Our Story
"We are focused on creating wines of elegance and balance that reflect the appellations and vineyards from which the grapes are sourced.”
Tim and Denise Wilson
Winemaking with focus.
Denison Cellars is the winemaking passion of Tim and Denise Wilson. Having lived in many different wine regions – from Washington state to the Central Coast of California – it was their love of pinot noir that brought them to the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Launched with the 2009 vintage, Denison Cellars truly is a boutique winery, as annual production averages only 1,000 cases. Winemaker Tim Wilson is committed to producing wines with a focus on purity of fruit while showcasing the attributes that make each vineyard unique. This commitment is accomplished through Tim’s identification of exceptional grapes sourced from small, sustainably-farmed vineyards within and throughout the Willamette Valley. Focus is placed on producing small lots of ultra-premium wines showcasing the Willamette Valley’s extraordinary appellations and vineyards. Denison Cellars is located in McMinnville, Oregon in the heart of the Willamette Valley.
Our Story
What began as the realization that my degree in economics may not lead to a fulfilling career path in the world of credit card processing became a cross-country journey, with stops in Fresno, Seattle, San Luis Obispo, Eugene, and ultimately McMinnville. I reached out to winemaking icons Mark Beringer and Bob Sessions, and with their encouragement, made the pilgrimage to California State University Fresno. Armed with a degree in enology, I learned to make wine at places like Chateau Ste. Michelle & Edna Valley Vineyard, later becoming the head winemaker at Benton-Lane Winery. Having discovered early on that pinot noir was my favorite wine to consume, and not being one to shy away from a good challenge, it was inevitable that I would choose pinot noir as my winemaking focus. And one of the best places in the world to do that is in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
Having made acclaimed wines for others, with the 2009 vintage we decided to strike out on our own. Our focus is on identifying outstanding, small, sustainably-farmed vineyards that allow me to showcase their unique attributes in the wines that I create from them. Initially we purchased fruit from the J.L. Kiff vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA; that has grown to relationships with vineyards such as Johnson Ridge Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Cassin Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton, and in 2017 J Wrigley Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA. We have since added Stiling Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills for high quality chardonnay fruit, as well as Poco Vineyard, also in the Eola-Amity Hills, for 777 clone pinot noir. We feel very fortunate to have access to such wonderful fruit, and as Denison Cellars grows we will continue to identify unique sites. We hope you will enjoy our wines as much as we enjoy making them!
