A Legendary History Our Story

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.

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.

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.

Our first winery

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

1994 to 1997: Vineyard expansion

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

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.

Vineyard purchase of Côte Sud

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Opens

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

Wine & Spirits Magazine Winner

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

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.

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.

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.

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® 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 & 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.

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.

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.