Region & History

Anyone wanting to know what sparkling wine from Oregon is like should head to the Willamette Valley, a long valley stretching between the Coast Range and the Cascades. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominate here, the very same varieties grown in Champagne. According to the winegrowers' association, around a hundred wineries in the valley bottle sparkling wine, even though the valley remains best known for its still Pinot. King Estate and Sweet Cheeks also make sparkling wine.

In 1987, Brian Croser and Rollin Soles founded Argyle winery near Dundee. Croser came from Australia, where he ran Petaluma winery and had worked with Soles; Cal Knudsen joined later. Today, Argyle is best known for its sparkling wines. According to the winery, heavily flocculating yeasts—sourced from the Champagne committee CIVC and from Bollinger—helped Soles ensure the bottles clarified cleanly later on.

In 1997, Tony and Michelle Soter followed, growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on their Mineral Springs Ranch in the Yamhill-Carlton area. The winery farms the land biodynamically, according to its own account. Its Mineral Springs Brut Rosé carries the house's reputation.

In April 2021, the Bollinger family took over Ponzi Vineyards, founded by Dick and Nancy Ponzi in the late 1960s. According to press reports, it was the first investment outside France by the Champagne house, founded in 1829. The purchase included the winery, tasting room, and 35 acres of vines, just over 14 hectares; the Ponzi family retained another 100 acres and continues to supply grapes.

Unlike the Crémants of the EU, no dedicated sparkling wine rule protects the name here. The Willamette Valley and its sub-zones, such as Yamhill-Carlton, are American Viticultural Areas, so-called AVAs, which only define the origin of the grapes. How long the wine rests on the lees is ultimately up to each house.