Beaux Frères

'Beaux Frères' means 'brothers-in-law'. In this case, it concerns the brothers-in-law Michael G. Etzel and Robert Parker, who bought this winery in Oregon in the US in 1986. Belles Soeurs was first made in 1996, but the wine was immediately included in the Beaux Frères wines the following year. In 2017, the wine was reintroduced. The Belles Soeurs is a select cuvée composed of 3 vineyards located in the AVA Ribbon Ridge in the Willamette Valley. The Beaux Frères style can be described as natural and authentic, according to biodynamic and organic methods. Today, the winery is owned by Maisons & Domaines Henriot (owners of Champagne Henriot, Bouchard Père et Fils, and William Fèvre).

A few years ago they started with biodynamic agriculture. They all work with natural products such as tonics from dandelion and nettle tea the way for a symbiotic relationship with our landscape and this gives top fruit. They compost on-site and graft their cuttings and pay close attention to regular observation and connection to the vines.

The Beaux Frères Vineyard is located on 88 acres atop Ribbon Ridge near Newberg (Yamhill County, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA). Tall and stately Douglas occupies nearly 50 acres of the land with homestead and winery buildings occupying another 8 acres. The vineyard is located on 30 acres (24 of which are planted) of steep, contiguous southeast, south, and southwest-facing hills of Willekenzie soils at an elevation of approximately 120 meters. Planting began in 1988 with tightly planted Pinot Noir vines at a density of about 2200 plants per acre (a lot of competition makes for deeper rooting). The oldest vines in the vineyard are now 31 years old and the vineyard as a whole is a mixture of homegrown Pommard and Wädenswil clones and younger Dijon clones on phylloxera-resistant rootstocks. Located just north and a little higher than the Beaux Frères Vineyard, the Upper Terrace Vineyard was first planted in 2000. It consists of Dijon clones of Pinot Noir occupying about 9 acres of the 40-acre property - the remainder is densely wooded and lush with flora and fauna.