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Hi Wine Friends,
I hope you’re ready to get a little bougie with me this week because I had the pleasure of visiting one of Oregon’s most coveted wine destinations: Antica Terra. If you’ve ever wondered what makes a winery a “cult” favorite, let me take you behind the scenes of this fascinating experience.
What Makes a Cult Winery?
A “cult winery” isn’t about joining a commune or sipping Kool-Aid, though followers do indulge in red liquid in generous quantities. Cult wineries are a handful of producers that have developed a cult following. This is generally thanks to a highly limited production, long wait-lists for club membership, sky-high prices, and often perfect 100-point scores. Names you might have heard whispered in awe are Screaming Eagle, Sine Qua Non, Diamond Creek or Dageneau. Antica Terra is Oregon’s first winery to gain this cult status (though 00 and Thomas are on its heels).
Founded in 2004, Antica Terra has captivated wine lovers globally with its exclusive and mesmerizing offerings. The mastermind behind this cult phenomenon is Maggie Harrison—a winemaker whose vision and talent are as ethereal as her presence.
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When I first met Maggie, her delicate frame, wide-eyed wonder, and dreamy demeanor didn’t quite match my image of a powerhouse winemaker. But her wines—opulent yet restrained, decadently complex—reflect the depth of thought and artistry she pours into every bottle.
Antica Terra, which means “ancient earth,” was born from Maggie’s discovery of a unique vineyard in the Dundee Hills. The soil, rich with fossilized seashells, inspired her to leave California’s cult wine scene (where she worked at Sine Qua Non) and settle in Oregon.
Originally using only her vineyard’s fruit, Maggie now also sources from other top sites like Seven Springs and Temperance Hill. But rather than focusing on traditional terroir, where you bottle by vineyard site, she blends wines by blind tasting and, intriguingly, by color.
Maggie has synesthesia—a unique trait where her senses intertwine, allowing her to "taste" colors. While I’ve experienced a hint of this, where numbers and letters have associated colors, Maggie’s perception is much more vivid.
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She creates two Pinot Noirs based purely on this phenomenon: Botanica and Ceras. Each vineyard block is vinified separately, and once fermentation is complete, Maggie and her team blind taste each barrel and sort them by color sensation. Anything that tastes and smells red become Botanica, showcasing vibrant red fruit with floral rose and spice notes. Blue and purple-feeling barrels turn into Ceras, offering a darker, moody, more woodsy and mineral profile.
The Barrel Hall Experience
Why am I sharing this? Because my recent visit to Antica Terra’s new tasting room was nothing short of mind-blowing. Located in Amity and designed by the acclaimed West by West architect firm, the space is a sensory feast. A sleek, tunnel-like entrance leads to a grand barrel room, dimly lit by flickering candlelight. Four private tasting rooms await, each lined floor-to-ceiling with rare wines and housing a long table set with gold silver, Zalto glasses, soft furry chairs and personal cashmere blankets.
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We trooped in in our casual wine country digs and suddenly felt underdressed amidst this opulence, but were quickly put at ease by the warmth of the hospitality team. Our guide for the afternoon Kate (an advanced sommelier studying for her master) was as humble and fun-loving as she was poised and knowledgable. She greeted us with vintage Champagne from Hurés Frères alongside a racy Sancerre from Domaine Vacheron.
Oh, did I mention that a visit to Antica Terra involves not only tasting their wines, but also other rare wines of the world? Maggie has been doing this for years and I think it is such a cool and confident idea. She pours her wines alongside the greatest on the globe—Burgundy, Bordeaux, Barolo, Brunello—you name it. She’s not afraid to show you that her wines stand up to other top producers and she helps put them in context for your palate.
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We indulged in the Rare Collective Tasting, which included exquisite snacks like smoked sturgeon with caviar, rabbit rillettes on flaxen bread, hen liver pâté with blackcurrant glacé, and a crudité plate that looked like it had been foraged from an enchanted gardenl garden.
The tasting featured the full Antica Terra lineup, including the Aequorin Chardonnay, reminiscent of Montrachet, and the Botanica Pinot Noir, which I confidently blind tasted as Grand Cru Burgundy. We were also fortunate to sample bucket-list wines like Clos Rougeard ‘Brezé’ and Le Puy Barthelemy.
Thinking About Visiting?
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A visit to Antica Terra isn’t budget-friendly, but it’s an unparalleled experience for serious wine lovers. The price reflects not only the luxurious surroundings and extraordinary food but also the chance to taste rare wines that are hard to come by.
They’ve even expanded this concept into a wine club, offering members 12 or 24 rare wine bottles annually, including collector’s items you’d otherwise need special access to. My team and I thought it was such a great idea that we decided to join as a group–splitting the membership and discovering these rare bottles together.
I promise this isn’t an ad; I just want to highlight experiences that are truly special. Antica Terra definitely fits that bill. It’s not a place for regular visits, but if you’re celebrating something big, it’s worth treating yourself to this very special wine experience.
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