Colors of Provence Rhone River Cruise, November 16-23, 2023, with Byron & Dana Dooley of Seven of Hearts Winery

Seven of Hearts

Byron and Dana Dooley transitioned from high tech in 2001 to follow their passions in wine and chocolate. He studied enology and viticulture at Napa Valley College, interned for a respected Pinot noir producer in Sonoma, planted a small vineyard on Howell Mountain in Napa, and produced wine from that vineyard. After Byron earned his winemaking degree, he and Dana were drawn to Oregon’s Willamette Valley for its beauty, climate, and remarkable Pinot noir. In 2004, they purchased and planted the 12-acre Luminous Hills Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, a property once owned by Steve Jobs, co-founder Apple Computers.

Byron works with many growers and sources Pinot noir from distinctive vineyards within the sub-AVAs of the Willamette Valley, producing single vineyard Pinot noirs, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling with site focus as well as blends that capture the broader expression of each vintage in the Willamette Valley.Byron also makes wines from the Columbia Valley (both Oregon and Washington) from sources that are ideal for the warm weather varietals he also loves, including Bordeaux varietals, Rhone varietals, and many others.The winemaking philosophy and approach for each wine to reflect the place and vintage where it was grown, modeled after traditional old-world wines. What this means in terms of practice is natural methods such as native yeast fermentation, whole cluster fermentation where appropriate, minimal intervention and no additives.

Join Byron & Dana Dooley on a voyage up the beautiful Rhone River of France, sailing from Arles to Lyon. Along the way visit historic Roman cities, explore the fabulous vineyards of Chateau-neuf-du-Pape, the Cotes-du-Rhone, Cornas and Cotes-Rotie.