Are you intimidated by dessert wine? Join us for a crash course on our favorite dessert wines for this holiday season. What does late harvest mean? Late harvest wines require a long, dry summer and fall where the grapes are left on the vine to ripen longer without rotting. This allows them to naturally develop a higher sugar level. The grapes are essentially allowed to turn into raisins on the vine. How is Port different from regular wine? Port is a fortified wine— meaning that it has been “fortified” with a spirit. We use brandy to fortify our Port during fermentation. This increases the alc ..read more

Holiday Gift Featured Packs! Looking for the perfect Christmas or holiday gift for the food & wine lover in your life? Look no further than this delicious series of Oregon-themed holiday gift packs. Hand picked by our family at Laurel Ridge, we hope you are inspired to share these with your friends, family, and coworkers this holiday season. Taste of Oregon The Taste of Oregon pack is comprised of the Oregon Holy Trinity— Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Hazelnuts, and Marionberry! The Taste of Oregon is the perfect gift to share with visiting friends and family or to take the taste of home ..read more

Working with a new vineyard has all of the excitement and anticipation of starting a new relationship. The first phase is full of wonder as you get to know one another, discovering the nuances and idiosyncrasies while exploring the chemistry between the site and vintner. By the time the barrel aging process is complete… that’s when the relationship starts to get serious. You have to decide if you’re in it for the long haul. Our relationship with Menefee Vineyard began in 2017 and quickly blossomed. By the spring of 2019, we were smitten. Located in our home appellation of Yamhill-Carlton, Mene ..read more

Normally Laurel Ridge does not enter wine competitions. We typically find ourselves too busy in the cellar making sure each wine is the best version of itself that it can be or in the tasting room showcasing our beautiful wines. We also make such small amounts of most things, we often don’t like to spare bottles for competitions as there is usually just enough of every bottle to be enjoyed by our wonderful club members and guests. But this spring something special happened. Jason Lett at Eyrie Vineyards invited us to join him in submitting our Chasselas Doré to the worldwide Chasselas competi ..read more

Have you ever heard someone say they are “not much of a Pinot person”? While this statement may have some clutching their pearls (this is the Willamette Valley, after all!), I think almost everyone can find a Pinot Noir they connect with – but it’s a matter of selecting the right vintage! Pinot Noir is well known for its chameleon-like qualities – Pinot can express itself a million different ways. Using cues such as vintage (the year the fruit was grown) or terroir (the environment that produces a wine: climate, soil, vineyard, etc), you can find a Pinot that you love to drink. We’re going to ..read more

This Valentine’s Day choose from two wonderful packages as you enjoy the ambiance of the Laurel Ridge barrel room. Packages available the weekends of February 5th-6th & 12th-13th. Sweethearts in the Cellar: a package for two This package for two is perfect whether you’re planning for a Valentine’s or Galentine. Enjoy a cozy, intamte celebration in the Laurel Ridge barrel cellar! Each two-hour reservation package includes: An artisal charcuterie box for two Chose a bottle of either of the following wines: 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton AVA or 2016 Pinot Noir Cuvée, Willamette ..read more

It seems like there are a million wine gadgets…it can be a little overwhelming! Which ones actually matter when it comes to making your wine taste better?! Wine accessories should be all about practicality, ease, and helping the wine display it’s most optimum flavors and aromatics. Our tasting room staff has voted, and  we’re going to share our ‘must have’ wine accessories  – the ones that won’t sit around collecting dust, will help your wines taste their best, and will enhance your enjoyment of your favorite glass of wine! Coravin Pivot It’s hard to play favorites, but if there’s o ..read more

Have you ever heard someone say they are “not much of a Pinot person”? While this statement may have some clutching their pearls (this is the Willamette Valley, after all!), I think almost everyone can find a Pinot Noir they connect with – but it’s a matter of selecting the right vintage! Pinot Noir is well known for its chameleon-like qualities – Pinot can express itself a million different ways. Using cues such as vintage (the year the fruit was grown) or terroir (the environment that produces a wine: climate, soil, vineyard, etc), you can find a Pinot that you love to drink. We’re going to ..read more

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with our owner, Susan Teppola, to discuss the history of our winery and her role in shaping the past and future of our farm over the last 4 decades. In 2006, Laurel Ridge lost both its original estate vineyard, and its founder, David. Either one of these tragedies on their own would have been enough to cause irreparable damage. No one – including David, before his passing – expected Laurel Ridge to continue on. Susan’s decision to keep the farm that she and David had invested their lives in flew in the face of conventional wisdom. This deci ..read more

Every holiday season needs a little extra sparkle – especially this year, which has presented a unique set of challenges. Here at the vineyard, we thought we would help make your holiday season bright with a very special re-introduction…our Tawny Port. Port is a wine that our vineyard has historic reputation for producing, and may be one of our most anticipated releases within the last decade. Our founder David Teppola began crafting Ports in 1998. He began with a Ruby Port, followed by a Tawny Port released in 1999. David had his own special, proprietary process that he utilized. Craftin ..read more