Willamette Valley producer with Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and gravity flow winemaking.
The producer
Ponzi Vineyards uses a four level winery that moves wine from crush pad to bottle by gravity. Native yeasts, spontaneous malolactic fermentation and small lots keep each vineyard block separate before blending. French oak barrels are selected by vineyard, not formula. Every estate vineyard is LIVE Certified Sustainable, a standard Ponzi co founded in 1997.
Known for
Willamette Valley Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir
Notable facts
The first planting covered four hectares of former strawberry fields and was planted to Pinot Noir in 1970.
The first Ponzi Pinot Noir barrels were produced in 1974, and 96 cases reached Portland in 1976.
Luisa Ponzi was the first non French woman to earn the Certificate Brevet Professionnel D'Oenologie et Viticulture.
Every estate vineyard is LIVE Certified Sustainable, and Ponzi co founded the standard in 1997.
Abetina, Madrona and Avellana are CCOF Organic Certified.
The story
Milk Cartons In The Vineyard
Before Oregon winegrowing was widely taken seriously, the Ponzi family used milk cartons instead of grow tubes to protect newly planted Pinot Noir vines. Schoolchildren on the bus saw the rows and asked Luisa Ponzi whether the family was trying to grow milk. The cartons stood around the young vines, with the children seeing milk before they saw a vineyard. The practical choice protected the plantings while Oregon winegrowing was still unfamiliar to many people at the time.
From the atlas
Ponzi Vineyards
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Oregon
Named bottle
Ponzi Pinot Gris 2018
Defining feature
Four level gravity flow winery
The Producer
The first Ponzi Pinot Noir barrels were produced in 1974, and 96 cases reached Portland in 1976. Dick Ponzi moved his family from California to Oregon in 1969 and planted Ponzi Vineyards after the move.
Luisa Ponzi became the estate's second winemaker in 1993 after studying viticulture and oenology in Beaune. Her work defined what Oregon Chardonnay could be.
Place
Ponzi's holdings cover nearly 150 acres across the Laurelwood District and Willamette Valley. Laurelwood vineyards grow in windblown loess over volcanic basalt at high elevation, with relentless wind across the plantings.
Wines
Ponzi's range includes Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, alongside rosé, sparkling and sweet or dessert style wines. Ponzi Pinot Gris 2018 is a Willamette Valley white with bright, food friendly acidity. A separate Ponzi Pinot Gris 2017 was dry, with fresh acidity, a touch of residual sweetness, moderate alcohol at 13 percent, and a full flavor and mouthfeel.
Final Word
In 2024, Max Bruening became the first winemaker from outside the Ponzi family in the estate's history.