Richard and Nancy Ponzi took a leap of faith in 1968 when they planted their first vines on a small 20-acre farm in the Willamette Valley, investing everything they had into a dream of producing world-class cool-climate Pinot Noir. Their first vintage in 1974 yielded just 100 cases, and they worked alongside other pioneering families to establish markets for Oregon wine when few people had heard of the region.
Today, Ponzi operates from a sustainably designed gravity-flow winery built in 2008, with a spacious tasting room added in 2013 that features leather couches and an outdoor amphitheater. The wines continue to earn respect decades after that first tiny vintage, with estate vineyards now producing consistently excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris.
Though Groupe Bollinger acquired the winery in 2021, the Ponzi family’s legacy of innovation and quality remains embedded in every bottle.