NBA star CJ McCollum buys Oregon vineyard property

NBA star CJ McCollum has bought a 130ha property in Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton appellation for an undisclosed sum to develop his Heritage 91 wine brand.

As reported by Wine Spectator, the Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard is on a mission to expand his wine brand in the Willamette Valley with his wife Elise, and is due to plant Pinot Noir vines on the site next year.

McCollum’s foray into the wine world began last year when he partnered with Adelsheim Vineyard to produce McCollum Heritage 91 made with 2018 Pinot Noir from the Chehalem Mountains.

“After careful consideration and learning throughout my time at Adelsheim, it felt like it was the right decision and the next step in our progression to grow and leave our lasting legacy here,” McCollum told Wine Spectator.

“We’ll be meeting with architects and going over vineyard management plans in terms of what we want to plant first and what our future looks like, but the goal is to turn it into a vineyard property,” he added.

Oregon resident McCollum’s wines are currently sourced from the Chehalem Mountains AVA, but he chose the buy in Yamhill-Carlton due to the uniqueness of the site, which includes a reservoir, rock quarry and a nursery.

According to Wine Spectator, McCollum will continue to work with Adelsheim Vineyard for the time being. His 2019 Pinot Noir is due to be released this month.

“I have big goals and aspirations to turn this into a world-class vineyard with world-class wine,” McCollum told WS.

“The reason why I got into the wine business in the first place was because Elise introduced me to wine 10 years ago, and I felt like this was the perfect opportunity for us to grow together and leave our legacy and continue to build for our families and generations that come after us,” he added.