Overview:  Belle Pente (bell-pont') means "beautiful slope"—a perfect description for our hillside vineyard site in the heart of the Yamill-Carlton District. It also reflects the inspiration we draw from Old World winemaking traditions of Burgundy and Alsace, and our commitment to craft wines of impeccable balance and seductive complexity with a strong sense of place. In the vineyard we employ organic and biodynamic farming techniques to vitalize the soil and nourish the vines. Carefully managing vineyard quality and yields, coupled with meticulously hand-sorting the grapes that arrive at the winery, insures that we begin the winemaking process with the best raw material possible. Our three-level gravity-flow facility is designed for gentle, natural winemaking in small lots, with minimal handling and mainpulation, to produce premium wines of character and distinction. Our 70-acre property is located two miles east of the historic town of Carlton. The vineyard site rises from 240–500 feet with south, southeast, and southwest exposures. The Belle Pente estate vineyard was planted starting in 1994, and now includes 16 acres of Pinot noir, Pinot gris, and Chardonnay. Our estate vineyard is supplemented with high-quality fruit from specific blocks of carefully selected Yamhill County vineyards.