By TOM MARQUARDT and PATRICK DARR
When we caught up with C.J. McCollum, he had just left a practice session for the Atlanta Hawks, apologizing for the delayed call while shuffling his 6-ft. 3-in. frame aboard a flight. It seemed surreal that the guard known for his smooth ball-handling and perimeter shooting could so easily pivot to talking about the Willamette Valley vineyard he co-owns with his wife, Elise. Rather than waxing optimistic about his team’s chances of getting another shot at an NBA title, he was conveying genuine enthusiasm for sustainable farming, grape selection and blending.
“I’m blessed,” he said.
Playing professional basketball was a dream, but so was making wine. “I mean, I’m a husband, a father, a son and a pursuer of our passion for wine. We take this very seriously.”
McCollum Heritage 91 takes its name from the street where C.J. grew up and the year he was born. The couple launched it in 2020, when a shared fascination with wine got serious.
Elise said it started after Portland drafted him in 2013. A bartender took the time to walk him through what he was tasting, and day trips to Willamette Valley wineries sank the hook deeper. Then one day, she recalled, he turned to her and asked, “What do you think about owning a vineyard?”
They started out in partnership with Adelsheim Vineyard, making wine under winemaker Gina Hennen. In 2021, they bought 318 acres in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, planted 56 of them to pinot noir and chardonnay, and this year included a line under the McCollum Family Vineyard name. The goal now is to move away from buying fruit from other growers and toward estate-driven wines, farmed sustainably. An estate tasting room is planned for 2027.
C.J. said the couple owes much of their progress to neighbors like Adelsheim, Stoller and Walter Scott, who have given advice freely, a sign of the camaraderie this region is known for. Both he and Elise help choose the blends, even when he’s on the road. But he’s quick to credit Elise for holding it all together. She designed the lovely flower labels and works closely on marketing, all while raising two young children: Jacobi, listed on the winery’s website as “rock and soil foreman,” and Margaux, the “chief grape sampler,” who is named for the couple’s love of first-growth Bordeaux.
For whatever reason, basketball stars seem to dominate the celebrity circle with wine labels. Dwyane Wade, Channing Frye, Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Tony Parker and Isiah Thomas are among the NBA luminaries making wine here and abroad. They also join the likes of LeBron James in having a taste for expensive wines. In fact, when the Knicks beat the Hawks in the 2026 Eastern Conference Playoffs, despite McCollum’s excellent performance, Knicks forward Josh Hart opened a 1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche after his team’s run to the NBA Championship. Affording quaff like this takes money, and buying and operating vineyards does too.
Wine is consumed and shared among rival players off the court, a change C.J. attributes to an acceptance of alcohol and sports. It’s no longer taboo to see a star athlete supporting a spirit or wine producer—or enjoying an alcoholic beverage in their leisure time.
Although growing grapes and dribbling a basketball sound like polar opposites, C.J. found common ground. “Both require immense work, patience and dedication to detail,” he said. “In basketball, you can control preparation and body, but there are a lot of factors you can’t control. In wine, it could be weather or consumer desires you can’t control. But you have to respond and adjust in both cases.”
The couple agrees that walking among the vineyards gives them relief from an incredibly busy lifestyle that is often spent apart. “We have grown into this together,” Elise said. “We support each other.”
McCollum has been getting a lot of ink lately—Forbes, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast—that would make other wineries jealous of the attention. But McCollum is defiant: The celebrity status has helped jump-start the operation, but a good story goes only so far in getting the consumer’s attention. “You need a good product and we have it. This is not a vanity project.”
We’ve been disappointed by a number of celebrity wines whose success was measured by the popularity of the celebrity and not the quality of the wine. McCollum isn’t playing in that conference.
Here are some of the wines we enjoyed:
McCollum Family Vineyard Heritage Rosé Willamette Valley 2025 ($33). This lush but balanced rosé is stunning. Bright and vibrant strawberry flavors with hints of citrus and bright acidity. A little bit of this was aged in neutral oak for a couple of months to add structure.
McCollum Family Vineyard Heritage Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2024 ($55). Sourcing grapes from three vineyards, the winemaker has crafted a complex pinot noir with vibrant blackberry and cherry flavors with a hint of anise. A great pinot noir to pair with salmon and other fare.
McCollum Family Vineyard Heritage Chardonnay Willamette Valley 2023 ($50). Sourcing grapes from the Chehalem Mountains appellation, the winemaker has a beautifully rich and succulent chardonnay with pear and citrus notes drawn together with a distinct minerality. The mouth appeal is a result of most of the wine undergoing full malolactic fermentation. Grapes were whole-pressed, and the wine was fermented and aged in French oak barrels.
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