From a 40-acre gamble in 1987 to one of Oregon's most celebrated estate wineries. The land hasn't changed. The love for it only grows.
In the spring of 1987, Harold Stone drove a survey stake into the muddy hillside of a 40-acre parcel east of McMinnville and decided, without much more analysis than that, that it was the right piece of ground. He'd been reading about Oregon's emerging wine country for years. The Willamette Valley's cool climate and volcanic soils were drawing comparisons to Burgundy. Harold had never made wine. He had farmed wheat.
His wife Margaret thought the plan was slightly crazy. She also helped plant every vine by hand that first spring. By 1991, Stone Ridge had produced its first commercial vintage: 800 cases of Pinot Noir and a small lot of Chardonnay. Local restaurants took every case. Demand has exceeded supply ever since.
Harold and Margaret's daughter, Susan, joined the operation in 2003 with a degree in viticulture from UC Davis and a year spent apprenticing in the Rhone Valley. She expanded the estate to its current 120 acres and introduced sustainable farming practices that now define the property. Susan's daughter, Elena, became head winemaker in 2018.
Visit the Estate"The wine is already in the vineyard. My job is to get out of the way and let the land speak."
Elena grew up walking these rows before she could name the varietals. She spent summers sorting fruit, winters in the barrel room, and every spare moment asking questions her grandfather was delighted to answer. When she left for her formal winemaking education at Oregon State and later a two-year stint at Domaine Drouhin in Burgundy, everyone knew she'd be back.
She returned in 2016 as assistant winemaker and assumed the lead role two years later when longtime winemaker Daniel Reyes retired after 18 seasons. Under Elena's direction, the estate has refined its focus on single-block wines that express specific soil types within the property. The Reserve Cabernet, sourced entirely from a 12-acre block of ancient marine sediment, has become the winery's signature statement.
Elena also leads the estate's natural winemaking initiative, reducing intervention in the cellar and farming an additional 8 acres of the estate under full biodynamic certification.
Three distinct soil types across the estate: Jory volcanic basalt on the upper slopes, Willakenzie marine sediment on the mid-ridge, and Peavine silty clay in the lower blocks. Each produces wines of a distinctly different character.
Elevations ranging from 280 to 720 feet. Our highest blocks see significant diurnal temperature shifts, sometimes exceeding 40 degrees between night and afternoon. This is what gives our wines their structure and aromatic complexity.
LIVE-certified sustainable since 2008. Cover crops are planted between every row. Owl boxes encourage natural pest management. We've eliminated synthetic herbicides entirely and are phasing in biodynamic practices on our oldest blocks.
Our vines are dry-farmed wherever root development allows, typically after the third leaf. A small retention pond captures winter rainwater for spot-irrigation during establishment. No municipal water is used on the estate.
Hand-pruned in winter, hand-leafed in summer. We target 3–4 clusters per shoot and green harvest to approximately 2.5 tons per acre on our premium blocks. Everything is hand-picked, typically in two passes per variety.
Minimal intervention. Native yeast fermentation on all estate reds. Gravity-flow cellar built into the hillside in 2009. Aging in French oak from cooperages we've worked with for over a decade, using between 20–35% new wood depending on the vintage.
Winemaking is a team sport. These are the people who show up before sunrise in October and stay through the final barrel fill.
Third-generation steward of the estate. Oregon State viticulture degree, Domaine Drouhin apprenticeship. Leads all vineyard and cellar operations.
16 years farming the Willamette Valley. Marcus oversees all 120 estate acres, heads our sustainable farming program, and manages harvest logistics for up to 22 tons per day at peak.
Trained sommelier with a decade in fine dining before joining Stone Ridge. Simone built our tasting program from the ground up and leads all private event coordination.
The estate is open Thursday through Sunday. Tastings are walk-in welcome, though reservations are strongly recommended on weekends.