If you directly ask Leo how he defines his winemaking style, you will likely receive a humble response. From the outside perspective, he makes it look easy. Each bottle of wine provides a euphoric connection to our estate. Those feelings and connections are what Leo strives for, and to be successful, every bottle takes careful planning, exact science, instinct, and teamwork. On top of balancing all those elements, you are also at the mercy of Mother Nature. 

Leo is the first Filipino-American winemaker in Oregon and has never received formal education in winemaking. Over his career, he has worked with incredible winemakers, each teaching him something new and allowing him to develop his style. Those who know Leo best and are familiar with his wines say he stays true to the varietal and vintage expression. 

Leo’s Story Blog Post

This means we take in what the harvest provides and capture it within the bottle. Each varietal has natural characteristics layered with flavors promoted by our climate, soils, weather conditions, and harvest decisions. After harvest, what we call cellar season, is when the work begins for the next harvest. 

When you open a bottle of our wines, you should be ready for a journey resembling a story. The aromatics will invite you to enjoy your first sip. Leo’s goal is for your journey to continue through the flavors with a memorable finish. 

Let’s deep-dive into each component Leo uses for winemaking:

Planning

While we try our best to perfectly predict how much of each wine we need, there are layers to consider. We cannot control the weather, which can leave some vintages with scarcity and others with bounty. Leo relies on analyzing the wines you have loved during the year balanced with wine trends. 

Exact Science

Our vineyard and winemaking practices reflect our decisions of sustainability and minimal processing. We carefully monitor the vineyard throughout the year, dry-farm, and use organic and sustainable products. At the end of each harvest, the grape skins, leaves, stems, and seeds are turned into compost that we use in our vineyard. Leo works with his team to evaluate every minute of our fermentation processes. During cellar season, we consider our blends and prepare for bottling. Leo prefers French oak for our Pinot Noir wines and strives for a medium-bodied wine. This requires the wines to be in French barrels for at least 18 months. In addition, our other reds are also in barrels for a minimum of 18 months, meaning our red wines take two years to make it to your table. 

Instinct 

As September approaches, Leo will walk the vineyard every morning. He will evaluate each row of our 42-acre vineyard for color, ripeness, and acidity. The weather report is consulted hourly, and decisions are made. Sometimes, we must follow our instincts and wait out an episode of rain or embrace the acidity gifted to us.  Fun fact: Leo regards the 2024 vintages as “picture perfect” for the Pinot Noir from our estate vineyard. He had always wanted to try a whole cluster fermentation, but that requires the stem to be ripe to prevent too much bitterness in the wine. Before he decided to harvest, he would bite into the fruit and taste the stem. There isn’t a measurement for ripeness in a stem. It’s pure instinct. 

Teamwork

We have a small but mighty crew that handcrafts our wines. Each must work diligently to execute tasks, communicate, and support each other when the days are long and cold weather rolls in during harvest. After harvest, each oversees a specific component of winemaking to finish the wines. We also can’t forget the family of growers we work with in Oregon. A highlight of being located in the South Willamette Valley is the ability to grow and work with the classic varietals like Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Riesling, but also work with vineyards in Southern Oregon just a short distance away. With a warmer climate, these family vineyards can grow some additional favorites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Syrah, and Tempranillo. Teamwork allows us to make a wine for every palate.