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Our Story
What began with a dream and an empty field is now one of Oregon’s oldest wine estates. Founders Philippe and Bonnie Girardet established this European-style wine estate in 1971 with an intuition that this picturesque site resembled the best vineyard lands of Europe. Over the years they were proven right: the site features an ideal microclimate on the edge of the warmer interior Umpqua Valley and the cooler coastal mountain range.
Philippe learned the art of handcrafting wine back home in Switzerland working on his great uncle’s vineyard. He used this knowledge of Old-World ways to craft his own wines here in Oregon. Girardet’s first vintage of commercially released wines hit the shelves in 1983, and the following year received two silver medals at the Oregon State Fair.
Second generation Winemaker, Marc Girardet, was taught the family tradition of winemaking working alongside his father Philippe. Young Marc grew up playing in the vines, drinking grape juice from the press, and helping his parents in the business. He became the winemaker in 1999—at age 24 he was the youngest in the state--and for over 10 years has been carrying on the passion for handcrafting extraordinary wines.