• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Contact Us
  • Wine of the Week newsletter
  • Wine submission guidelines
Great Northwest Wine

Great Northwest Wine

News, reviews and info about the wines of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho

  • Home
  • About us
    • Awards and honors
    • Advertising on Great Northwest Wine
    • Wine submission guidelines
  • e-edition
  • Events calendar
    • Submit an event
  • Reviews
    • Latest wine reviews
    • Wine of the Week
    • Best Buys
    • Washington wines
    • Oregon wines
    • Idaho wines
    • British Columbia wines
  • Competitions
    • Cascadia International Wine Competition
    • Idaho Wine Competition
    • “The Invite” – Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition
    • Platinum Awards
    • Walla Walla Valley Wine Competition
    • Washington State Wine Competition
  • Explore
    • Wine news
    • Grapes and viticulture
    • Washington wine
    • Oregon wine
    • Idaho wine
    • British Columbia wine
    • Product reviews
    • Recipes
    • Podcast

Wine magazine honors Oregon’s Stoller Family Estate

March 17, 2014 by Andy Perdue 1 Comment

Stoller Family Estate is in Dayton, Oregon, in the Dundee Hills.
Melissa Burr, winemaker, and Rob Schultz, vineyard manager, have helped make Stoller Family Estate in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year. (Photo by Andy Perdue/Great Northwest Wine)

DAYTON, Ore. — Stoller Family Estate, a winery and vineyard in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, has been named Wine Press Northwest magazine’s 2014 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year.

The Dayton, Ore., winery appears on the cover of the Spring issue of the magazine, which arrives at subscribers’ homes and hits newsstands this week.

Stoller Family Estate is the first winery from the Dundee Hills to win the honor. Past recipients from Oregon include Zerba Cellars, Elk Cove Vineyards and Ken Wright Cellars.

Stoller Family Estate is owned by Bill Stoller, who was born on the land where the winery now is located. For many years, the land was used as a turkey farm, until Stoller purchased it in 1993 and planted grapes. He launched the winery in 2001 with the guidance of Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem Wines in nearby Newberg. Stoller also is half-owner of Chehalem.

The wines, which focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, are made by Melissa Burr, 38, who joined the winery as head winemaker in 2003. Burr, who grew up in Salem and graduated from Portland State University, originally planned to get into naturopathic medicine but became entranced with wine when her in-laws purchased an old vineyard in the Columbia Gorge town of White Salmon, Wash.

Rob Schultz joined Stoller Family Estate in 2011 as vineyard manager and works closely with Burr and the rest of the team.

The winery is headed by Gary Mortensen, who is president of the company. In the 1980s and 1990s, Mortensen was vice president of Sokol Blosser, a winery not far from Stoller. There, he helped come up with Evolution No. 9, a white blend of nine grapes that has become the winery’s most popular wine. After working in high-tech startups and as a documentary filmmaker, Mortensen returned to the wine industry with Stoller.

Here is a list of past recipients of Wine Press Northwest’s Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year award:

  • 2013: Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, Wash.
  • 2012: Thurston Wolfe, Prosser, Wash.
  • 2011: Zerba Cellars, Milton-Freewater, Ore.
  • 2010: Vin du Lac, Chelan, Wash.
  • 2009: Wild Goose Vineyards, Okanagan Falls, B.C.
  • 2008: Dunham Cellars, Walla Walla, Wash.
  • 2007: Elk Cove Vineyards, Gaston, Ore.
  • 2006: Barnard Griffin, Richland, Wash.
  • 2005: Ken Wright Cellars: Carlton, Ore.
  • 2004: L’Ecole No. 41, Lowden, Wash.
  • 2003: Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, Summerland, B.C.
  • 2002: Columbia Crest, Paterson, Wash.

The magazine also honored the following wineries in the Spring issue:

  • Washington Winery of the Year: Woodward Canyon Winery, Lowden
  • Washington Winery to Watch: Avennia, Woodinville
  • Oregon Winery of the Year: Chehalem Wines, Newberg
  • Oregon Winery to Watch: Leah Jorgensen Cellars, Portland
  • Idaho Winery of the Year: Coiled Wines, Garden City
  • Idaho Winery to Watch: Hat Ranch Winery, Caldwell

Filed Under: Oregon wine Tagged With: featured, ticker

About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is founding partner of Great Northwest Wine LLC and a longtime wine columnist. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Wine of the Week

Mt. Hood Winery 2018 Gunkel Vineyard Barbera, Columbia Valley $38

July 8, 2022

Latest Wine Reviews

Trella Vineyards 2016 Pinot Gris, Umpqua Valley $16

July 23, 2022 By Great Northwest Wine

Flora Jane Cellars 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $22

July 23, 2022 By Great Northwest Wine

More Northwest Wine News

Footer

Grapes

Northwest vineyards enter August as much as 12 days behind normal

Oregon stands out throughout Pinot Gris tasting

The Wine Knows: Mastering the magical blend of GSM

Sniff, Sip, Swirl: Holmes family unveils Arneis on Red Mountain

Northwest Merlot remains memorable in talented hands

Food

Match Maker: Thiessen puts his brand on WW with Walla Walla Steak Co.

Match Maker recipe: Chocolate Crémeux Tart with Cocoa Nibs and Hazelnuts

Ellen on Wine: 19th century French chef’s legacy inspires 21st century NW women in hospitality with Les Dames d’Escoffier

Match Maker recipe: Cast Iron Cowboy Ribeye with Marinated Spring Vegetables

Expect heavy bidding as Reveal Walla Walla wine auction returns 

History

Ellen on Wine: 19th century French chef’s legacy inspires 21st century NW women in hospitality with Les Dames d’Escoffier

Kiona, Barnard Griffin toast 40th Red Mountain harvest with fundraiser Cab

Parks Redwine, owner of NorthWest Wine Summit competition, dies in Atlanta

Yakima Valley thrives as historical heart of Washington wine

Washington Wine Hall of Fame Gala raises record $105,000 for Clore Center

© 2022 Great NW Wine. All Rights Reserved.