Our Story
Dear Family & Friends,
As many of you know, I moved to Oregon in 2006 and fell in love with the ruggedness of the Pacific Northwest – the clear air, snowcapped mountains, creative food scene, and ultimately the amazing wines. Shortly after we arrived, my late wife Brigitte had our second son, and almost immediately after was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. Over the years, during many sleepless nights, I found myself reading about food (anyone who knows me well understands my passion for cooking), which led me to viticulture and to learning about geological formations and soil types.
It wasn't long before the boys and I would drive to wine country for a few hours on the weekends, as Brigitte was resting after treatments. It took us a short seven years to find our dream site, which included driving down a one-lane country gravel road and taking out three mailboxes as I tried to look up on the hill where the boys pointed out a site we hadn't seen yet.
Given the uncertainty around her health and the fact that I was raising two young boys on my own, I always found an excuse not to act – until I was traveling for work and she had to meet the property appraiser. I didn't hear from her after my meetings and was worried. When I called her, she was sitting on the deck of the house, knitting, and promptly asked, "What are you waiting for – this place is perfect, and there is never a perfect time in life."
Her partnership and strength over the years greatly influenced my decision to push forward with the project. In 2014, I (along with a few of my closest friends - Steve & Heather Singh and Michael & Sarah Lippert who took a minority stake) purchased the thirty-five-acre piece of land with the idea of turning the then-filbert farm into a world-class vineyard someday. Knowing nothing about vineyards or making wine, almost everyone around me, including many of you, thought I was crazy!
In the early days, my two boys, Wyatt and Beck, were instrumental in helping me develop the property – at first pulling weeds as they were only 6 and 8, but then they helped plant the blocks of grapes, cutting back thorny blackberry bushes, and eventually graduating to grading roads, and tractor work, including mowing and plowing. Today the landschaft surrounding the vineyard is beautiful and Brigitte's ashes grace the property's current three blocks of grapes. Anyone who knew her or walks the grounds today can feel her love of the place and her protection over the vines.
Over the past decade, we have had several lucky breaks such as over-earning on the hazelnuts harvested from the land that hadn't been yet removed as crops around the world were wiped out by severe weather, while another friend convinced me I would never make it to the farm every weekend with both boys playing travel sports, nudging me to renovate the house and turn it into a short-term rental. These extra sources of income have helped us buffer the typical "large" cash burn from young vines, which have now reached maturity.
Along the way, we've been very fortunate to build deep ties with industry wine legends such as Tony Soter who helped us originally lay out the vineyard and select clones unique to the Willamette Valley, and my current partner Ken Wright who took over vineyard management when I relocated back east and started to make beautiful wines from the property in 2022. The wine has won several "blinds" at some of the nicest restaurants in NYC and was very well received this past summer at Oregon Pinot Camp, where I gave a brief talk about the history of the property to several top sommeliers from across the country.
Given the strong feedback from industry participants, Ken and I have decided to expand production of the Neigut Vineyard single-vineyard bottling gradually. Over the years, many of you have asked where you can get a case, and more recently, those who have tasted the wine have added to the demand. Currently, you can only get the wine via an exclusive offering through the Ken Wright Cellars wine club membership. As most of you know, I prioritize "family" in almost everything I do, and Ken has graciously offered to help us build a "Friends & Family" wine club - so that each of you can become part of the family.
With humbleness and gratitude, we value our time and memories with each of you and look forward to raising a glass together!
Kindly,
The Neigut Family
Moments from the Vineyard
