Lonesome Rock - Our Quest to Product Unique, World Class, Willamette Valley Wines

A 25-Year Quest to Craft Unique, World-Class, Willamette Valley Wines

BEGINNINGS IN FRANCE

Lonesome Rock is the culmination of our life’s work. It is the story of our drive to risk everything to care for an exceptional vineyard, create exquisite, world-class wines, and share them with the world.

We met in French Drama & Poetry at the University of South Florida in 1989. As like-minded francophiles with a sense of adventure, we moved to France in 1991 where Danny studied Oenology at the Université de Bourgogne and worked in the vineyards and cellar at 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.

  • Danny at Romanee Conti with 2 pilots he just met

    Accidentally attending the Hospices de Beaune while studying abroad, 1988

  • Danny and Suzy Klieman with Rachael Klieman in Bordeaux hotel

    With our daughter, Rachael, in a cheap hotel in Bordeaux after knocking on Chateau Margaux's door for a job, 1992

  • Danny Klieman in the lab at Oenology at University of Bourgogne

    In the lab studying Oenology at Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France, 1992

  • Danny Klieman racking barrels at Yves Chaley

    Racking barrels of Nuits St. George, Gevrey Chambertin and Hautes-Côtes at Yves Chaley & Fille in Curtil-Vergy, Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits, 1993

  • Danny Klieman and Eric Mugnier in the vineyards of Chassagne Montrachet

    Checking out the vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet, France, 1993

  • Danny and Suzy Klieman in Champage outside their home in 1994

    Outside of our home in Riaucourt in the Champagne region, 1994

OUR TIME IN CHICAGO

After 3 years in France, we returned to Chicago.

While Susan became an entrepreneur, Danny worked for Heritage Wine Cellars, a premier wine importer and distributor, rising in the ranks from Sales Rep to Vice-President. His work took him not only throughout Chicagoland but around the world, learning about the viticulture and winemaking practices of wine regions, both famous and far-flung.

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 was always front and center in our life as a family. Almost every vacation involved scouting out potential vineyards with three kids in tow. Fall revolved around gathering family and friends in the garage to make wine, trucking in grapes by train from California. Wine encyclopedias, blind tastings, vineyard maps, wine dinners, and late-night conversations about the culture, history and science of wine were routine.

  • Danny Klieman and Scot Cohen in Beaujolais

    Beaujolais with Scot from Heritage, 1998

  • Danny Klieman at Roche de Solutré, 1997

    Roche de Solutré, 1999

  • Danny Klieman and son Elliot Making Garage wine with Dan Belford

    Garage wine with Elliot and Dan Belford, 2002

  • Julia Klieman and Rachael Qureshi sorting fruit in the garage

    The kids sorting fruit the garagiste way, 2016

  • Elliot Klieman, Rachael Qureshi, and Danny Klieman making garage wine in 2016

    Keeping the wine cool with frozen water bottles, 2016

  • Danny Klieman making garage wine with a 100 year old Italian wine press

    A 100 year old Italian press in the garage, 2016

FINDING OREGON

Fast forward twenty-five years and countless trips searching for property in California, Washington, Oregon, France, and even Greece, In 2020, we finally found the piece that we had been seeking: a wildly beautiful, Willamette Valley cool-climate, high-elevation vineyard situated off the beaten path in the Pacific Coast Range, seven miles west of Carlton.

The organic vineyard, originally developed in 2007 by Scott and Rae Baldwin of De Ponte Cellars, has been managed by AVS and its dedicated team that has cared for many of the top vineyards in the Willamette Valley for decades. Zak Laster continues as our vineyard manager and personally planted many of the vines that we cultivate today.

Our first harvest at the helm of Lonesome Rock was in September of 2021. Our son and nephew, Elliot and Adam, worked as cellar interns at De Ponte Cellars, where Isabelle Dutartre, with the experience of 35+ vintages in Oregon/Burgundy, continues as Lonesome Rock's pinot noir and sparkling winemaker. Jackson Holstein of Granville Wines, with history working in the vineyards of Lonesome Rock, crafts our tiny lot of chardonnay.

The inaugural vintage of Lonesome Rock was released in May 2023. We can't wait to share this exquisite wine, vineyard, and place with you.

  • Danny Klieman visiting Lonesome Rock vineyard for the first time in 2020

    Visiting Lonesome Rock the first time, 2020

  • Danny and Suzy Klieman after first harvest at Lonesome Rock in 2021

    The look of happiness and relief after our first harvest, 2021

  • Winemaker Isabelle Dutartre sorting Lonesome Rock fruit

    Winemaker Isabelle Dutartre of De Ponte Cellars on the sorting line with fruit from Lonesome Rock, 2021

  • Elliot Klieman making Lonesome Rock Estate Pinot Noir at DePonte Cellars

    Elliot doing punch-downs of Lonesome Rock pinot noir as an intern under Isabelle, 2021

  • Adam Klieman topping up wine barrels of Lonesome Rock

    Adam topping up barrels of Lonesome Rock, 2021

  • The Klieman/Qureshi family - First thanksgiving at Lonesome Rock

    Our first Thanksgiving at Lonesome Rock, 2021

  • Susan Klieman planting first veggie garden at Lonesome, 2022

    Planting first veggie garden at Lonesome, 2022

  • Danny Klieman with Lonesome Rock vineyard Manager Zak Laster

    Danny with our vineyard manager, Zak Laster of Advanced Vineyard Services, 2022

  • Susan Klieman's father, Homer Davies, making owl boxes at Lonesome Rock

    Susan's father, Homer Davies, building owl boxes, 2022

  • Danny Klieman with Rachael and Nisar Qureshi at Lonesome Rock

    Rachael and Nisar with Danny after helping refurbish the pétanque court, 2022

  • Julia Klieman driving the gator at Lonesome Rock

    Julia taking the gator for a spin, 2022