Witness Trees Vineyard Sells

Real estate investors/operators Matthew Felton and Jay Mason, have partnered to acquire the 105-acre Witness Tree Vineyard. The sale closed April 15.

Located 10 miles northeast of Salem in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Witness Tree was named for the property’s 250-year-old oak used as a surveyor’s landmark in 1854 “bearing witness” to the northeast corner of the property.

With a total of 58 acres planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Witness Tree boasts a predominantly east-facing orientation, with elevation up to 600-plus feet, varying soil types, and an abundance of rock, particularly in the mid and upper slopes.

“We plan to continue farming the vineyard organically, with the intention to launch a boutique winemaking project, utilizing the very best of our vineyard’s blocks, in order to bottle a small quantity of terroir-driven Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,” Felton says.

Apart from their own project, Mason and Felton plan to sell the majority of the vineyard’s fruit to a select group of wineries.

As well as producing their own wines, the new owners hope to lease winery space to one larger producer, or possibly a variety of producers as a custom-crush facility. “We are excited about the array of opportunity for this vineyard, which will align with the long-term outlook for our ownership,” Mason says.