Old vines are one of the wine world’s most cherished possessions. They not only can bring additional nuance and complexity, they are also living pieces of history.

Stoller Family Estate vice president of winemaking Melissa Burr first became interested in working with old vine fruit when her mother-in-law purchased a piece of property in the Columbia Gorge. The land had a 12-acre vineyard, including Pinot Noir vines planted in the late 1960s. The vineyard, which has been alternately referred to as Mont Elise, Atavus, and Dragonfly, sits 1,800 feet above sea level – quite high by Pacific Northwest standards.

“I was really intrigued by it,” Burr says.

However, it wasn’t until Great Northwest Wine writer Andy Perdue encouraged Burr to look at other old vine sites that the project took shape.

“He was one of the people talking about [Monte Elise] when I was first getting going,” Burr says. “He really inspired me.”