Laurel Ridge Winery

David Teppola grew up in Portland and spent his youth romanticizing the agricultural countryside he saw on vacations. He wanted to study agricultural science; his parents disapproved, so he settled for philosophy with a chemistry minor. A year studying abroad in France introduced him to what he called the wine of kings, and the plan took fifteen years to become real.

In 1974 he bought a 240-acre farm just east of Carlton, then planted in Bartlett pears and Italian plums. He renamed it Finn Hill after his Finnish heritage and started clearing land for Pinot Noir.

His peers thought he’d lost it. Everyone else was planting in the deep volcanic Jory soils of the Dundee Hills. Teppola went the other way, into nutrient-poor sandy WillaKenzie loam, on the conviction that vines produce better fruit when they struggle. He made several early vintages with Charles Coury, the pioneer who famously smuggled French vine cuttings into the country in a suitcase.

The winery was incorporated in July 1986, and by September they were harvesting their first vintage. Their eldest daughter Kira was born that same month. That first vintage included both Pinot Noir and méthode champenoise sparkling.

He was right about the soil. The Yamhill-Carlton AVA was approved in 2005, recognizing WillaKenzie loam as ground that produces distinctive, award-winning Pinot Noir. Teppola died in 2006, shortly after completing his first Bordeaux-style blend — now bottled as David’s Tableau Vivant in his memory.

Kira and her husband Lucas run it now, second generation, splitting time between the vineyard, the cellar, and their preschoolers and barnyard animals. Susan Teppola remains involved, with younger daughter Maija handling communications.

The range is unusually broad: estate Pinot Noir and sparkling, plus a Heritage Cuvée of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc from the Rogue Valley, Tempranillo from southern Oregon, Bordeaux blends, Chasselas Doré — the national grape of Switzerland — and a serious dessert wine program.