All of Cameron's vineyards are grown on a sustainable basis which that they are farmed with utmost respect for the environment. We do not irrigate, we do not use hidmeanseous petrochemical fungicides nor do we support the world vision of Monsanto.

The estate vineyard located at the winery consists of 2 acres of Pinot noir, 1.5 acres of Chardonnay and 0.5 acres of Nebbiolo. Each block of grapes is planted to multiple clones. This technique increases the complexity of the resulting wines as well as giving the vineyard greater resilience in the face of various climatic and biological impediments. Most of the Pinot noir clones were planted in 1984 but new clones have been added along the way, further increasing the vitality and complexity of the vineyard. The Clos Electrique Blanc section was originally planted to several clones of Chardonnay in 1987 but has been further diversified along the way with the addition of Dijon clones of Chardonnay as well as Pinot blanc. A small portion of the experimental block of Nebbiolo was originally planted in 1994 to 2 clones of that grape. By 1999 we were convinced that we could successfully grow Nebbiolo in this location and so started grafting and planting further sections of the vineyard. Since the vines are not irrigated, we do not expect to have commercial quantities available until the 2005 or 2006 vintages.

Clos Electrique is farmed organically which means that we use elemental sulfur during the growing season to prevent growth of powdery mildew and use copper hydroxide and leaf removal in the vicinity of grape clusters to inhibit botrytis. Insect pests are generally kept in check by cultivation of predatory insects with integrated cover crops. This is one of the warmer vineyard sites in the Red Hills of Dundee and usually is harvested during the second half of September. Yields of the "rouge" average 1.5 tons per acre (20.5 hl/hectare) while the "blanc" generally yields 2.0 tons per acre (27 hl/hectare).

Our oldest vineyard and perhaps the most unique is this 22 acre gem located high in the Dundee Hills. The oldest vines were planted in 1976 and these consistently produce some of the best wines in the cellar. A younger block of Pinot noir was planted in 1990 to multiple clones taken from the Clos Electrique vineyard. Known as Arley's Leap, it was named after Bill and Julia's dear, old departed dog, Arley, whose most famous leap was from a balcony in Victoria when he was startled by a cat. A block of Pinot noir and Chardonnay planted in 1984 on a different hillside at Abbey Ridge forms the basis of Cameron's village wine (currently the Willamette Valley appellation). In a distant corner of the vineyard at its highest point we have established a "Friulian" section planted to Pinot bianco and Pinot grigio. These grapes produce the lovely northern Italian-style white wine called Cameroni Giovanni.

At Abbey Ridge only organic sprays are used on the grapes. Moisture levels in the soil of this non-irrigated vineyard are managed by a rotating system of cover crops and tilled (or clean cultivated) areas. By adjusting mowed height of the cover crops relative to rainfall, appropriate quantities of water can be retained in the soil for the vines. The older vines have extremely deep roots to take advantage of moisture there during the dry, late summer months. Abbey Ridge is one of the highest vineyards in the Red Hills of Dundee and is generally harvested relatively late (mid-October for the Pinot noir and mid to late October for the white varieties). This situation produces fruit with high natural acidities and wines with tremendous aging potential. Yields average 2.0-2.5 tons per acre for the Pinot noirs (27-34 hl/Hectare) and 2.0-3.0 tons per acre for the white varieties (27- 40 hl/Hectare).

For another take on Clos Electrique and Abbey Ridge, check out the PBS documentary, Life in Vine, which also follows Cameron Winery through the 1999 harvest.