Purple Hands Vineyards
Purple Hands Vineyards celebrates site-specific pinot noir and chardonnay that unearth the Willamette Valley’s long evolutionary history. Using traditional winemaking techniques, they strive to produce wines that convey an honest expression of each of their vineyards—its grapevines and cultivation, soil and stone, sunshine and rain. All of their wines undergo native fermentation and remain unfined and unfiltered at bottling to preserve their natural, wild character. Achieving elegance in this pursuit is the passion and art of their craft.
Over the past 40 years, Cody’s family has created a legacy of quality in the Oregon wine industry. Their winemaking styles and techniques helped Oregon’s Willamette Valley become the premium Pinot noir producing region in the world. At Purple Hands, Cody continues to build on the standard of excellence initiated by the previous generation.
Owner and winemaker Cody Wright is the son of noted Oregon winemaker, Ken Wright. His stepfather, Rollin Soles, runs Argyle Winery, and his mother, Corby Stonebraker-Soles, now married to Rollin, is a partner in ROCO. Cody grew up in the Willamette Valley and worked at wineries in Oregon, New Zealand and Australia. He now divides his time between working as assistant winemaker at ROCO Winery and his own brand.
Wright and his wife and partner, Marque, continue to hone their craft each year, attributing much of their success to the grapes sourced for their wines, like Dundee Hill’s prestigious Holstein Vineyard and the praised Freedom Hill Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills appellation.
“It’s built around how we see the grape, how we pick, how we do everything sustainably and everything unfiltered,” Wright says of his vineyard-driven production and ethos. “We’ve really developed our own vision and what we’re trying to show off through unfining and unfiltering, making sure that we ferment everything native. I think we’re even bringing a whole other level of quality to the game.”
Even the physical winery and tasting room are minimalist, like Wright’s intervention, focusing on vineyard-specific wines in a modest and approachable space. The natural wines are produced to showcase the vineyards and the fruit; in a way Wright says gives back to the vineyard and builds a connection to the quality of the site. For Purple Hands, the vineyard is paramount.
“Our wines bear an unmistakable connection to the earth—and not only because grapes grow in dirt. Air, water, soil, animals—entire ecosystems—make our wines what they are. Knowing this, we do our best to employ sustainable practices throughout our business. Whether we’re sourcing grapes from LIVE and Salmon Safe certified vineyards, hosting a winemaker dinner made from organic ingredients grown nearby, or building our winery and tasting room with a low-emission foot print and recycled steel and cedar salvaged in Oregon, we search for ways to work in harmony with the natural environment.”
