Antica Terra

Antica Terra is a 5-hectare (11-acre) estate situated on the steep, rocky soils of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA in Oregon. Its portfolio is based on Pinot Noir, although Chardonnay and Roussanne feature too.

In 2005, Scott Adelson, John Mavredakis, Michael Kramer and winemaker Maggie Harrison (formerly assistant winemaker at Sine Qua Non) testablished the Antica Terra project in Willamette Valley. The original vineyards were planted between 1989 and 1998 and covered 2ha (6 acres). This expanded after 2005 when the new owners bought an adjoining 8ha (20 acres) of land and began planting it to Pinot Noir. Today, there are seven different clones of Pinot Noir on the estate, on a variety of different exposures. 

The viticultural environment is based around the estate's location on a prehistoric seabed. The soils are made up of sandstone interspersed with ancient oyster shells, and have minimal topsoil. Due to the terroir, the vines are in a constant state of stuggle, and are particularly small considering their age. The thick-skinned grapes, too, are small in size – roughly half that of a normal grape – and only a few tiny clusters are present on each vine. These low-yielding vines lead to intensely concentrated and complex wines.

Antica Terra became fully organic in 2007 and released its first Pinot Noir wine, Antikythera, in 2009. Since then, it has added Pinot Noir wines like Botanica, Ceras and Obelin to its portfolio, as well as the Angelicall rosé, which ages on its lees for a year in barrel before bottling. Additionally, Antica Terra sources Chardonnay grapes from the nearby Shea Vineyard to make its single expression of Chardonnay, Aurata.