Tasting Room Hours

Thursday through Monday: 10:45am–6pm

The Memaloose Label

The name “Memaloose” represents our terroir. It is the name of a sacred Indian island, that lies in the center (geographically) of our estate vineyards — two on the Oregon shore of the Columbia and three on the Washington side. “Memaloose” wines are made exclusively from Rhone Valley variety grapes. “Idiot’s Grace” is Brian McCormick's label that was developed after “Memaloose” and is now our primary label: it is 90% certified organic. (The name came from the title of an inspiring 1980's rock song and is also the name of Brian and Maria's home farm in Mosier – producing grapes, cherries and pears, among other organic specialties).

These are “food wines”, and as such enjoy a strong following among the sommelier community. One of our distributors describes them as: “wines with the fruit of the “new world” with the freshness of the “old world”.

The distinctive Memaloose label draws inspiration from Lewis and Clark’s exploration. The “Corps of Discovery” camped in 1806 on the river bank overlooking Memaloose Island. Permission was granted for us to reproduce the Lewis and Clark journals on our label (including sketches, maps, and copy). The quote on the label is from April 14, 1806, when the group camped below our vineyards, overlooking the island. (Note that the explorers called Memaloose “Sepulcher,” their reference to the sacred burial structures of the Native American island). Our label expresses a bit of the history of our place and inspiration for our journey.