Pinot Noir is the paragon of the Willamette Valley, firmly establishing its home here over 50 years ago. This thin-skinned grape thrives in Oregon’s moderate to cool climate and we work with Pinot Noir grown across the entire region. Today, our collection of grand-cru quality estate vineyards cover the appellations of Yamhill-Carlton, Eola-Amity Hills, and Ribbon Ridge. Each of these exquisite and distinctive regions has a compelling confluence of prime exposure, location, and uniform, well-drained soils. 

Our Pinot Noirs wines are crafted from a diverse set of clones, soil types, and microclimates, representing the various sub-appellations of our region. Our winemaking practices are time-honored, small-lot methods, using new French oak with restraint, so the pure, regional characteristics of our wines shine brightly.

Our Director of Winemaking and Viticulture, Chris Fladwood, produces consistently high-quality wines with firm structure, vibrant acidity, and an indelible character balanced by varietal purity.

We began making traditional-method sparkling wine in the Willamette Valley over 20 years go. Indeed, the very first wine we ever produced as Soter Vineyards was our beloved 1997 Brut Rosé, which remains one of our favorite bottlings to this day. The moderate climate of the Willamette valley and the wide success of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay make this an extraordinary region to produce high-quality sparkling wines.

Our Brut Rosé and Blanc de Blancs are produced in extremely limited quantities from our Biodynamically farmed Mineral Springs Vineyard. 

We farm sparkling wine grapes as intensely as our still wines, pushing ripeness and achieving low yields and full flavor. These two bottlings are always single vintage wines. The base wines are barrel fermented for maximum flavor development, and the wines are aged at least three years on the lees before being disgorged. Every bottle is hand-riddled onsite by our Cellar Master, Aquiles Giron.

While many bubbly wines are meant to be enjoyed as a refreshing aperitif, our sparkling wines have a depth of flavor and complexity that rivals the very best champagnes.

Soter Vineyards maintains a LIVE-certified production facility and takes great care to reduce the amount of energy, water waste, and solid waste created by the production process. Multiple examples of the winery’s reduction of energy use include employing low-energy LED lights and occupancy sensors, ambient air ventilation systems for natural heating and cooling, underground storage and production space to reduce the need for HVAC systems, and bubble-wrapped tanks for better insulation, reducing the reliance on glycol. Most production equipment—including the disgorging machine, destemmer, transfer pumps,

bottling pump, and press, utilizes a variable frequency drive which prevents unnecessary energy usage. Organic matter from the winemaking process is composted, and materials such as cardboard boxes, pallets, and expandable plastic are recycled.

To further decrease water usage, Mineral Springs is committed to relying more on low-flow pressure washers and squeegeeing when cleaning and drying of the production space. In 2020, Winemaker Chris Fladwood has achieved a Demeter-certified production process, a traceable system that aligns with our values of whole-system sustainability.