Welcome, Soter Vineyards!
By David Keck
We couldn’t be more excited to represent the wines of Soter Vineyards to the state. In 1997, Tony Soter (of Etude, Spottswoode, Araujo etc. etc. etc. fame) and his wife Michelle (advertising and marketing guru, also avid advocate of the environment and biodynamics) moved to Oregon and settled on a 240 acre farm named Mineral Springs Ranch. The Ranch is now farmed biodynamically (not just the grapes!) and operates as one ecosystem. Sadly, Michelle passed in 2019 after a long, courageous battle with cancer, but Tony and the team continue to advocate, as she would, for natural systems in winemaking, farming, and life.
The Soter vision in the vineyards is expressed with avid biodynamics, falconry, integrated pest management, and a number of other thoughtful and environmentally sound ways in which to farm and grow grapes.
So what about the wines? They’re fantastic. Winemaker Chris Fladwood works with a Demeter-certified process that is low-intervention in the desire to bring out Pinot Noir and Chardonnay’s natural structure and finesse. And the wines definitely represent that, with vintage variation beautifully demonstrated and a true expression of each site very prominent in each bottling.
We are releasing wines from all three of the lines that Soter produces—Planet Oregon is produced from sustainably farmed grapes and a portion of the proceeds go to the Oregon Environmental Council. The North Valley line is truly one of the great values in Oregon with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that truly overdeliver but also express some of the best Oregon has to offer. Finally, the Mineral Springs Ranch Pinot Noir from the home ranch in Yamhill-Carlton—a benchmark wine in every vintage with structure and true ageability but also immediate deliciousness. One of the most important things in any wine.
Enjoy, and thank you for supporting our friends in Oregon, many of whom (including Soter) are suffering terribly this year from the wildfires.