A wronged and robbed gold miner’s ghost allegedly haunts the grounds of the Bayliss family’s farm. The miner was traveling up the state to Portland during the gold rush of the 1860’s when he was murdered and robbed of his gold findings in his sleep while on the property that is now known as Ghost Hill. That 234-acre section of land in the Yamill-Carlton AVA has belonged the Bayliss family since 1906, 15 acres of it has been planted with vines since 1999 of all Pinot Noir and is where Ghost Hill Cellars pulls 100 percent of the fruit for their estate wines. The Bayliss family run a LIVE certified and Salmon-Safe winery operation, making small-lot, local and sustainable wines. From the estate Bayliss-Bower vineyard, Ghost Hill produces their one white wine—Pinot Noir Blanc. Produced with Pinot Noir grapes, the wine is simply treated like a white wine—after it is pressed, the juices are sent to a tank then racked off of the sediment, leaving behind tannins and other pigments that cause color. The result is a wine of a slightly rose gold/orange hue and comes through on the nose with potent aromatics of blood orange, nectarine, agave nectar and tarragon. The palate is medium bodied, lush and round from lees aging, with peaches, honeysuckle and dazzling acid to finish the wine out.
