March, 1994

The most ambitious Oregon wine production thus far--King Estate Winery at Eugene--has been launched with the objective of making enough wine to supply national and world distribution.

The key man is Ed King, Jr., who made a fortune in the small aircraft electronics industry, controlling the major world market when he sold his company to Bendix in 1985. The King family is the sole owner and financier.

His son, Ed King III, is the president of the winery. A lawyer with an MBA, he has broad business experience and lives in Eugene (for the last eight years).

King made 20,000 cases from grapes purchased in 1992 and has contracts with several Willamette Valley vineyards. First release is scheduled in 1994 of Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Chardonnay and a small amount of Riesling. Planned production capacity is 300,000 gallons.

The project is located on 5,550 acres in the southern Willamette Valley near the community of Lorane. Elevations for the planned vineyard are 800-1,000 feet with prevailing northwest winds moderating temperatures. The operation also is growing fruit for the winery table.

The projection is to plant 350-400 acres of vineyard within four years. Vineyard manager Dave Michul formerly held the same job at Bonny Doon in California. Plantings will be with vines grafted to resistant rootstock (virtually all of the existing 5,000 acres of Oregon wine grapes are on their own roots). The Kings plan a nursery supplying phylloxera-resistant vines as a separate business; one greenhouse is in operation and a second is planned. Experiments with non-traditional varieties are anticipated.

The first phase of the winery is complete. Currently under construction is an underground barrel aging cellar (the first of four planned), an office and a visitor's room. Construction is to be finished next year, when more production space, a bottling facility, three remaining barrel cellars and a case storage cellar are to be added.

Merry Edwards is the winemaking consultant with two associate winemakers: Brad Biehl who worked five years in France, and Will Bucklin, with experience at Domaine Laurier and Navarro in California. Both are graduates of U.C., Davis. Mike Silacci, ex-Beaulieu, heads the winemaking team.

Michael Lambert, previously national sales manager for Jordan Winery (upscale producer in California), is vice president, marketing and sales.

Frank Theis is director of planning and development. He had his own architectural firm in Kansas City and is a former professor at Kansas University. His specialty is parks and botanical gardens, but he also has designed office towers, commercial centers and residential areas.

Equipment at the winery includes a Krones filler, an Amos stemmer-crusher from RLS and a Willmes Press from Scott Laboratories. Tanks are from Santa Rosa Stainless Steel.

King Estate, which plans a national/international focus, does not plan a tasting room--it is well off the highway.

Wines & Vines tasted two Pinot gris at a fall '93 visit to the winery. The regular '92 bottling has a suggested retail of $10.99 while the '92 Reserve goes for $14. King Estate, by the way, will lead with Pinot gris; Chardonnay will be number 2.