The Spirithouse Collection
A House in Dundee, a Story That Never Left
Long before Argyle poured its first glass, a young woman named Lena Imus called our house home. More than a century later, we still feel her near. Spirithouse is our tribute to her: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Dundee Hills, often drawn from our last-picked blocks.
The House
Four Walls, Many Lives
Built in 1906, the Spirithouse anchors the Argyle campus in Dundee. The two-story house first belonged to the Imus family. It later served as Dundee’s City Hall, and it was Argyle’s tasting room before our Tasting House opened.
Today the Spirithouse hosts gatherings like our Book & Puzzle Exchange, and its most devoted resident has never moved out.
The Imus Family Home
The Imus family made the two-story house their home. Lena’s parents ran the Dundee post office.
Lena Comes Home
After taking a boarding house room in Portland to attend business school, Lena returned home to help her mother run the post office.
Lena Elsie Imus
Lena died at her family’s home in Dundee. She was 25.
Dundee City Hall
The house later served as Dundee’s City Hall.
Argyle Is Founded
Rollin Soles founded Argyle in Dundee. The old house would go on to serve as Argyle’s tasting room.
Spirithouse Is Born
Rollin made a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir named Spirithouse in Lena’s honor, a signal of Argyle’s wish to live in peaceful coexistence with her.
The Tasting House
Argyle’s Dundee home became a dedicated hospitality hub centered on the new Tasting House, and the Spirithouse took on a new life.
Still Home
The Spirithouse still brings people together, and by most accounts, Lena still keeps them company.
Our Resident Spirit
She’s Still Here
Employees and locals think of Lena as a good, gentle spirit with a mischievous streak. She rests alongside her parents and brothers at Pioneer Cemetery, beneath a headstone that reads “Not Dead, But Gone Before.” Visitors have even found an empty Spirithouse bottle resting on her grave.
A Wandering Glass
A glass has moved across the Spirithouse wine bar with no visible assistance.
A Floral Perfume
An overwhelming scent of floral perfume, maybe gardenia, maybe rose, fills rooms where no flowers bloom.
A Voice on the Tape
A tape recorder has captured a faint whisper, or perhaps a woman singing.
An Upended Toolbox
A service technician watched his toolbox lift and spill its tools mid-repair.
The Wines
The Spirithouse Collection
Crafted only in vintages that show Argyle at its best, and often drawn from the last-picked blocks, Spirithouse wines are our most refined, site-driven expressions. Each one emphasizes depth, elegance and longevity.
2023 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
Aromas of dark cherry and raspberry layer with subtle spice, a whisper of minty herbal lift and a touch of whole-cluster savor. The palate is mouth-filling yet refined, with supple tannins carrying cherry and clove.
2022 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
A dense, concentrated expression of dark fruit with an integrated oak profile. Structured, well-integrated tannins give it depth and a refined finish with lasting appeal.
2022 Spirithouse Chardonnay
Rich and savory, with a creamy, complex nose of fleshy yellow plum and spiced apple and hints of nutmeg and dried flowers. The textured palate is soft and rounded.
The Varietals
Three Grapes, One Spirit
Pinot Noir
The heart of Spirithouse. At Knudsen Vineyard, the blocks above 700 feet ripen last, and that latest-ripening Pinot Noir becomes Spirithouse.
Since 1998Chardonnay
Knudsen Vineyard anchors Spirithouse Chardonnay, and the 2021 vintage came entirely from its blocks. Expect bright acidity and mineral tension around a creamy middle, built for long-term aging.
Since 1998Riesling
A rarer guest. Argyle has released Spirithouse Riesling in select vintages, including 2015 and 2017, some in magnum. The 2017 comes from the Eola-Amity Hills, home to Lone Star Vineyard, where Argyle planted the New World’s first high-density Riesling on devigorated rootstocks.
From the ArchiveThe Vineyards
Where the Last Fruit Hangs
Argyle draws on vineyards across the Dundee Hills, the Eola-Amity Hills and the wider Willamette Valley. Spirithouse begins at Knudsen, Argyle’s foundation vineyard.
Home of Spirithouse
Knudsen Vineyard
Dundee HillsArgyle’s foundation vineyard since 1987. Pioneer owner Cal Knudsen founded it in 1972 and was at the forefront of vineyard improvements in irrigation, higher vine densities, clonal selection and the move from own-rooted to rootstocked vines. Above 700 feet, its latest-ripening Pinot Noir becomes Spirithouse.
Lone Star
Eola-Amity HillsArgyle’s warmest, sunniest site, where rocky soils hold the day’s heat into the night. It’s home to the New World’s first high-density Riesling on devigorated rootstocks, first released in 2005.
Spirit Hill
Eola-Amity HillsArgyle’s largest vineyard, a bowl-shaped site cooled by the Van Duzer Corridor’s gusty winds. An old pioneer cemetery, tucked in the trees of its northwest corner, inspired the vineyard’s ghostly name.
Giving Tree
Willamette ValleyA cool Polk County site, LIVE Certified for sustainable farming and named for Shel Silverstein’s classic book about lasting, multigenerational friendships.
Label Evolution
The Faces of Spirithouse
Across more than 25 years, the Spirithouse label has taken on new looks while telling the same story. Trace it from the archive to today’s pair.
Spirithouse Chardonnay
2008 Vintage
Spirithouse Pinot Noir
2009 Vintage
Spirithouse Pinot Noir
2012 VintageToday
The Current Spirithouse Pair
Critical Acclaim
What the Critics Heard
Recent Spirithouse vintages have earned high marks from leading critics.
2021 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
Dundee Hills2021 Spirithouse Chardonnay
Dundee Hills · Knudsen VineyardPay Her a Visit
Raise a Glass to Lena
Pour a Spirithouse wine at home, or visit our Tasting House in downtown Dundee, the same small town where Lena’s story began. Keep an eye on the bar.