Stoller Family Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2018

Innovative Stoller Family Estate makes individual Pinot and Chardonnay with sustainable practices.

The origins of Stoller Family Estate go back to 1943 when the family established the property. Bill Stoller grew up here and after a successful career in business, returned to buy the farm outright in 1993 in order to establish a vineyard here. Over the next 25 years, he established the largest contiguous vineyard in Oregon’s Dundee Hills with 91 ha out of the total 162 of the estate under vine. The site is ideal for vine growing with a warm microclimate due to protection from the surrounding mountains, giving consistent ripening. The red soil here is typical of the Dundee Hills (a sub-district of the Willamette Valley) and the elevation of the vineyards varies between 210 and 650 feet. Sustainable farming practices are very important to them together with innovative farming techniques and scientific research. Solar power means that the winery is energy neutral, solar-powered weather stations give up-to-date data, irrigation is fed by wells on the property and they are B Corp certified.

The estate is planted with 70% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay with small amounts of other varieties including Viognier, Pinot Blanc and Gamay. The winery is constructed largely from recycled materials utilising natural ventilation and light together with energy-saving systems and is designed around gravity flow principles to minimise handling. The Dundee Hills Pinot is fermented in stainless steel and then moved to French oak for ageing, the Chardonnay is mostly aged in stainless steel and bottled after three months. The aim is to produce individual wines that reflect the individuality of their site.