The Story of Lonesome Rock Cellars
Beginnings in France
Lonesome Rock is the culmination of a lifelong pursuit. 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 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, a premier 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.
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 it was first spoken, and after countless trips searching across California, Washington, Oregon, France, and even Greece, we finally found the place we had been seeking: a wildly beautiful, Willamette Valley cool-climate, high-elevation vineyard — isolated and windswept.
The organically-farmed vineyard was originally developed in 2007 by Scott & Rae Baldwin of De Ponte Cellars winery and has long been cared for by the AVS vineyard management team, whose stewardship includes many of the Willamette Valley’s most respected sites. Zak Laster, who personally planted many of the vines in the ground today, continues as vineyard manager.
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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 at Lonesome Rock took place in September 2021. It was a deeply personal moment, made even more meaningful by family. Our son and nephew, Elliot and Adam, worked as cellar interns at De Ponte Cellars, where Isabelle Dutartre—bringing more than 35 vintages of experience across Oregon and Burgundy—continued as Lonesome Rock’s Pinot Noir and sparkling wine winemaker. Our tiny lot of Chardonnay was produced with Jackson Holstein of Granville Wines, who knows Lonesome Rock intimately from time spent working its rows early in his career.
The inaugural vintage of Lonesome Rock was released in May 2023.
Today, Lonesome Rock stands as the realization of a promise made decades earlier—a vineyard shaped by patience, informed by experience, and guided by a deep respect for place. We look forward to sharing these wines, this hillside, and this story with you.
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.