passion for perfection
Winemaking
We responsibly produce world-class wines that are consistently excellent, consistently available and consistently reasonable in price.
It Starts in the Vineyard
Along with the 465 acres of grapes planted on our certified Biodynamic estate vineyard, King Estate sources from a spectrum of like-minded, sustainably farmed vineyards in the Willamette Valley.
In addition, we source grapes for our single-vineyard program from other regions in the Pacific Northwest like Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley in Oregon; and Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla Valley in Washington. Our viticulture team works with our vineyard partners in the same fashion that we do on our own estate vineyard to implement sustainable practices and optimal growing conditions.
Small-lot Separation Approach
A truly unique process for a winery of our size, all vineyard lots, blocks and clones are kept separate through the entire winemaking process before blending. Few wineries of our scale separate by lot, block and clone. In our red wines, this small-lot separation even continues all the way through barrel aging.
Small fermenters allow us to be very precise with our harvest date. We can execute smaller picks and harvest only the blocks that are ready as opposed to trying to fill larger fermenters with fruit of uneven ripeness. This allows us to maximize grape maturity and flavor development in every block.
Why we do this? Not because it makes things easier. On the contrary, this approach results in over 400 fermentations annually. Each lot is managed individually to maximize quality across our entire vineyard portfolio and give our winemakers more tools for blending.
Lot Grading
COO/Winemaker Brent Stone and his winemaking team taste each individual lot regularly during fermentation and throughout the aging process. Our four winemakers individually grade each lot on a 100-point scale. Their scores are translated into a weighted value that ultimately determines how each lot is used.
Richness of the Land
A Culinary Ecosystem
Our estate provides a wonderful source for cultivating foods unique to the area, much to the delight of our culinary team and, of course, our guests.
