Soter Vineyards

Tony Soter is a Portland native who studied philosophy at Pomona College, joined the staff at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in 1975 to learn the trade, and founded Etude in Napa in 1982. Through the eighties and nineties he consulted for Spottswoode, Shafer, Dalla Valle, and Araujo — one of the winemakers who defined the Napa Cabernet boom.

He and his wife Michelle established Soter Vineyards in 1997, bought Mineral Springs Ranch in 2001, sold Etude the same year, and moved north for good in 2006.

The ranch runs 250 acres in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, a former cattle operation on marine sedimentary soils. Roughly 50 acres are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay along the ridgeline, first in 2002 and 2003, with the Chardonnay dedicated largely to méthode champenoise sparkling. Demeter Biodynamic certification followed years of work.

But calling it a vineyard undersells it. Highland cattle, chickens, sheep, pigs, and turkeys all work the property, providing fertilizer, weed control, and food. A falconer and his birds handle pest deterrence. There’s an organic garden, orchards, acres of grain, and oak and fir plantings. Most of the acreage is preserved as natural habitat.

That was Michelle Soter’s vision. She had two decades in advertising and marketing, but what drove the ranch was her conviction about environmentalism, organics, and eating well from the ground up. Tony describes her as the muse who pulled his dirty boots and purple hands out of the cellar into something larger. The Mineral Springs Brut Rosé — the first wine harvested each vintage and the last released — was her idea, and the culinary program grew out of her garden.

Chris Fladwood is Director of Winemaking and Viticulture since 2009. The tasting room is a restored 1915 farmhouse on the knoll with seating overlooking the vines.