Sokol Blosser Winery

Stanford graduates Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser planted winegrape cuttings in a nursery row in the Dundee Hills in 1971 and transplanted them to the Old Vineyard in 1972. Bill Blosser, an urban planner, led the development of the vineyards and winery. Construction of the winery was finished in 1977 in time to process its first harvest. In 1978 Sokol Blosser opened what it calls Oregon's first tasting room, designed by Oregon architect John W. Storrs. Bill Blosser also took part in developing the Oregon Winegrowers Association, the Oregon Wine Board, the Yamhill County Wineries Association, and the International Pinot Noir Festival. In 1998 Alex Sokol Blosser came back to work at the winery, Russ Rosner joined as winemaker, and small-lot bottlings of individual Pinot Noir blocks were introduced with the 1998 vintage. When Dundee Hills became an official AVA in 2005, Sokol Blosser released the first Oregon wine labeled with the new appellation, its 2002 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir. Construction of a new tasting room designed by Allied Works began in 2012; it opened on July 1, 2013, and the winery celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.

• 1971: first vines planted in the Dundee Hills; cuttings transplanted to the Old Vineyard in 1972
• 1977: winery completed in time for its first harvest
• 1978: tasting room opens, designed by John W. Storrs
• 2005: first Oregon wine labeled Dundee Hills, the 2002 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir

Bill Blosser turned the presidency over to Susan Sokol Blosser in 1991, and she handed it to their children in 2008. Alex Sokol Blosser was hired in July 1998 to sell the family's wines, later ran the distributor sales team as VP of Sales, became the winery's fourth winemaker, and in February 2023 became president of the winery and vineyard; he has overseen the vineyards throughout. Alison Sokol Blosser previously served as CEO and Co-President, championed the B Corp certification, and is now listed as a Second Generation Winegrower. Nik Sokol Blosser has served as Chair of the family board of directors. Susan Sokol Blosser's title is Founder and Garden Advisor and Bill Blosser's is Founder; Bill remains on the Board of Directors and works every harvest as an assistant to the winemaker. Robin Howell took the reins as Lead Winemaker in February 2023, expanding her responsibilities beyond sparkling wines to all Sokol Blosser wines; she is the first female winemaker in company history. She holds a genetics degree from graduate school at OSU and has made wine in Marlborough and Central Otago. The 2023 Kalita Vineyard and 2023 Orchard Block Pinot Noirs are the first releases 100% under her management.

• 1991: Susan Sokol Blosser takes over the presidency from Bill Blosser; 2008: passed to the second generation
• February 2023: Alex Sokol Blosser becomes president of the winery and vineyard
• February 2023: Robin Howell becomes Lead Winemaker, the first female winemaker in company history
• Nik Sokol Blosser chairs the family board of directors; Alison Sokol Blosser, former CEO and Co-President, is a Second Generation Winegrower

Sokol Blosser farms 128 acres across Oregon. The Dundee Hills Estate, originally planted in 1971, is a certified organic 89-acre site. The Dundee Hills AVA, 28 miles southwest of Portland, was shaped over 15 million years ago by lava flows that formed its signature red volcanic Jory soils. On the estate the family grows Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, and Chardonnay. The winery later bought 3.27 acres of adjacent land to plant Chardonnay, the La Joya block, named after the Mexican hometown of vineyard foreman Luis Hernandez, who has been with the winery since 1989. The Orchard Block covers seven acres. Kalita Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, acquired in 2021, is a bowl-shaped site named after its original owners, Sherry and Arthur Kalita. There the winery farms 22 certified organic acres of Pinot Noir plus a small amount of Pinot Meunier; the vineyard received organic certification in fall 2024. Blossom Ridge is a 20-year-old certified organic site in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, where Sokol Blosser has farmed 16 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since 2013.

• Dundee Hills Estate: 89 certified organic acres, first planted 1971
• Kalita Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton: acquired 2021; 22 acres of Pinot Noir plus a little Pinot Meunier
• Blossom Ridge, Eola-Amity Hills: 16 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, farmed since 2013
• La Joya: 3.27-acre adjacent parcel purchased for Chardonnay

By its own account, Sokol Blosser was the first winery certified Salmon-Safe, in 1996, under a program launched by the Pacific Rivers Council. In 2002 it began transitioning to organically farmed vineyards, and in September 2005 it received full USDA organic certification for its 72-acre estate vineyard. Its underground barrel cellar, opened in 2002, was the first U.S. winery project to achieve LEED certification; some 900 barrels were kept there at 60° F year-round under 3 feet of earth without air-conditioning. Alex Sokol Blosser told The Drinks Business that the cellar earned LEED Silver. Sokol Blosser became a Certified B Corporation in April 2015. In January 2024 it began printing full ingredient and nutrition information on back labels, starting with its 2023 Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir.

• 1996: Salmon-Safe certification
• 2002: LEED-certified underground barrel cellar, the first U.S. winery project so certified
• September 2005: full USDA organic certification for the estate vineyard
• April 2015: Certified B Corporation

Sokol Blosser is one family with two brands, Sokol Blosser and Evolution. The Sokol Blosser range includes Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Redland Cuvée Estate Pinot Noir, Kalita Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir, Avery Alexander Pinot Noir, and block bottlings from Big Tree, Orchard, and Watershed, alongside Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Rosé of Pinot Noir, and Bluebird Cuvée Brut Sparkling. The winery describes its 2022 Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir as showing raspberry and cherry cola on the nose, red fruit with leather, forest floor, and wet stone on the palate, and sweet tobacco and baked spices on the finish. The winery says the seven-acre Orchard Block is known for balance and that each vintage of its Pinot Noir has shown well-balanced tannins and fruit. Evolution was introduced in 1998, when, by the brand's account, there were very few white blends on the market; its story began with the Evolution White blend. The current Evolution range includes Lucky No. 9 White (a blend of nine grape varieties, pressed straight to juice and fermented in stainless steel; the winery says it launched the alternative white category two decades ago), Big Time Red (released in 2012), Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling. In 2025 the winery debuted the Evolution Mobile Wine Bar. The Drinks Business reported that the winery produces between 50,000 and 70,000 cases annually.

• Pinot Noir: Dundee Hills, Redland Cuvée Estate, Kalita Yamhill-Carlton, Avery Alexander
• Block Pinot Noirs: Big Tree, Orchard, Watershed; block bottlings began with the 1998 vintage
• Whites, rosé, and sparkling: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Rosé of Pinot Noir, Bluebird Cuvée Brut
• Evolution: Lucky No. 9 White (nine grapes, stainless-steel fermented), Big Time Red (2012), Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling

Primary sources (producer's own sites): https://sokolblosser.com/, https://sokolblosser.com/about/about-history, https://sokolblosser.com/about/our-people, https://sokolblosser.com/about/vineyards, https://sokolblosser.com/about/sustainability, https://sokolblosser.com/trade-media, https://sokolblosser.com/news/2025-09-19/press-release--2023-vintage-release, https://evolutionwine.com/, https://evolutionwine.com/who-we-are/, https://evolutionwine.com/product/evolution-lucky-no-9-white-2/. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (LEED winery projects profile), The Drinks Business (November 21, 2023). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12