Domaine Serene

Ken and Grace Evenstad bought the Minneapolis pharmaceutical company Upsher-Smith in 1969, and Ken Evenstad built it into a business worth $1.5 billion. Their interest in wine began in the mid-1970s, moving from California to Burgundy and then to Oregon. In 1989 the Evenstads settled in the Willamette Valley and bought 42 recently logged acres atop the Dundee Hills, the start of what is now the Evenstad Estate, and named the winery after their daughter. The first wine was the 1990 Reserve, and the first vineyard, Mark Bradford, was planted in 1993 on the west side of the Evenstad Estate and named after their son, Mark Bradford Evenstad. Ken Wright was Domaine Serene's first winemaker. Between 1994 and 1997 the Evenstad Estate grew to 142 acres, ending with the purchase of the neighbouring south-facing Côte Sud vineyard in 1997. Further estates followed: Winery Hill, one mile north of the Evenstad Estate, from 1998; Jerusalem Hill in the Eola-Amity Hills in 1999; Triple Crown in 2008; and Two Barns in 2013, a vineyard Domaine Serene had planted, farmed and bought all the fruit from before buying the property. In 2015 the Evenstads bought Château de la Crée in Santenay, Burgundy. In 2018 they donated $6 million to Linfield College to establish the Evenstad Center for Wine Education. Grace Evenstad continued the business after Ken Evenstad (1943-2020), and in 2021 she was owner, founder and chair of the board of Evenstad Estates. Domaine Serene is part of the Evenstad Estates portfolio of wine brands from Oregon and Burgundy.

• 1969: Ken and Grace Evenstad buy Upsher-Smith, a Minneapolis pharmaceutical company
• 1989: 42 acres bought atop the Dundee Hills; 1990: first wine, the 1990 Reserve
• 1993: Mark Bradford Vineyard planted, named after the Evenstads' son
• 1997: Côte Sud bought, bringing the Evenstad Estate to 142 acres
• 1998 to 2013: Winery Hill, Jerusalem Hill, Triple Crown and Two Barns added
• 2015: Château de la Crée bought; 2021: Domaine Christian Confuron & Fils acquired
• Ken Evenstad (1943-2020)

The winery's team page lists Rusty Field as CEO and President, Liz Lease-McCaffrey as Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, Michael Fay as Vice President of Winemaking and Viticulture, Carl Formaker as Domaine Serene winemaker and Natalie Ellis as assistant winemaker. Formaker's appointment was announced on September 24, 2023; he arrived as the 2023 vintage was under way, and the 2023 wines, released in July 2026, were the first he made at Domaine Serene. He holds a biology degree from UC Berkeley and a master's degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, and worked at Marcassin Wines and, from May 2017, at Three Sticks before joining. Earlier winemakers include Ken Wright, the first, and Erik Kramer, who held the role in 2015. In 2021 Ryan Harris was president and CEO of Evenstad Estates. In Burgundy, Pablo Bosch is the winemaker for Domaine Evenstad and Château de la Crée. Until 1998 the Evenstads had no regular employees; Domaine Serene and Château de la Crée now have more than 50 full-time employees between Oregon and France.

• Carl Formaker: Domaine Serene winemaker since 2023 (UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Marcassin Wines, Three Sticks)
• Michael Fay: Vice President of Winemaking and Viticulture
• Rusty Field: CEO and President
• Pablo Bosch: winemaker for Domaine Evenstad and Château de la Crée

Domaine Serene farms seven vineyard estates planted only to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with clone and rootstock combinations chosen block by block and each block picked by hand. The Oregon estate covers 1,000 acres, 65 percent of which is preserved as forest, oak savannah and riparian land. The Evenstad Estate, planted from 1993 on the southernmost peak of the Dundee Hills, covers 142 acres with 84 planted at 520 to 825 feet, and holds seven vineyards: Mark Bradford, Grace, Fleur de Lis, Gold Eagle, Côte Sud, Clos du Soleil and Etoile. Winery Hill Estate, home to the winery and hospitality buildings, was planted in 2000 and has 41 of its 149 acres under vine at 775 to 930 feet, all on Dijon clones. Triple Crown Estate was planted between 2012 and 2014, mostly to Dijon clones of Chardonnay, and has 24 of its 79 acres under vine. Two Barns, at 300 to 400 feet, sits on a boundary between sedimentary Willakenzie and volcanic Jory soils and has 38 of 215 acres planted to Pinot Noir, including four Dijon clones and Pommard clones. Jerusalem Hill, the lowest site at 200 to 300 feet in the Eola-Amity Hills, was planted to Pinot Noir in 2000 on a south-facing slope of Woodburn sedimentary soils, 16 miles south of the Dundee Hills, with 59 of 90 acres planted. King Creek, a former Christmas tree farm in the Eola-Amity Hills planted in 2020, has 21 of 43 acres under vine on volcanic Jory soil at 415 to 510 feet and holds the first Chardonnay Domaine Serene planted outside the Dundee Hills. Abbey Oaks, the only estate in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, was planted to Pinot Noir in 2012 on south-facing Willakenzie slopes at 220 to 320 feet, with 28 of 40 acres planted; it is one of the warmer, earlier-ripening sites.

• Evenstad Estate (Dundee Hills): planted 1993; 84 of 142 acres planted; 520-825 ft
• Winery Hill Estate (Dundee Hills): planted 2000; 41 of 149 acres planted; 775-930 ft
• Triple Crown Estate (Dundee Hills): planting completed 2014; 24 of 79 acres planted; 745-900 ft
• Two Barns (Dundee Hills): Pinot Noir; 38 of 215 acres planted; 300-400 ft
• Jerusalem Hill (Eola-Amity Hills): Pinot Noir planted 2000; 59 of 90 acres planted; 200-300 ft
• King Creek (Eola-Amity Hills): planted 2020; 21 of 43 acres planted; 415-510 ft
• Abbey Oaks (Yamhill-Carlton): Pinot Noir planted 2012; 28 of 40 acres planted; 220-320 ft

In 1994 Domaine Serene bought a 1913 building in Carlton and converted it into its first winery. In 2001 the Evenstads completed a five-level, gravity-flow Pinot Noir winery on the Winery Hill Estate, and in 2018 a separate white winery for Chardonnay and sparkling wine opened there. The first Chardonnay, from the 1997 vintage, came from Dijon-clone vines on the Côte Sud vineyard. The 'Coeur Blanc' white Pinot Noir was first released in 2006 with the 2004 vintage, grapes for sparkling wine were first picked in the 2014 harvest, and distillation of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for brandy began in 2015, with at least five years in cask before release. The 2021 'Evenstad Reserve' Pinot Noir, a Willamette Valley wine from 100 percent estate-grown grapes, spent 16 months in French oak.

• 1994: first winery, a converted 1913 building in Carlton
• 2001: five-level, gravity-flow Pinot Noir winery on Winery Hill
• 2018: dedicated white winery for Chardonnay and sparkling wine on Winery Hill
• Brandy from distilled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, held at least five years in cask

The Pinot Noir range as of October 2026 includes the 'Yamhill Cuvée', the 'Evenstad Reserve', the 'Aspect' and the 'Monogram', along with single-vineyard wines from Mark Bradford, Grace, Fleur de Lis and Gold Eagle on the Evenstad Estate and from Jerusalem Hill and Two Barns. The 'Evenstad Reserve' Pinot Noir has been the flagship since its first vintage, a reserve blend from barrels hand-selected each year. The 'Aspect' wines blend grapes from the three highest estates in the Dundee Hills, the Evenstad Estate, Winery Hill Estate and Triple Crown Estate, which lie within a mile of each other; the 2022 'Aspect' Chardonnay includes fruit from the south-facing Triple Crown and southwest-facing Clos de Lune vineyards. The Chardonnay range includes the 'Evenstad Reserve', the 'Aspect', the 'Récolte Grand Cru' and single-vineyard wines from Côte Sud, Clos du Soleil, Étoile, Triple Crown and Clos de Lune. 'Récolte Grand Cru', named for the French word for harvest, is a hand-harvested, barrel-fermented Chardonnay from a selection of estate fruit grown on Dijon clones in high-elevation, dry-farmed vineyards on Jory soil; the 2021 carries the Dundee Hills appellation and spent 17 months in barrel. Other wines include the 'Coeur Blanc' white Pinot Noir, the 'Evenstad Reserve' Dundee Hills Brut M.V. 1 and Brut Rosé M.V. 5 sparkling wines, and the Multi-Vintage 'r' Rosé. The Burgundy wines sold through Domaine Serene appear under the Château de la Crée, Chevalier de la Crée, Domaine Evenstad and Maison Evenstad names, for example a Maison Evenstad Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Chardonnay and a Château de la Crée Santenay Premier Cru Clos Faubard Pinot Noir.

• Pinot Noir: 'Yamhill Cuvée', 'Evenstad Reserve', 'Aspect', 'Monogram'; single vineyards Mark Bradford, Grace, Fleur de Lis, Gold Eagle, Jerusalem Hill, Two Barns
• Chardonnay: 'Evenstad Reserve', 'Aspect', 'Récolte Grand Cru'; single vineyards Côte Sud, Clos du Soleil, Étoile, Triple Crown, Clos de Lune
• 'Aspect': a blend from the Evenstad, Winery Hill and Triple Crown estates
• Also: 'Coeur Blanc' white Pinot Noir, 'Evenstad Reserve' Brut M.V. 1 and Brut Rosé M.V. 5, Multi-Vintage 'r' Rosé

Domaine Serene calls the art of blending "the hallmark of the Domaine Serene winemaking program," and created the 'Aspect' series "to showcase the art of the blend" across soils, elevations, orientations and clonal selections. The estate writes that Winery Hill's Dijon-clone grapes "slowly ripen in the cool air above Dundee" and give wine with "excellent aging potential, balanced acidity, elegant tannins, and a lingering finish." By its own account, Jerusalem Hill gives "rich, spicy wines" and Abbey Oaks "deeply concentrated wines that showcase the mineral undertones of the sedimentary soil." For the warm 2023 vintage, the winery writes that Formaker trusted "flavor over numbers to preserve freshness, balance, and site expression."

The Evenstad family bought Château de la Crée in Santenay, in the Côte de Beaune, in April 2015 from Nicolas Ryhiner, a Swiss theatre and television director who had owned it since 2004. Wine Spectator called Ken and Grace Evenstad the first Oregon vintners to own land and produce wine in Burgundy. The château's history goes back to 1431, when it was built by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins. Its 25 acres (10 hectares) of vines lie in Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges, with seven Premier Cru blocks, 40 percent of plantings in Premier Cru sites and Pinot Noir to Chardonnay in a two-to-one ratio. The vineyards are in conversion to organic farming. The family created Domaine Evenstad, a winery in Santenay, in 2021. Also in 2021, Evenstad Estates acquired Domaine Christian Confuron & Fils, with 15 acres in the Côte de Nuits including parcels in the Bonnes Mares and Clos de Vougeot grands crus and premier cru vines in Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-St.-Georges; the price was not disclosed. After that deal the Evenstads owned 40 acres of vines in Burgundy and 300 in the Willamette Valley.

• Château de la Crée (Santenay): bought April 2015; 25 acres across seven Côte de Beaune villages; in conversion to organic
• Domaine Evenstad (Santenay): created 2021
• Domaine Christian Confuron & Fils (Côte de Nuits): 15 acres acquired 2021

Wine Spectator ranked the Chardonnay Dundee Hills Evenstad Reserve 2014 No. 2 among its Top 10 Wines of the Year in 2016, and the Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Evenstad Reserve 2010 No. 3 in 2013. Grace and Ken Evenstad received Wine Spectator's 2018 Distinguished Service Award.

• Wine Spectator Top 10 Wines of the Year: No. 3 in 2013 (Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir 2010) and No. 2 in 2016 (Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay 2014)
• Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award, 2018 (Grace and Ken Evenstad)

The Clubhouse at Domaine Serene opened in May 2017 at 6555 NE Hilltop Lane, Dayton, with a grand room for public tasting, a members-only lounge, a food and wine pairing lounge and an underground cave system modeled on the one at Château de la Crée. Domaine Serene Wine Lounges opened in downtown Portland in 2018 and in Lake Oswego in 2019. Farming includes cover crops, reduced tilling, composting and sheep grazing. With Saverglass, the winery developed the Cépage Eco bottle, which at 495 grams is 30 percent lighter than the standard Cépage bottle.

• The Clubhouse (Dundee Hills): opened May 2017
• Wine Lounges: Portland (2018) and Lake Oswego (2019)
• LIVE certified vineyards since 2013; 65 percent of the 1,000-acre Oregon estate preserved

Primary sources (producer's own site and the Evenstad family's Burgundy sites linked from it): https://www.domaineserene.com/, https://www.domaineserene.com/about, https://www.domaineserene.com/estate-vineyards, https://www.domaineserene.com/burgundy, https://www.domaineserene.com/stewardship, https://www.domaineserene.com/the-clubhouse-at-domaine-serene, https://www.domaineserene.com/shop/all, https://www.domaineserene.com/shop/2021-domaine-serene-evenstad-reserve-pinot-noir, https://www.domaineserene.com/shop/2021-domaine-serene-recolte-grand-cru-chardonnay, https://www.domaineserene.com/shop/2021-domaine-serene-aspect-pinot-noir, https://www.domaineserene.com/learn/introducing-carl-formaker-as-the-new-winemaker-at-domaine-serene-a-leader-of-craftsmanship-and-passion-2, https://www.domaineserene.com/learn/domaine-serene-releases-2023-vintage-the-first-led-by-winemaker-carl-formaker, https://www.la-cree.com/en/story/, https://www.domaineevenstad.com/. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (23 October 2020; 8 October 2018; 18 June 2021) and Decanter (Jane Anson, 29 April 2015; Chris Mercer, 1 July 2021): https://www.winespectator.com/articles/distinguished-service-award-grace-ken-evenstad, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/evenstad-estates-buys-burgundy-domaine-and-vineyards, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/oregon-s-domaine-serene-buys-burgundy-vineyards-780/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/oregons-evenstad-estates-expands-in-burgundy-461167/. Last verified 2026-10-18. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.