Here’s the press release:
Antica Terra Acquires Keeler Estate Vineyard
In its first acquisition since its founding in 2005, Oregon’s premier winery will add 147 acres of biodynamic vineyards and native oak savannah and woodlands to their existing estate in the Willamette Valley’s Eola-Amity Hills.
This expansion allows the team most respected in the wine industry for creating bespoke luxury experiences, the room to broaden their offerings, giving rise to new, exclusive, immersive experiences unlike any other in the region or the world beyond.
Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon – July 5th, 2023 – Antica Terra is pleased to announce that it has acquired Keeler Estate, its first acquisition on record. The Antica Terra and Keeler Estate Vineyards share a fence line in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and as neighbors share profound mutual respect.
Stewardship is at the heart of this acquisition. Keeler Estate was founded as a certified biodynamic vineyard, and includes over 80 acres of native oak savannah sited on prime vineyard soil. Most wineries would clearcut to plant more vines; instead, Craig Keeler painstakingly rehabilitated the ecosystem, clearing invasive tree species and planting native companions for the oaks. These trees will remain preserved in the Oregon Oak Accord for the lifetime of Antica Terra’s ownership.
“When it came time to transact, it was important to us that the new caretaker of this place would hold the same values as us.” said Keeler Estate co-founder, Craig Keeler. “Our only call was to Maggie [Harrison] and Antica Terra. We were not interested in giving our property to a large company that might change direction from decades of work by planting wall-to-wall vines, eliminating poly-culture, or destroying the oak savannah. I believe that in this transition, our stewardship will be carried in the same manner - or improved upon - as we have done since we first broke ground.”
“We are honored to carry Craig and Gabrielle Keeler’s incredible legacy of work,” said Antica Terra winemaker, Maggie Harrison. “We have long been impressed with the level of care and devotion to the land evident in every corner of the estate. The rigor of biodynamic practice and their profound ecological respect have built a foundation we are endlessly grateful to be allowed to build upon.”
The expanded acreage ushers in a new era of hospitality. To explore the conceptual common thread of an expanded landscape, Antica Terra has partnered with architecture and design firm, West of West. Experiences will populate the entirety of the estate, pushing out the walls of the traditional tasting room. With the help of ORCA Living, fallen oak and oceanic rock from the landscape will be transformed into the materials for interior and exterior furnishings.
Be it a wine flight at a 200 foot table winding through the oak savannah, fine dining in a greenhouse, or a corporate event in the reimagined barrel hall, there is room for each visiting party to inhabit a private world of wild luxury.
