About Hawks View Cellars

Hawks View Cellars is a family-owned and -managed winery tucked away on Chehalem Mountain in Sherwood, Oregon, just 30 minutes from downtown Portland. We craft limited quantities of award-winning, estate-grown Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, as well as non-estate wines from top California and Washington vineyards. Our academically perfect vineyards, world-class facilities and artisanal methods allow Hawks View to deliver the purest expression of Northwest winemaking. With spectacular views of five Cascade peaks from our patio and tasting room, we invite you to come relax in this spectacular setting, and enjoy our wines and hospitality.

Our Founder: Jack Kemp

A lifelong Oregonian, Jack Kemp purchased the Hawks View Vineyard in 2002 as a home site after retiring from the financial services industry. Jack had no intention of going into the winemaking business at the time but, once nestled in among the vines, he couldn't help himself. Driven by a vision of that combined a world-class facility with a warm, inviting place that would bring friends together, he began planning the winery in 2007.

Hawks View Cellars became one of the great loves of Jack's life. Always a believer in excellence above all else, he relished every opportunity to share his passion for the property's beauty and the romance of winemaking. It is our great pleasure to share his legacy with you.

Management team

Willie Kemp, Co-Founder

A resident of Oregon for over 40 years, Willie Kemp co-founded the winery in 2007 with her late husband, Jack, and son, A.J. Earlier in her career, she worked in banking before deciding to dedicate herself full-time to motherhood. She is a graduate of the University of Idaho. Willie and Jack named Hawks View after watching a number of the graceful birds riding the thermals high above the estate. Willie works endlessly to ensure that the quality of Hawks View vintages remains true to the winery's mission of going above and beyond the expectations of everyone who experiences it. Mother to Kari, Kristi and A.J., and grandmother to five wonderful boys, she lives overlooking the vineyard with her loyal terrier Reggie.

A.J. Kemp, Co-Founder

A native Oregonian, A.J. began his career with a working internship under the supervision of Hawks View's viticulturist in 2003. As the growing season came to a close, A.J. was fortunate to spend crush working at Anne Amie Vineyards, another Oregon winery. In 2007, A.J., his mother Willie, and his father, Jack, co-founded the Hawks View Cellars winery operation. A.J. oversees the day-to-day management of the estate vineyard and winery as well as various other Kemp family business. A.J. is a 2002 graduate of Claremont McKenna College and a 2003 graduate of the Peter F. Drucker School of Management. He lives in a home overlooking both Hawks View Vineyard and the Muirfield Block with his dogs, Dash and Dora.

Ryan Harms, Winemaker

Born in the Midwest, Ryan spent the latter part of his childhood in upstate New York outside the Finger Lakes wine region. He received his bachelor's degree in environmental science from Binghamton University in New York. Ryan arrived in Oregon in 2000, and honed his skills at Bergstrom Wines, Torii Mor Vineyards and Winery, and Rex Hill Vineyards. With an established reputation for hign-quality, innovative winemaking, and a strong focus on the vineyard, Ryan is passionate about crafting elegant Pinots from the Hawks View estate. Ryan and his wife, Tori, live in Portland with their two sons, Noah and Ethan.

David Williams, Director of Hospitality

A native Oregonian, David has always felt fortunate to call Portland and the Pacific Northwest home. At a young age, he realized that food and drink were the social cement that helped to create lasting memories and stronger bonds between people. Since 2000, he has pursued a career in the food, beverage and event industries and has managed events for clients such as Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co., Mario's, Wieden+Kennedy, Nike, Intel, Microsoft, Xerox, The Republican National Committee, The Democratic Party, OHSU, Oregon Ballet Theater, Portland Opera, The Standard, United Way, University of Oregon, Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, and Acura, among many others. David pursued pre-med studies at Portland State University. He speaks fluent Korean and is pursuing training to become a certified sommelier.

Molly McKnight, Administration

Born into a family of longtime Oregonians, Molly brings over 20 years of administrative expertise to Hawks View's business operations. She has held senior positions working with C-suite executives at firms such as Aequitas Capital Management, Pacific Star Communications, Bates Private Capital, and Pacific Crest Technologies. Her warm personality and strong skills in planning, management and operations help make every tasting, event, and personal visit a seamless experience.

Above and Beyond

At Hawks View, we don't define success in conventional terms. We define it on your terms. Through the deeply personal attention that our family and team devote to you, to the grapes in our vineyard, and to the craft of fine winemaking, our mission is to ensure that every bottle you open, and each visit you make, goes above and beyond your expectations.

Wines

Hawks View Cellars hand-produces wines in very limited quantities using artisanal methods that begin when the fruit is still on the vine. Please note that all of our vintages are produced in very limited quantity. If you are interested in purchasing one of the current releases, please contact us directly.

2010 La Baleine

This unique wine is a handcrafted blend of 68% Hawks View Vineyard Pinot Noir, 18% Gary's Vineyard Syrah, and 14% Double Canyon Vineyard Merlot. The Pinot Noir gives the wine aromatic complexity and helps contain the Syrah's dark and explosive personality. The addition of Merlot to this wine adds size and intensity to its elegance. The wine was aged in 33% new oak, and 67% once-filled barrels, which add spice and complexity.
Bottle - $40

• Wine Spec Sheet

2009 Pinot Noir

A recently discovered cache of vintages offers a rare chance to taste one of our most impressive vintages. The 2009 Hawks View Vineyard Pinot Noir is a selection of blocks from the vineyard. The foundation of this year's blend comes from the Pommard and Dijon clone 777 and 667 blocks, a blend that brings out a delightful elegance and aromatic complexity.
Bottle - $35

• Wine Spec Sheet

2010 California Syrah

The fruit for this wine comes entirely from the sandy loam soils and cooling marine influence of Gary's Vineyard in California's Santa Lucia Highlands. We fermented the fruit in a small stainless steel tank with 80% of the stems removed, and punched it down twice daily until it was dry. We then aged the wine in a combination of French oak Burgundy barrels and a Hungarian oak puncheon (equivalent to two Burgundy barrels). The resulting wine is lush and intense, with soft fruit and a velvety texture.
Bottle - $40

• Winemakers NotesVineyard Management NotesWine Spec Sheet

2011 Pinot Gris

To create the 2011 Hawks View Vineyard Pinot Gris, we did separate pickings over several weeks to capture the early primary flavors and beautiful acidity that the cool fall temperatures provided, as well as the ripeness and tropical flavors that developed with more time on the vine. The pickings were fermented separately to maintain their unique qualities, then blended together in April of 2012 to finish aging as one harmonious wine.
Bottle - $26

• Winemakers NotesVineyard Management NotesWine Spec Sheet

2011 White Pinot Noir

The newest addition to the Hawks View lineup is a white Pinot Noir, an incredibly versatile white wine made from 100% Pinot Noir fruit. Picked from two of our Wadenswil blocks, this clone shows good aromatic qualities and tends to have larger berries. The cool fall temperatures helped this wine retain its beautiful acidity. The juice was fermented with separate yeasts in a combination of stainless steel and French oak barrels for six months, then blended together The wine was assembled in late March 2012 to finish aging.
Bottle - $26

• Winemakers NotesVineyard Management NotesWine Spec Sheet

Winemaking at Hawks View Cellars

Winemaking at Hawks View Cellars begins in the vineyard, where our team understands and works individually with each and every one of our 56,082 vines. This intimate relationship continues from the vine to the bottle. Winemaker Ryan Harms expertly blends artisanal methods with innovations offered by the latest technology, always following the lead of the fruit to give it the best opportunity to shine. The result: elegant, multidimensional, award-winning wines.

Our vineyard

Planted in 1991, the 50-acre Hawks View Vineyard offers the ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Our east-facing slopes protect the vines from the heat of summer, while our moderate elevation ensures optimal ripening. The laurelwood and loess soils – unique to this side of the Chehalem Mountains AVA – lend distinction.

Given such outstanding raw materials, our work in the vineyard focuses on treating each vine with the respect it deserves. Through hand farming and harvesting, minimizing yields, and responding to the individual needs and strengths of each vine, our team has elevated the Hawks View Vineyard to its full potential, producing a concentrated fruit that reflects the perfection of the site, year after year.

Our Winemaker

"I had always loved the fruit from Hawks View," says winemaker Ryan Harms, who crafted several high-scoring vintages from our grapes before joining our team. "This vineyard lends itself to elegant wines that fit my palate perfectly."

Ryan is intimately involved in every step of the winemaking process throughout the course of each season. His approach to winemaking is inventive, flexible and non-dogmatic. "In every vintage we adapt to the nature of the fruit to coax the best outcomes, from the vine to the bottle."

Our property

While our setting was designed by nature, we have leading architect Larry Ferar to thank for bringing the vision of our world-class winery and tasting room to life. The confluence of this astonishing facility and this breathtaking vineyard makes every Hawks View experience extraordinary.

The meeting room

Our spacious, light-filled tasting room doubles as a meeting space unlike any your group has experienced before. We provide wireless Internet service and the latest audio-visual systems — if you can take your eyes off the views. The space comfortably accommodates up to 100 people in a variety of seating configurations.

The tasting room

Soaring ceilings and expansive windows bring the outdoors into the beautiful tasting room at Hawks View. Enjoy a tasting at the marble bar, cozy up in a leather lounge chair by the fireplace, or add some pub tables and make it a party.

Fermentation Hall

As pristine as a clean room, our technologically sophisticated fermentation hall provides the optimal conditions for producing the purest wines possible. It also doubles as a dining hall for private events, complete with a catering staging area, temperature control, dimmer lights and designer wall colors. The fermentation hall seats up to 100 people.

The patio and lawn

From our beautifully landscaped patio and lawn, a ring of five Cascade peaks forms a dramatic backdrop to the sweeping view of Oregon's wine country. Every now and then, our resident hawks fly by to take in the view with you. This outdoor space can accommodate private events for 200 people or more.

Private Events

It's our pleasure to share Hawks View Cellars with families, businesses and other groups as an unforgettable venue for your private events. Located just 30 minutes from downtown Portland, our retreat-like setting, state-of-the art facilities and full-service staff are yours for the day. Come make yourself at home.

Please contact us to book your event and learn more about our service options.

A private corporate retreat

From high-level meetings to company celebrations, Hawks View goes far beyond the standard meeting space. We offer a discrete destination that's as private and secure as your own boardroom, with flexible-use spaces, sophisticated AV systems, dedicated hospitality, and a physical setting that will impress, inspire and reward.

A stunning setting for life's celebrations

Hawks View Cellars offers a breathtaking venue for celebrating life's milestones. Plan your own, personal tasting, or just relax and enjoy the sweeping views of the Cascade peaks and Oregon's wine country. For your next anniversary, reunion or fund-raising auction, our facilities and staff are at your service.

An unforgettable winery wedding

Hawks View Cellars offers the most dramatic setting imaginable for the most important day of your life. Celebrate in the heart of a winery surrounded by the romance of snow-capped peaks while our warm, professional staff tends to every detail of your special day, from catering to flowers, service, music and more.

La Baleine Club

La Baleine is French for "the whale" and was an affectionate nickname for our founder, Jack Kemp. Devoted to his family, friends, and colleagues, Jack believed strongly in celebrating life with those closest to you. Since our wines are produced in very limited quantities, the La Baleine Club is our way of ensuring that our most loyal friends are always able to have first access to the wines they love.

That's the way Jack would have wanted it.

La Baleine Club Benefits

• Two-week pre-release purchase opportunity on every wine

• No quantity limits on purchases

• Preferred access to limited-seating events

• Personal invitations to special members-only events, including tastings, concerts, and our winemaker's private-cellar events

How to join

Membership in the club is free with a minimum purchase of two cases of wine each calendar year. To join, please contact us.

Private Winemaker's Tasting

2011 White Pinot - 2010 California Syrah - 2011 Pinot Gris

We are thrilled to celebrate these wines and would like to invite you to join us for a special, private tasting with our winemaker, Ryan Harms, who will provide his personal insights into each wine's creation. This limited-seating celebration will also feature a special food pairing to accentuate the unique characteristics of each of our new releases.

This invitation-only gathering is available by appointment at 10:00am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm on Saturday, May 26th, and Sunday, May 27th. Please note that seating is limited to no more than 12 persons per table, or 24 persons per appointment time. Reservations are $20 per person for the tasting and a post-event glass of wine to help you enjoy the scenic view from our lovely patio.

We look forward to celebrating our new releases and the Memorial Day weekend together!