The Canton, Ohio native was introduced to wine in his early 20s at Lehigh by his now wife Elise. CJ’s fortuitous move to one of the top wine regions in the U.S. led him to take his existing passion for - and knowledge of - wine to new heights. As reflected through his work both on the basketball court and in the community, leaving a legacy is extremely important to the McCollum family. The McCollum Heritage 91 wine label was created in partnership with Adelsheim in 2018, which also marked the first year of the McCollum family purchasing grapes from Adelsheim.
In 2021 CJ McCollum and his wife purchased a 318 acre vineyard property in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. The site, which borders Resonance Vineyard contained multiple micro-climates, a five acre reservoir, several irrigation ponds, a rock quarry and Ruby Nursery. The property currently has 56 acres planted and the nursery specializes in wholesale Japenese Maple liners. The Nursery has over 570 species of Maple come through the greenhouses and over 800 total species across the in-house grafting. McCollum Family Vineyard and Ruby Nursery believe in conscious growth and sustainable business practices while treating our employees equitably.