This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Duck Pond Cellars. The winery was founded in 1993 by Jo Ann and Doug Fries, sons Greg and Matt, and daughter Lisa, who divided responsibilities and went straight to work with the goal of producing exceptional wines at affordable prices. At first, they bottled just a few hundred cases of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet sauvignon. Happily, the wines were well received and the business took off.
Since those early days, Duck Pond has grown in many ways. The family now farms 840 acres in eight different estate vineyard sites: five in the Willamette Valley; one in the Umpqua Valley; and two in southeastern Washington's Wahluke Slope AVA. They have also established Desert Wind Winery in the Yakima Valley. They harvest and crush about 1,600 tons per year of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, red blends, white blends, Port, Sparkling, and Dessert wines. They’ve also grown as a family, in the form of three industrious in-laws (Amber Fries, Greg’s wife; Erin Fries, Matt’s wife; and Scott Jenkins, Lisa’s husband), five grandchildren, and one very happy winemaker, Mark Chargin.
Mark started at Duck Pond as assistant winemaker in 2005 and was promoted to winemaker in 2007. Hailing from Central California, Mark earned his Bachelor’s degree in Fruit Science from Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, and worked as assistant winemaker at wineries in Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties before he moved to the Willamette Valley. He is delighted to be able to work with winegrapes from three distinct wine- growing regions.
“It’s very exciting when you grow grapes in three diverse climates. Each region requires different techniques,” Mark says. “Starting from the viticulture, to the pruning, to the tonnage, everything we do, so it really adds a lot of variety to what I do as a winemaker. ”
Planning for its twentieth anniversary celebration, the family bought land and planted the 250- acre Coles Valley Vineyard in Southern Oregon’s Umpqua Valley a little more than three years ago. Greg, who oversees the vineyards, has been particularly involved and is excited about bringing this vineyard dedicated to Pinot Noir to fruition. The young Pinot vines were grafted at the Hylo Vineyard in Salem, and later transported and planted on the site. The vineyard’s location—about 45 miles inland from the Oregon coast—enjoys a slightly warmer climate than the family’s Willamette Valley vineyards, which will allow them more diversity than ever.
“Last fall, we got our first big harvest of Pinot Noir from Coles Valley, ” Greg says. “I’m especially excited about the fruit quality I’ve seen there.”
Today, Duck Pond Cellars is known for producing great quality wines at modest prices. For example, the 2010 Duck Pond Pinot Noir, a silver medal winner at the 2012 San Francisco International Wine Competition, has a retail price of just 20 dollars. It is one of the winery’s more expensive wines. Duck Pond also consistently makes an excellent 12 dollar Syrah from its Washington vineyards.
Duck Pond Cellars’ 20th anniversary is definitely a milestone. “It’s an indication that people enjoy our wines and appreciate what we do,” Greg says. “We’re grateful to have so many loyal customers.”