King Estate Winery

King Estate was founded in 1991 by Ed King and his father, Ed King Jr. (1921-2012), whose aviation electronics company, King Radio, was based in Kansas City, Missouri. By 1990 the younger Ed King owned timberland and farmland that included two small vineyards, and while purchasing hay for his horses he found a 600-acre cattle ranch near Lorane, Oregon, which he and his father bought. The first grapes were planted in 1992 on 16.5 acres, more than 100 acres had been planted by 1994, and the first vintage of estate-grown grapes was harvested in 1995. The company later acquired two adjoining properties, the Springhill Ranch to the north and the Doughty Ranch to the east. In 2006 the King Estate Restaurant opened beside the winery, and the same year the company launched its North by Northwest label.

• Ed King earned a law degree from the University of Missouri in 1975 and an MBA from the University of Oregon in 1982
• Founding site: a 600-acre cattle ranch near Lorane, Oregon
• Adjoining properties added later: Springhill Ranch (north) and Doughty Ranch (east)
• King Estate Restaurant opened in 2006; North by Northwest label launched the same year

Ed King is Co-CEO and Co-Founder and Brent Stone is Co-CEO and Winemaker. Stone joined King Estate in 2011 as Lab Manager and Director of Quality Assurance, was named Winemaker in 2016, and added Chief Operating Officer to his duties in 2018. Raymond Nuclo, Director of Viticulture, consulted with King Estate for two years before joining full time in 2013 and oversees viticulture and vineyard partnerships. Meliton Martinez joined the vineyard crew in 1993 and was promoted to Vineyard Manager in 1999.

• Ed King: Co-CEO and Co-Founder
• Brent Stone: Co-CEO and Winemaker
• Raymond Nuclo: Director of Viticulture
• Meliton Martinez: Vineyard Manager

The estate covers 1,033 acres southwest of Eugene at the southern tip of the Willamette Valley AVA, with 470 acres under vine: 165 of Pinot Noir, nearly 300 of Pinot Gris, and the balance in other grapes. Another 30 acres hold orchards, gardens, lavender, and bee hives, and the estate orchard alone covers 14 acres of pears, apples, and plums. Vineyard elevations range from 740 to just under 1,200 feet. The estate sits primarily on two soils: Bellpine, a marine sedimentary soil, and Jory, a volcanic soil. These soils allow the estate to dry farm without irrigation. The winery credits dry farming with smaller cluster weights and more concentrated flavors, and credits daily temperature swings of up to 35 degrees with enhancing flavor development and balancing acidity. Its goal is to plant North America's most clonally diverse Pinot Gris vineyards.

• 1,033 acres; 470 acres under vine (nearly 300 Pinot Gris, 165 Pinot Noir)
• Elevation 740 to just under 1,200 feet
• Soils: Bellpine (marine sedimentary) and Jory (volcanic)
• Dry farmed, without irrigation
• 14-acre orchard: three acres of pears, seven of apples, four of plums

King Estate has been organic since 2002 and, by its own account, became the largest certified Biodynamic vineyard in North America in 2016; its Biodynamic certification is from Demeter USA. No herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, or pesticides are used on the property, and the soils are fed with more than 1,000 tons of compost produced on the estate. The vineyard is certified Salmon-Safe. A solar array completed in late 2011 has 4,144 solar panels on four acres. In partnership with the nearby Cascades Raptor Center, the estate serves as a release site for orphaned and rehabilitated birds of prey, and eight raptor boxes were installed around the property in 2009.

• Organic since 2002
• Certified Biodynamic by Demeter USA; Biodynamic standard adopted in 2016
• Certified Salmon-Safe
• 4,144 solar panels on four acres, completed in late 2011

As much as one-third to one-half of the grapes in King Estate Willamette Valley wines come from its estate-grown, certified Biodynamic fruit, with the remainder sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards across the AVA. It works with approximately 30 vineyard partners; those it names include Nicholas, Temperance Hill, Freedom Hill, Croft, Tonalita, Bradshaw, and Pfeiffer. Croft Vineyard, a 70-acre vineyard in Dallas, Oregon, has been a partner since the mid-1990s, and King Estate has been the primary purchaser of its grapes. For its single-vineyard program the winery also sources grapes from Rogue Valley, Ribbon Ridge, and Van Duzer Corridor in Oregon and from Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley in Washington. All vineyard lots, blocks, and clones are kept separate through winemaking before blending, which results in over 400 fermentations annually.

• Approximately 30 vineyard partners
• Pfeiffer Vineyards purchased from retiring owners Robin and Danuta Pfeiffer in November 2022; 2025 is the earliest vintage that could be labeled Biodynamic
• Croft Vineyard (Dallas, Oregon): partner since the mid-1990s
• Over 400 fermentations annually from separated lots, blocks, and clones

The winery's shop groups its wines into collections including King Estate, Single Vineyard, Innovation, and North by Northwest. The King Estate collection includes Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Muscat, and Rose of Pinot Noir, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Brut Cuvee, and the Domaine Pinot Gris and Domaine Pinot Noir. The Domaine label was created early in the winery's history as its premier wine, and its fruit is 100% estate grown, organic, and Biodynamic. Single Vineyard wines, limited production and available only through the Tower Club and at the winery, include Steiner Block, Croft, Pfeiffer, Goschie, and Eola Springs Pinot Gris and Bradshaw, Croft, Nicholas, Tonalita, and Temperance Hill Pinot Noir. Steiner Block Pinot Gris, first produced in 2017, comes from Block 2D in the far southeast corner of the estate, planted in 1992 with own-rooted vines; the grapes are whole cluster pressed, then fermented and aged in a concrete egg. The Innovation collection includes Inscription and Artisan Series wines, and North by Northwest focuses on the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla AVAs. King Estate has made sparkling wine by the méthode champenoise since its first bottlings in 2008.

• Collections include King Estate, Single Vineyard, Innovation, and North by Northwest
• Domaine: the premier label, from 100% estate-grown, organic, and Biodynamic fruit
• Steiner Block Pinot Gris: Block 2D, own-rooted vines planted in 1992, fermented and aged in a concrete egg
• Sparkling wine made by the méthode champenoise since 2008

In 2018 King Estate sold its Acrobat brand, a line of Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, rose of Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, to Foley Family Wines for an undisclosed sum. At the time, Wine Business Monthly had ranked King Estate the 43rd largest wine company in the U.S., with 400,000 cases produced annually. After almost 20 years of operation, the King Estate Restaurant closed, and from June 2, 2025 the site has operated as a Tasting Room only. By July 2026 King Estate had joined other producers in establishing Method Oregon, an organization setting standards for Oregon sparkling wine.

• 2016: joined the Willamette Valley AVA through a 29-square-mile addition
• 2022: purchased Pfeiffer Vineyards
• 2025: restaurant closed; Tasting Room only from June 2, 2025
• 2026: joined other producers in establishing Method Oregon

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://kingestate.com/, https://kingestate.com/story/our-story/, https://kingestate.com/story/people/, https://kingestate.com/estate/, https://kingestate.com/estate/vineyards/, https://kingestate.com/estate/sustainable-grown-vineyards/, https://kingestate.com/estate/willamette-valley/, https://kingestate.com/estate/winemaking/, https://kingestate.com/estate/culinary-ecosystem/, https://kingestate.com/shop/, https://kingestate.com/a-natural-conversion-pfeiffer-goes-biodynamic/, https://kingestate.com/the-croft-family-connection/, https://kingestate.com/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/, https://kingestate.com/king-estates-domaine/, https://kingestate.com/setting-the-standard-for-oregon-sparkling-wine/, https://kingestate.com/purely-pinot-gris/. Secondary sources: The Press Democrat (April 9, 2018), Wine Spectator (April 6, 2018). Last verified 2026-10-12