Back to the Future of Wine, Part 2

The Richard Sommer Story

Part one of Richard Sommer’s story, published Thursday, May 1, left him on the verge of something great; his efforts were about to be recognized. To understand how this came about, you need to know about Howard Hinsdale. 

Hinsdale was a wine distributor — in fact, the first statewide wine distributor in Oregon. Hinsdale had invited a certain Frenchman for dinner, but this was no ordinary guest: he was from Burgundy, France, and an expert in wine. His name was Robert, and his last name was widely known as the head of Burgundy's great winemaking house — Drouhin — his family having made wine in this “holy land” of Pinot Noir since the late 1800s.

One of Hinsdale’s initial goals in bringing Drouhin to Oregon was to help the small group that comprised the state’s modest but promising wine industry gain knowledge and connections. Drouhin had been accompanying Hinsdale on a networking tour, meeting the various clients in Oregon who had been buying Drouhin wines. 

It is no surprise, then, that a simple meal at Hinsdale's home with Drouhin and this small group of Oregon winemakers that Oregon history unfolded. Among those in attendance was none other than the man I wrote about last week: Richard Sommer.

As dinner concluded, Hinsdale proposed a blind wine tasting and began pouring Drouhin 3 Pinot Noirs, all grown and produced in Oregon. Carefully evaluating each, the Frenchman was surprised by one in particular. 

"This tastes very similar to the wines near my home," he said.

In fact, the wine he had found most appealing was grown over 5,000 miles from his home. The winery was Sommer’s HillCrest Vineyard in Roseburg. The vintage? 1967.

Unbeknownst to Hinsdale, this glass of ‘67 Pinot had solved an ongoing dilemma for Drouhin. He had been scouring California for an appropriate vineyard site in hopes of planting his family's legacy in the New World. Unsatisfied with the results, it was — as Drouhin later told Hinsdale — the 1967 Pinot Noir from HillCrest, crafted by Sommer, that made him realize Oregon was key to establishing his family's name in the United States.

Fifty years later, in 2024, the Drouhin family secured the No. 6 spot on Wine Spectator’s “Top 100 Wines of the Year” for their Oregon-grown Pinot Noir. You could argue that Roseburg’s own Sommer helped lay the foundation for that global recognition.

If you read last week's column, you’ll remember that Sommer was a California native, farmer and innovator in search of the winemaking promised land. Stumbling upon Roseburg in the early 1960s, he began experimenting and researching. With a radically innovative and curious mind, Sommer was, without knowing it, transforming wine history — eventually earning the title "Father of Oregon Wine" in Oregon wine canon.

Richard’s Success in Oregon

Richard Sommer had gone from making wine in a tent near the Steamboat Inn to producing Oregon’s first Pinot Noir — in Roseburg — and a wine that would eventually convince even the Burgundians that Oregon was a place of promise for wine.

But Sommer could easily have remained in California. Why did he choose Roseburg and the Umpqua Valley? The fertile valleys of Napa and Sonoma offered more sunshine than a grape could dream of, and every major California city, from LA to San Francisco, was thirsty for wine in the 1960s. Yet Sommer’s ambitions extended beyond simply making wine and selling it–he was in search of a diamond in the rough.

The Umpqua Valley Climate

Sommer wrote in a column for The News-Review on April 29, 1970 stating “the main reason for raising certain wine grapes in Oregon and especially in the Roseburg area is that the quality of these grapes cannot be surpassed anywhere in the United States. During the progressively cooler weather in the fall, ripening will proceed slowly, making a nice sugar-acid balance and saving the aromatic constituents.” 

“If these same varieties were grown in a warmer area, ripening will proceed rapidly, the aromatic constituents will be lost, and the sugar will be high and acid low, and therefore producing just a standard wine,” Sommer said in the column. 

Approaching winemaking like Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” Richard's eccentric personality, while difficult for many to understand, was the reason he transcended the usual struggles of winemaking and excelled at crafting a product so different from anywhere else. He documented the climate, the soils and the grape varieties he cultivated. The vineyard was his lab, and for over 4 decades, "he made good wine—and lots of it," according to Dyson DeMara, the current owner and winemaker at HillCrest. 

“Richard made good wine; he made 25,000 cases at one point, and even hired 15 employees to help manage his operation,” DeMara said.

Growth of Oregon Wine

Following the start of HillCrest, the great Oregon Wine Rush began. During the 1970s and '80s, winemakers flocked to Oregon in droves — including the Drouhin family — and the Willamette Valley became the epicenter of Oregon’s wine trade. In 1970, the Willamette Valley was home to just five wineries. By 1980, that number had grown to 34. Today, the region boasts over 800 wineries and counting.

Richard saw the Umpqua Valley as a hidden gem — a diamond that remains one of the most unassuming wine regions in the country. While Sommer became known within the tight group of Oregon wine pioneers, the Umpqua Valley remained somewhat overlooked by many prospective winemakers, leaving the broader public unaware of his full impact on Oregon wine. 

Old Age & Preservation of his Legacy

Then, after 40 years of winemaking, Sommer’s old age caught up to him and began to present several difficulties. In the early 2000s, two men came forward, presenting Sommer with an enticing offer. Whatever transpired that day, it was evident Sommer was in decline, and his legacy was on the same trajectory. Before he knew it, he was being evicted from his property and given a check for $1,000. 

With the help of friends, local winemakers, and Sommer's sister, a court battle ensued. It eventually resolved in Sommer’s reclaiming the historic property that had been deviously taken from him. Despite the fortunate outcome, Sommer knew it was time to step away, but he needed someone willing to continue his legacy.

Enter Dyson DeMara. 

Dyson DeMara

DeMara, a Californian and a Robert Mondavi veteran, took the reins of HillCrest Vineyard and Winery in 2003. Learning of the other potential buyers, you might say it was nothing short of a miracle that DeMara and his family would become the heirs to Sommer’s legacy.

With DeMara as the new owner, Sommer was able to live on the property. Most wineries undergo rebranding after purchase, becoming unrecognizable and often a shadow of their former selves. However, when DeMara purchased HillCrest in 2003, he became both the heir to Sommer’s legacy and the steward of Oregon’s first post-prohibition estate winery. After fighting cancer at the age of 80, Sommer passed away in 2009, but before his passing, DeMara made a deathbed promise to him: to protect and preserve his legacy. 

Attempts to Discredit Richard Sommer

DeMara kept that deathbed promise when, in 2009, an attempt to diminish Sommer’s historic work suddenly appeared. According to DeMara, folks had begun to claim the Willamette Valley was the birthplace of Oregon wine and the first Pinot Noir, a belief echoed across countless websites, blogs and magazines. A court case ensued. 

Thanks to Sommer’s meticulous record-keeping — including photographs and detailed cellar logs — DeMara was able to quickly prove that Sommer was the first winemaker to plant Pinot Noir in Oregon, and establish the first post-prohibition estate winery in the state. Upon concluding the case, the State of Oregon officially recognized Sommer’s pioneering work by installing a historical marker at the entrance to the property located at 240 Vineyard Ln in Roseburg. Though it’s been 16 years since Sommer’s passing, DeMara continues to work the land and make wine just as Sommer did. 

Today, HillCrest Vineyards is truly a family affair, run by Dyson DeMara, his wife, Susan DeMara, and their children, Hannah DeMara and Tucker DeMara. While visiting, you'll likely meet one or all of them. It's hard not to feel the spirit of Sommer still walking among the vines. HillCrest Vineyard and Winery remains an artifact, a living time machine of Oregon wine history. 

"I want this place to be a community icon; an Umpqua Valley icon,” Dyson DeMara said. “This place was Richard's legacy, but it's also our legacy as a community." 

As we begin the month of May and Oregon Wine Month, we invite you to raise a glass to Richard Sommer, who defied expert opinion, making the Umpqua Valley a historic wine destination and positioning Oregon among the world’s greatest wine regions.