Abbott Claim

John Abbott was a stagecoach driver in the Oregon Trail days who filed a Donation Land Claim here in 1855. That claim, on Savannah Ridge just east of Carlton, is the land this winery is named for.

Ken Wright bought a 200-acre parcel of it in 2000, planted half beginning in 2001, and sold the other half to Tony Soter, who planted Mineral Springs Ranch. The site quickly became known for exceptional fruit, supplying wineries across the valley. In 2014, Wine Enthusiast named Wright’s 2012 Abbott Claim Vineyard Pinot Noir the number one wine in the world.

Antony Beck later bought the vineyard, and over time the ownership wanted a namesake winery for the site rather than just selling fruit. Winemaker Alban Debeaulieu was hired in 2017, construction on the winery finished in 2020, and Andrew Dirks came on as hospitality director that August.

Roughly 15.77 acres are planted on ancient marine sedimentary soils — WillaKenzie and Wellsdale — between 400 and 475 feet on a south-southeast slope, in Pommard, 115, and 777 clones on three different rootstocks. Ken Wright still buys the fruit and manages the vineyard.

There’s no conventional tasting room. Visits begin with a glass of sparkling, then a walk through the production facility, then heavy fifteenth-century carved Spanish doors that open into the underground barrel cave built directly into the hillside. It curves 180 degrees, lit low, and the barrels rest on rock and earth rather than a floor — the ground holds the temperature. You taste down there among them.

The wines are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, made with a stated unwillingness to release anything that doesn’t meet the standard. Nothing is sold through the website. You either join the allocation list or buy during your visit.