John Gorup, David Paige, and George Rickus
Dave Paige has been part of the west coast wine industry for over 30 years. He began his career in California before heading north to Oregon and settling at famed Adelsheim Vineyards in the Willamette Valley, where he spent nearly two decades as Winemaker. There he honed the skills to craft the distinctive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that are the valley’s hallmark.
In 2018, Dave decided he wanted to try his hand at creating his own label and began looking around the Willamette Valley for vineyard property he could take on to create his own winery. Separately, two friends in Indiana—one with roots in Oregon—were discussing creating a winery of their own.
After many years of friendship, John Gorup and George Rickus began their own search for a vineyard and winery to purchase in the Willamette Valley in early 2018. For them, the right opportunity was predicated on finding a solid long-term investment, in a business they could feel passionate about, and having fun while doing so. A formal search process was initiated by George, who grew up in Oregon and still has family in the Willamette Valley. A series of mutual acquaintances introduced George to Dave Paige, and soon Dave became a third partner in the process (or perhaps John and George became Dave’s second and third partners). As George likes to joke, it took two weeks to find Dave, and another six months trying to find someone who could say anything bad about him. He couldn’t—everyone in the valley seemed to know and love David Paige.
Now working as a team, the three families toured the valley looking for the right property. They were especially excited by the Eola-Amity Hills; the wines were some of the most distinctive in the valley, epitomizing the connection between the land and the wine for which the Willamette Valley is known. Together, they found a beautiful site with mature vines on a volcanic ridge and rechristened it RPG Vineyard, combining their three last initials. This would be the home of David Paige Wines.
Staying true to what drew them all here, their aim is to create great wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that have classic character and highlight the terroir from which they are grown. They reinforce the status of Oregon wine country as one of the top areas on the planet for growing cool climate varieties.