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Coeur de Terre Vineyard 2019 Estate Syrah
Aged to Perfection
Nine miles into the hills from downtown McMinnville, Coeur de Terre is certainly off the beaten path. But once you’re there, you can understand Scott and Lisa’s passion for the land.
In fact, Coeur de Terre (French for “heart of the earth”) is actually named for a large, heart-shaped rock they found while excavating the grounds for the vineyard.
When you visit, you’ll see stunning hills surrounding their tasting room. And if you’re lucky enough to spend some time during your tasting, they’ll pull out these giant tubes of soil to show you the vast differences between each part of their property and how those differences affect the wine.
Scott and Lisa have put their heart and soul into Coeur de Terre. Scott’s from Minnesota and Lisa’s from Colorado, and together they moved to Oregon in 1998 looking for a piece of land to grow their dreams and their family.
Nearly three decades later, 23 of their 50 acres are planted on an organically-farmed site that they tend themselves and a beautiful tasting room and winery. Hard work and passion have really paid off!
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Coeur de Terre Vineyard, McMinnville, Oregon
2019 Estate Syrah
Tasting Notes
Our Estate Syrah is one of those wines that comes at you from completely unexpected angles. Unlike modern Syrah from warmer climes, the nose on this wine exhibits overwhelming notes of blueberry and high-toned violet due to being co-fermented with 3% estate-grown Viognier, along with a pronounced salinity. The palate then expands to encompass notes of Italian plum, raspberry, and iron with a beefy quality. This wine pairs exceptionally well with roasted meats or braised duck breast and will age very nicely for years to come.
Vintage Notes
A relatively warm but wet Spring of 2019 resulted in budbreak near historical averages of mid-April. The early growing season was punctuated with warmer than normal temperatures with a few relatively mild frost events that didn’t cause any damage. Mid vintage temperatures moderated and we experienced very few heat spikes. Even though degree-day totals were very similar to 2018, this vintage had a marked cooling in September with early rains and rapid coolingin October, creating a challenging harvest determination and creating the coolest harvest temperatures since 2017. Overall, this was a considerably cooler vintage than the previous five vintages resulting in classic Oregon wines.
Vineyard Notes
Syrah is not widely grown in the North Willamette Valley, but we love cool climate Syrah and are committed to making this one of the great varietals of our area. The Syrah block sits in the warmest part of our site, with precious little topsoil. It is, in fact, mostly composed of weathered siltstone. The direct south exposure along with this rockiness results in vines that mature slowly, developing complex minerality with age. The Syrah block is now dedicated to Lisa’s Grandma Nita. As with the entire vineyard, it has been farmed organically since its inception.
Technical Notes
Varietals: 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier
Fermentation: 3-day cold soak, native
AVA: McMinnville
Harvest Date: 10/11/19
Alcohol: 12.9
Finished pH: 3.66
Cases Produced: 385
A Cellar 503 selection in November 2025, Grateful Willamette Valley | Syrah
