Beckham Estate, Pinot Noir 2022

Beckham Estate Vineyard- where clay meets Pinot. Beckham Estate Vineyard sits high in the Chehalem Mountains, a patchwork of steep slopes, forest edges, and vineyards carved by hand. Andrew and Annedria Beckham moved here in 2004 with no intention of starting a winery. Andrew is a ceramic artist by trade and at first the property was meant for his workshop. On the end it was only a matter of time until wine became a bigger part of the Beckham's life. Within a year they were planting Pinot Noir, learning the rhythms of farming as they went, doing the hard work themselves. By 2009, Beckham wines were bottled under their own label.

The estate now covers around 34 acres of which half is planted with vines. Pinot Noir is the backbone here, with Riesling, Trousseau Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and a scattering of other varieties like Aligote adding diversity. Farming is organic and dry-farming is practices where possible, with a focus on biodiversity- riparian areas left intact, animals moving through the vineyard, and a belief that the land shapes the wine more than any recipe in the cellar.

What sets Beckham apart is Andrew’s ceramic craft. Out of his workshop on the property he throws and fires terra cotta amphorae, which they use in place of oak barrels for fermenting and ageing. These clay vessels breathe differently, giving the wines texture and lift rather than oak’s polish. The Amphora Project, bottled under A.D. Beckham, explores this marriage of clay and grape in a way few wineries in the world attempt.

Beckham Estate is still a family project — a mix of farming, art and stubborn persistence. It’s Oregon Pinot with a streak of clay, shaped as much by the potter’s wheel as by the vine.