The Story of Lonesome Rock Cellars
Beginnings in France
Lonesome Rock is the culmination of a promise we made to each other more than thirty years ago.
We met in 1989 in a French Drama and Poetry class at the University of South Florida. Drawn together by a shared love of language, culture, and travel, we set our sights on France, determined to immerse ourselves fully in the world that had long inspired us.
In 1991, we moved to Burgundy, where Danny studied oenology at the Université de Bourgogne and worked in the vineyards and cellar of Domaine Yves Chaley et Fille in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. After spending all of our free time combing the vineyards of France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, we made a pact to one day care for our own vineyard.
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Accidentally attending the Hospices de Beaune while studying abroad, 1988
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With our daughter, Rachael, in a cheap hotel in Bordeaux after knocking on Chateau Margaux's door for a job, 1992
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In the lab studying Oenology at Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France, 1992
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Racking barrels of Nuits St. George, Gevrey Chambertin and Hautes-Côtes at Yves Chaley & Fille in Curtil-Vergy, Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits, 1993
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Checking out the vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet, France, 1993
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Outside of our home in Riaucourt in the Champagne region, 1994
Years of Learning in Chicago
After four years in France, we returned to Chicago, carrying that promise with us.
Susan built her career as an entrepreneur, while Danny joined Heritage Wine Cellars in Chicago. Over the next several decades, his work took him to vineyards and cellars worldwide, deepening the knowledge and experience that began in Burgundy.
As our professional lives grew, so did our family. Outside of our careers, our time was focused on raising three children… but we never forgot the promise we made in our early twenties. Wine remained a constant thread woven through everyday life. Vacations often revolved around scouting vineyards—children in tow. Autumns were spent making wine in the garage with friends and family, grapes arriving by train from California. Our home was filled with wine encyclopedias, blind tastings, maps, long dinners, and late-night conversations about the culture, history, and science of wine.
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Beaujolais with Scot from Heritage, 1998
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Roche de Solutré, 1999
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Garage wine with Elliot and Dan Belford, 2002
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The kids sorting fruit the garagiste way, 2016
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Keeping the wine cool with frozen water bottles, 2016
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A 100 year old Italian press in the garage, 2016
Finding Oregon
More than twenty-five years after making that promise—and after searching across California, Washington, Oregon, France, and even Greece—we finally found the place we had been looking for.
High in the hills west of Carlton, the vineyard was isolated, windswept, surrounded by forest, and unlike anything else we had seen.
The vineyard was first planted in 2007 by Scott and Rae Baldwin of De Ponte Cellars and has long been cared for by Advanced Vineyard Services. Zak Laster, who helped plant many of the vines still growing here today, continues to manage the vineyard.
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Visiting Lonesome Rock the first time, 2020
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Winemaker Isabelle Dutartre of De Ponte Cellars on the sorting line with fruit from Lonesome Rock, 2021
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Elliot doing punch-downs of Lonesome Rock pinot noir as an intern under Isabelle, 2021
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Adam topping up barrels of Lonesome Rock, 2021
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The look of happiness and relief after our first harvest, 2021
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Our first Thanksgiving at Lonesome Rock, 2021
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Planting first veggie garden at Lonesome, 2022
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Danny with our vineyard manager, Zak Laster of Advanced Vineyard Services, 2022
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Susan's father, Homer Davies, building owl boxes, 2022
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Rachael and Nisar with Danny after helping refurbish the pétanque court, 2022
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Julia taking the gator for a spin, 2022
Becoming Lonesome Rock
Our first harvest came in 2021. Elliot and our nephew Adam were working as cellar interns at De Ponte Cellars that year, making the moment even more of a family affair. We worked with Isabelle Dutartre to make our first Pinot Noir, and Jackson Holstein to make our tiny lot of Chardonnay.
In May 2023, we released the first wines bearing the Lonesome Rock name.
Today, we farm the estate organically and are LIVE Certified Sustainable, with Gabrielle Préfontaine guiding the winemaking. What began as a promise in Burgundy more than thirty years ago has become our life’s work: caring for this vineyard, learning from it with each vintage, and sharing the wines it gives us.
Experience the Wines at our Tasting House in Carlton, Oregon
For those who wish to explore the wines in their place of origin, we invite you to taste our wines at the estate through private, owner-led tastings on our secluded vineyard in the hills west of downtown Carlton, Oregon.