Sustainable Winemaking
Three winemakers. Over half a century. The philosophy has never changed: let the place speak.
In 2024, Max Bruening became the first person outside the Ponzi family to hold the title of winemaker. He spent nearly a decade in every cellar role before Luisa handed him the standard. Not a job. A responsibility.
“Luisa spent her whole life learning how to listen to this land. What she gave me wasn't a winemaking program — it was a way of paying attention. The old vines. The tension in the soils. All at high elevation. This place has been speaking for fifty years. The Bollinger partnership gave us the tools to hear it more clearly. The most important things it has to say are still ahead.”
– Max Bruening, Winemaker
Dick Ponzi designed it himself. Built into the Chehalem Mountains slope in 2008, the four-level gravity-flow facility is a winemaking decision. Wine moves from crush pad to fermentation to barrel room to bottle by gravity alone. Nothing forced. One of the first Oregon wineries to receive LIVE Winery Certification. The building embodies the standard before a single grape enters it.
Fruit arrives the day it's picked. Hand-sorted. Reds destemmed without crushing. Whites pressed whole cluster. The work starts here, carefully.
Fermentation
Native yeasts. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Small lots, so each vineyard block speaks for itself.
Barrel & Tank Rooms
French oak barrels — selected by vineyard, not formula. Small lots, precisely blended. Reserve wines aging on their own terms. Patience as policy.
Bottling & Warehouse
Where finished wines wait. Six months. Sometimes two years. Until they're ready
Co-founded LIVE Certification in 1997 — when sustainable farming was a conviction, not a category. Built a winery with solar panels, a reflective zinc-alum roof, natural ventilation, and 80% of the structure buried to regulate temperature without energy. Storm water recaptured for irrigation. Drought-resistant native landscaping. Abetina, Madrona, and Avellana are CCOF Organic Certified.
The Bollinger partnership deepened the commitment: Simonit & Sirch vine renewal bringing world-class pruning expertise to Laurelwood, and new investments in the cellar and vineyard that reflect the same standard. The numbers reflect what decades of conviction looks like in practice.
kWh offset annually by solar
gallons of gas offset by EV chargers
kWh reduction in electricity use
CO₂ reduction, 100.31 MT saved
of total acreage preserved as habitat
Dick Ponzi
1970
Founder. Engineer. Oregon Pioneer.
Dick Ponzi began his career far from the vineyard, working as a mechanical engineer in California, where he designed rides for Disneyland in the 1960s. But a growing fascination with cool climate winemaking, and a conviction that the right place could rival the great wine regions of the world, led him to look north. After researching climates and soils across the United States, he set his sights on Oregon's Willamette Valley, a region with no established wine industry and few who believed it could support one.
In 1969, Dick moved his family from California to Oregon, and in 1970 planted Ponzi Vineyards, becoming the third winery in the state and one of a small handful of founders who would define Oregon wine for generations. With no local infrastructure to rely on, he taught himself viticulture, fabricated his own equipment, and learned by doing. His belief in Oregon's potential for world-class Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay shaped not only Ponzi Vineyards but the trajectory of the entire region.
Alongside his wife Nancy, Dick raised three children in the vineyard and built a winery committed to quality, place, and the long view. In 1981, he introduced the first commercial Pinot Gris in the United States. In 1983, his Pinot Noir Reserve changed Robert Parker's perception of Oregon wine. He also co-founded BridgePort Brewing, one of Oregon's first craft breweries, helping seed another industry the state would come to be known for.
A pioneer, engineer, and tireless advocate for Oregon wine, Dick Ponzi's legacy is measured not only in awards and acreage but in the generations of winemakers, including his own daughter Luisa, who came up in the world he helped build.
Luisa Ponzi
1993
Legacy Winemaker. Championed Chardonnay.
Luisa grew up in the vineyards of Oregon, learning how to cultivate grapes and craft world-class wines from her father, Ponzi founder Dick Ponzi. Luisa graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science. Following her undergraduate studies, she moved to Beaune, France, to continue her education. There, she received her post-graduate degree in viticulture and enology from the CFPPA in Beaune, becoming the first non-French woman to do so.
In 1993, she brought her knowledge of Burgundian practices back to Oregon, combining old-world knowledge with her personal experience working alongside her father, Dick Ponzi, at their Willamette Valley winery.
Throughout her career, Luisa introduced innovative and progressive techniques to Ponzi Vineyards, continually improving quality and earning numerous awards and accolades along the way. A driving force in making Chardonnay a key variety in Oregon, Luisa was also a founding member of the Oregon LIVE certification. She pioneered the technique of clonal-massale, ensuring lasting complexity and quality in the Ponzi vineyards and resulting wines.
Luisa was instrumental in the creation of the Laurelwood District AVA, forever solidifying the land she helped establish as a unique winegrowing region.
In 2024, Luisa transitioned her role to Legacy Winemaker, and begins a year of mentoring, coaching and guiding her long-term team to take the helm.
Max Bruening
2024
Winemaker. Driving Precision.
A Northern Michigan native, Max embarked on his wine career in 2009, gaining invaluable experience with various Michigan wineries. Seeking to broaden his horizons, Max spent some transformative time working harvests in both California and New Zealand. In 2015, driven by a desire to explore cool climate varieties, Max made the pivotal decision to immerse himself in Oregon’s wine scene.
That year, Max participated in his first Oregon harvest with Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, an experience that solidified his passion for Oregon wines. Drawn to the state’s unique terroir and winemaking ethos, he eagerly joined the Ponzi Vineyards team in January 2016. Over the years, Max has navigated through nearly every position in the cellar, showcasing his dedication to the craft.
Max is not just a skilled winemaker; he is also a fervent advocate of low-intervention winemaking and sustainable farming practices. He understands that crafting exceptional wines is an intricate dance between nature and nurture. With a deep appreciation for the delicate balance required, Max is focused on ensuring each bottle reflects the essence of Oregon’s remarkable terroir.
In 2024, Max became the first person outside of the Ponzi family to hold the esteemed title of winemaker.
