Earth: A Journey into Oregon Wine History

Nestled among seven acres of meticulously tended vines, the path to Rodeo Hills Winery is a journey into a new generation of Oregon wine history. Founded by Jared Etzel, son of a Willamette Valley wine pioneer, the winery’s name evokes a sense of rustic, authentic Oregon spirit, inspired by childhood memories of riding dirt roads in a Volkswagen. This deep-rooted connection to place is now physically manifested in the winery’s stunning new tasting room, a quietly sophisticated project designed by the California-based firm Nielsen Schuh Architects. The structure stands as a testament to a growing movement of architectural excellence within the region’s wine country, where design is increasingly seen as an integral part of the tasting experience.

Specializing in small-lot, artisanal Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Rodeo Hills produces a mere 800 to 900 cases annually. The estate’s position on one of the highest hills in the valley provides a unique microclimate: cooler temperatures, shallow Jory soil, and densely planted vines that yield wines of notable acidity, profound flavor, and lower alcohol content. The tasting room is a fitting vessel for these elegant wines—a intimate 2,200-square-foot space that emerges from the landscape itself. Visitors are welcomed through thick rammed earth walls, which lead to a lofty room wrapped in delicate Douglas Fir glazing, perfectly situated amongst the vines and a stand of native oak trees.

“A core principle for us is to emphasize architecture’s connection to the earth,” explains Amy Nielsen, who leads the Sonoma-based studio with her husband, Richard Schuh. “The land here was first. Our design had to respond to that.” This philosophy is realized through the deliberate choice of materials and form, creating a dialogue between the built environment and the agricultural one.

The architects’ commitment to this concept is most evident in their use of rammed earth construction. This ancient technique, celebrated for its low carbon footprint and exceptional thermal mass that naturally regulates interior temperature, is a literal embodiment of terroir—the very concept boutique winemakers obsess over. Yet, it remains a rarity in winery architecture globally. For Etzel, the choice was intuitive. “It spoke to me,” he says. “I loved the textural quality and the inherent sense of place.”

Nielsen Schuh’s design elevates this humble method with extraordinary precision and aesthetic clarity. Like a stratified geological outcrop, the monumental walls rise from 24-inch bases to 16-inch caps. The architects specified an alternating mix of aggregate with two pigments—one gray, the other white—to create a gently undulating stratigraphy in the walls. This pattern consciously evokes the sedimentary layers of the volcanic soil and sand in which the estate’s vines are rooted. Functionally, the walls channel rainwater to boldly expressed V-shaped scuppers that feed circular infiltration zones, creating a closed-loop, irrigation-free water management system for the site.

The approach to the entrance is a carefully choreographed sensory experience. One enters under a projecting angle of the roof, through a doorway flanked by a sloped earth ramp on one side and dark tongue-and-groove cedar on the other. This creates a moment of compression and secrecy, a cave-like threshold that feels both ancient and protective. From this intimate space, the main tasting room offers a dramatic release. The ceiling soars to 18 feet, supported by four exposed steel V-beams rising from earth columns. Glass wraps the space on three sides, creating a seamless effect that blends the comfort of a modern living room with the grandeur of an outdoor proscenium stage—where the vines are the performers and the valley and distant mountains form the backdrop.

“We wanted the entire building to feel as if it grew, from the ground to the tip of the roof,” Nielsen states.

While a plainly cut door in the wooden wall at the entry can visually disrupt the cave-like effect, the craftsmanship throughout is undeniable. As a two-person studio, Nielsen Schuh maintains unparalleled control, producing their structures from initial drawings through construction administration. Nielsen adds that the contractor “was extremely athletic” in executing the intricate rammed earth forming. Achieving the soapy-smooth, tapered finish of the walls required custom-built forms akin to fine cabinetry and extensive external bracing. Lines drawn inside these forms guided the gentle ripples of each layer, a process demanding meticulous, time-consuming compaction.

Etzel reflects on the evolution of Oregon wine, noting that when his parents started in the mid-1980s, there were roughly 50 producers. Today, there are nearly 1,000. In a competitive landscape, “as overall consumption shrinks,” Etzel observes, “there is a lot of interest in expanding the architectural experience.” It is no longer just about the wine in the glass, but about the entire narrative of place, craft, and visit.

Nielsen Schuh’s work masterfully wraps this expanded tasting experience into a single, profound architectural gesture. And in a fitting full-circle moment, the duo’s design influence extends even into the bottle—they also created the Rodeo Hills label, its form inspired by the iconic silhouette of the building they conceived for the land.

(✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight)

This project masterfully explores architecture as a literal and phenomenological extension of terroir, using rammed earth construction to blur the line between the building and the vineyard it serves. The design’s primary strength is its profound material honesty, though one could critique the potentially disruptive placement of a plainly cut doorway, which slightly mars the otherwise seamless cave-like narrative of the entry sequence. Nonetheless, the overall achievement is profound, representing a benchmark for winery architecture where sustainable methodology, craft, and poetic experience are woven into a single, powerful identity that truly enhances the taste of place.