About Left Coast Cellars

Family-owned and operated, Left Coast Estate is guided by two essential principles: a passion for winemaking and a deep connection to the land where we live and farm. Describing our special place in the world is so much more than the sum of its parts. Left Coast Estate comprises 500 acres of beautiful countryside; including 160 acres of rolling hillside vineyards, planted with seven grape varieties which produce award-winning wines.

The property is a haven for towering oaks, lovingly restored and protected. The significance of the oak savanna is far greater than the magnificent trees themselves. We believe that our oak forests are central to the biodiversity of the estate and form a significant part of our terroir, thus making better wines that are more representative of this special place. Cooling coastal breezes flow through the Van Duzer Corridor to the roots of our vines. It is the myriad flora and fauna that thrive here, creating the unique terroir that characterizes our wines.

The beauty of Left Coast is the confluence of diverse natural beauty, the love our family has for the land, and the appreciation of our visitors for this unique space. Our story began long before our family founded Left Coast. These are the ancestral lands of the Grand Ronde, Siletz, Yamhill, and Kalapuya peoples, who have hunted, fished, gathered, and lived here for centuries. The work of native peoples continues to shape our open oak savanna today, whose structure was and continues to be preserved by man made fires. Each spring, the camas bloom—considered sacred by many tribes—reminders of the layered history of the savanna and the many hands that sustain it.

The land itself came into existence at least 15,000 years ago, carved out by the Missoula Floods. This cataclysmic water surge carved out much of the western United States landscape, from the Rockies to the Willamette Valley. In addition to geography, the Missoulas also deposited incredible sedimentary soil in the region, allowing us to grow grapes and make wines with distinctive expression. Early pioneers, following the trailblazing efforts of Lewis and Clark, settled in the area and homesteaders were offered land by the government in exchange for moving to Oregon. James Fulkerson was lured by this deal, claiming his land in 1852, where he, and later his son’s family, lived and farmed on what is now the South Farm of Left Coast Estate. Fruit trees found on our property date back to the time of these early settlers, a bountiful souvenir of those that came before us.

Our family founded Left Coast Estate in 2003, The name Left Coast is in part recognition of geography, but also a playful nod to the fact that three out of five family members are left-handed. We produced our first wine in 2004, adorning our label with a Lewis and Clark map as an homage to our pioneer predecessors. Our ownership model is unique and distinctly future-minded: Left Coast was founded by two parents who placed ownership of the business in the hands of their children from the start. As we enter our third decade, we as the children of Left Coast share its ownership with our children, and—it is our hope—they with theirs.

Being legacy-minded requires us to think generationally about the land, how it is tended, and who it supports. Our viticulture program acts as the backbone of our winemaking operation. With most of our wine sourced from the estate, our grapes are responsibly grown, and hand tended. We use gravity-fed drip irrigation, utilize solar energy for our vineyard operations, and plant cover crops to attract pollinators.

The wines are thoughtfully crafted as a distinct expression of their place, characterized by structure, high-tone acidity and balanced concentration. Since the inaugural vintage in 2004, Left Coast Estate wines rank among the top 10% in the world with consistent 90+ point scores.

Our team’s efforts regularly receive accolades for wine quality, sustainability, and habitat conservation across diverse publications, such as Forbes, Wine Enthusiast, and USA Today. Commitment to the land is ongoing, with sustainability at the core of our mission. In addition to restoring more than 100 acres of the native oak savanna, we ensure that our winemaking processes are thoughtful and intentional, minimizing environmental impact. In 2008, we received a USDA grant to convert to solar energy, which powers all of our vineyard operations today. Our winery and vineyards are Salmon Safe and LIVE Certified, and we were one of the original six producers to be third-party verified in the Carbon Neutral Challenge, now part of LIVE’s carbon reduction program.