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A Legendary History Our Story

Hand drawing of the Domaine Serene property

Committed to Excellence Our Beginnings

In 1989, Grace and Ken Evenstad settled in the Willamette Valley, with a deep appreciation for the wines of Burgundy and a faith in Oregon before there was a national market for domestic Pinot Noir.

Soon after arriving to the Valley, the Evenstads invested in a 42-acre hilltop estate in the Dundee Hills effectively creating Oregon’s luxury wine industry.

Domaine Serene vineyard from a drone
Four people standing on a vineyard estate in the 80's
Ken Evenstad on the fruit sorting line in the winery in the 80's
Grace Evenstad on the sorting line in the winery in the 80's

Creating Our Winery

Building Domaine Serene

In 2001, the Evenstads completed the construction of their current state-of-the-art, five-level, gravity-flow Pinot Noir winery. 

A little over a decade later, they completed a new white winery dedicated to the production of Chardonnay and sparkling wine, the first of its kind in Oregon. 

The wineries, located on the prestigious Winery Hill Estate, were built as a statement to the quality of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that can be produced from the world-class Dundee Hills AVA.

A Timeline of Our History

Empty land where Domaine Serene started

1989

An enduring legacy was born

A passion, vision and commitment to produce the world's best Pinot Noir leads Ken and Grace Evenstad to Oregon. 

They purchase 42 recently logged acres atop the renowned Dundee Hills in Yamhill County, Willamette Valley, where Oregon Pinot Noir began and where its heart remains.

Looking over grapes from the first harvest

1990

First Wine Crafted for Release

Grace and Ken produce Domaine Serene’s first wine, the 1990 Reserve, earning 90 points from esteemed critic, Robert Parker Jr.

first domaine serene vineyard

1993

Grace and Ken plant their first vineyard

After a tremendous effort clearing the boulders and stumps from the West side of the Evenstad Estate, Grace and Ken planted their first vineyard, the Mark Bradford Vineyard, named after their son, Mark Bradford Evenstad. 

They persevered despite warnings from the early Oregon pioneers who claimed that it wasn’t possible to ripen grapes above 600’ in elevation and that planting on the western slopes was a bad idea. Mark Bradford is now one of our very best Pinot Noir vineyards.

domaine serene winery

1994

Our first winery

Domaine Serene purchases an historic 1913 building in Carlton, OR and converts it to a winery.

domaine serene vineyard

1994

1994 to 1997: Vineyard expansion

Domaine Serene purchases contiguous land to 142 acres on the Evenstad Estate.

chardonnay grape vineyard

1997

Chardonnay is Born!

Grace and Ken make their first chardonnay with the 1997 vintage coming from some of America’s oldest Dijon clone chardonnay vines planted on the Côte Sud vineyard. 

It was a harbinger of great things to come in Chardonnay.

Cote de Sud Vineyard

1997

Vineyard purchase of Côte Sud

Domaine Serene purchases the neighboring South-facing vineyard, Côte Sud, which expands the Evenstad Estate to 142 acres.

Domaine Serene winery hill

1998

Winery Hill is purchased

Domaine Serene purchases the first 80 acres of an eventual 180 acre hilltop property, one mile north of the Evenstad Estate. 

The property is named Winery Hill and is the future site of their new winery.

woman working in winery

1998

Grace and Ken begin to build the Domaine Serene team

Prior to 1998, Grace and Ken didn’t have any regular employees and had done parts of every winery job themselves including hand labeling and corking over 1,000 cases per year. Domaine Serene and Château de la Crée now has more than 50 full time employees split between Oregon and France.

winery plans

1999

Plans for our gravity-flow winery

Plans for a new gravity flow winery are completed. Domaine Serene purchases 90 acres in the Eola-Hills, named Jerusalem Hill, which will be planted to Pinot Noir.

wine cheers

1999

Parkers Wine Buyers Guide

Renowned wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr names Domaine Serene an 'Outstanding' producer of Oregon Pinot Noir in his book, Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide.

jesusalem hill vineyard

1999

The Jerusalem Hill Estate is purchased and planted

Domaine Serene purchases 90 acres in the Eola-Hills, named Jerusalem Hill, which was planted to 100% Pinot Noir in 2000.

new winery at domaine serene

2001

New Winery Opens

Domaine Serene moves into the spectacular new winery just in time for harvest!

page from wine and spirits magazine

2003

Wine & Spirits Magazine Winner

Domaine Serene is named 'Estate Winery of the Year' by Wines & Spirits Magazine.

blind tasting results

2004

Wine Community Shocked by Blind Tasting

Domaine Serene shocks the wine community by besting the most prestigious winery in the world, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, in a blind tasting of 3 wines from each producer in vintages 1998, 1999, and 2000. 

Domaine Serene places first, second and third with the 1998 and 1999 vintages, and first and second with the 2000 vintage.

bottle of couer blanc wine

2006

First Release of Coeur Blanc, White Pinot Noir

The debut release of the Coeur Blanc, vintage 2004, is introduced to sommeliers with rave reviews.

It is the most unique white wine in the country.

wine bottle cork

2006

Evenstad Reserve® named Oregon’s #­1 Pinot Noir

The Evenstad Reserve® Pinot Noir, a sommelier favorite, is named the #­1 Oregon wine in Wine & Spirits Restaurant Poll.

triple crown estate

2008

The Triple Crown Estate is purchased

Grace and Ken purchased the spectacular Triple Crown Estate and connected forest land and a rock quarry in 2008. 

Development began on the vineyard in 2012 with plantings completed in 2014. This estate was primarily planted to Dijon clones of Chardonnay and has already proven to deliver extraordinary quality.

evenstad reserve wine bottle

2008

Evenstad Reserve® accolades

The Evenstad Reserve® is named one of the top 100 wines of the year by Wine Spectator, and Oregon's #­1 Pinot Noir by the Wall Street Journal.

evenstad reserve wine bottle

2011

97 Points from Wine Spectator

The 2008 'Grace Vineyard' Pinot Noir receives 97 points by Wine Spectator, the highest rating ever awarded to an Oregon Pinot Noir.

abbey oaks vineyard

2011

The Abbey Oaks Vineyard is Developed

Domaine Serene purchased land and planted the Abbey Oaks Vineyard to various clones of Pinot Noir. 

Located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, the young Abbey Oaks Vineyard is already showing itself to be a lush, yet powerfully concentrated site.

wine of the year

2013

Evenstad Reserve® named #­3 wine of the year by Wine Spectator

The 2010 Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir received 95 points and is ranked the #­3 wine in the world on Wine Spectator’s top wines of the year list.

two barns vineyard

2013

Domaine Serene purchases the Two Barns Vineyard

Although Domaine Serene planted, managed and has always been the sole purchaser of the fruit from Two Barns Vineyard, Grace and Ken were able to purchase the 216-acre estate and 35-acre vineyard in 2013.

25th anniversary photo

2014

25th Anniversary and Great Wines of the World

Domaine Serene celebrates its 25th anniversary in grand fashion with an event highlighting wines from their storied past.  

Friends, family and many loyal customers gathered to celebrate this momentous occasion with  Grace and Ken Evenstad.

stack of wine bottle

2014

Domaine Serene begins its sparkling wine program

Beginning with the 2014 harvest, grapes for seven different sparkling wines are harvested with the goal of becoming the finest sparkling wines producer in America.

two men smiling

2014

Chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Wineries of the World

Renowned critic James Suckling names Domaine Serene as one of the 50 Greatest Wineries in the World. 

Domaine Serene joins only two other wineries to represent North America in the Great Wines of the World event in Hong Kong.

grace and ken evenstad

2015

Our Legacy Continues

Domaine Serene expands to Burgundy, as the Evenstads acquire the historic Château de la Cree in the Côte d’Or. 

New vineyards, Clos de Serene and Triple Crown, are planted, and groundbreaking for the new Clubhouse takes place. The Clubhouse will be one of the most luxurious wine tasting facilities in the Willamette Valley.

brandy aging in wine barrels

2015

Distillation begins for Oregon’s first Winery-produced Brandy Program

Distilling top quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and aging in a selection of new barrels and once-filled single vineyard Pinot Noir barrels has been yielding world-class brandy that will age for a minimum of five years in casks prior to release.

sketch of winery hill

2016

Winery Hill awarded #1 Pinot Noir in the World by Decanter

The 2012 Domaine Serene Winery Hill receives 95 points and earns a Best in Show for the #1 Pinot Noir category in the 2016 Decanter World Wine awards, besting 26 premier Cru and 6 Grand Cru Burgundies.

evenstad reserve wine bottle

2016

Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay named #­2 wine of the year by Wine Spectator

The 2014 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay received 95 points and is ranked the #2 wine in the world on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year.

vineyard

2017

Domaine Serene becomes Oregon’s Most Awarded Winery by Wine Spectator

With nearly two hundred 90+ scores from Wine Spectator alone and the only winery in the world to receive a Top 3 rating in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Domaine Serene is far and away, Oregon’s most critically acclaimed winery.

excellence in family business award

2017

Domaine Serene Wins the Coveted OSU School of Business Award

Oregon State University recognizes Domaine Serene’s advanced generational planning and innovative legacy trust with their Business Renewal Award, given to companies with an exceptional dedication to quality while planning for the future.

evenstad reserve wine bottle

2017

Jerusalem Hill awarded #1 Pinot Noir from America by Decanter

The 2013 Domaine Serene Jerusalem Hill Pinot Noir receives 95 points and was named the #1 Pinot Noir from America in the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards.

the clubhouse at domaine serene

2017

The Clubhouse at Domaine Serene Opens May 2017

The Clubhouse is a gift to the winery’s cherished members, the wine community, and was conceived to celebrate the burgeoning Evenstad Family’s wine legacy for future generations to come. It’s thoughtful design, architecture and old-world construction techniques offer future generations of wine lovers the same sense of place and history found in the most significant and storied regions of Burgundy.

man and woman with a shovel

2018

The Clubhouse at Domaine Serene wins the coveted Build America award

Domaine Serene and Clubhouse Builder, Schommer & Sons wins America’s top award in the world of building and architecture for the design and construction quality of The Clubhouse at Domaine Serene.

new vineyard planting

2018

New Vineyard Plantings in Oregon

Grace and Mark Bradford vineyards expand the Evenstad Estate along with expansions on the Winery Hill vineyard promise to be some of our finest vineyards in the future.

large white wine barrels

2018

Domaine Serene’s new White Winery is Completed and Opens in time for Harvest

The first ever dedicated white winery in Oregon history was built on The Winery Hill estate to exclusively craft sparkling wine and Chardonnay.

evenstad center for wine education logo

2018

The Evenstad Center for Wine Education at Linfield College is Established

Grace and Ken Evenstad donate $6M to Linfield College to establish and forever endow the Evenstad Center for Wine Education, creating the world’s first-ever multi-disciplinary undergraduate wine studies program.

They also have endowed the Evenstad Chair for Wine Studies and the Evenstad Wine Fermentation Laboratory.

domaine serene wine lounge

2018

The Domaine Serene Wine Lounge Opens in Portland

The Domaine Serene Wine Lounge in downtown Portland is a one of a kind luxury wine bar and lounge, featuring the award-winning wines of Domaine Serene, Maison Evenstad and Château de la Crée along with chef-driven small bites, live music and events.

white house wine list

2018

Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Served at the White House for the Fourth Time

Selected by The White House Sommelier to represent America’s finest, the 2015 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay was selected for President Trump’s first state dinner, honoring French President, Emmanuel Macron. 

This was the 4th time that Evenstad Reserve has been served at The White House, including a state dinner for the President of China and for the Governor’s Ball in 2017.

grace and ken evenstad

2018

Grace & Ken Receive the 2018 Distinguished Service Award

Grace and Ken Evenstad, founding owners of Domaine Serene Winery and owners of Château de la Crée in Burgundy, have just been announced as the recipients of the 2018 Distinguished Service Award by Wine Spectator Magazine.  

The award, meant to honor those that have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the wine industry, will be given to the Evenstads for playing a key role in the region’s rise from a sleepy wine community to one of America’s most dynamic and respected growing regions.

domaine serene wine lounge lake oswego

2019

The Domaine Serene Wine Lounge Opens in Lake Oswego

The Domaine Serene Wine Lounge in Lake Oswego is an immersive wine and food multi-sensory experience, featuring the award-winning wines of Domaine Serene, Maison Evenstad and Château de la Crée along with seasonal French-American cuisine, live music and events.

vineyard

2020

Domaine Serene Establishes New Scholarship to Increase Diversity in Wine Industry

Continuing their longtime support of Linfield College, Grace and Ken establish an endowed scholarship for underrepresented populations in the college's wine studies program. 

The $500,000 gift aims to expand diversity within the winemaking field, allowing more students to receive a top-rated wine education at an affordable cost.

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A Commitment to Our Future Building a Stronger Community

Over recent years, we have worked to expand our community of philanthropic organizations, looking to the future of wine as a way to guide us and our initiatives.

Giving Back

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Group of friends drinking wine on a patio
America's most awarded winery - Domaine Serene

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