Our Story
Scott Paul Wines is an artisanal producer of Willamette Valley, Oregon Pinot Noir, based in historic, downtown Carlton. We also import wine directly from small family producers in Burgundy, France and offer select Burgundies alongside our Oregon Pinots in our tasting room.We (founders/proprietors Martha & Scott Wright) launched Scott Paul Wines in 1999 in California, with a burning passion, much to learn, contracts for highly coveted fruit, small investments from a few folks who believed in us, and most importantly, the tutelage of Greg LaFollette, a dear friend and mentor. That fall we crushed 7 tons of fruit, and the following year bottled 350 cases of the first Scott Paul wines.
It wasn't long though before Oregon's cool climate and great success with Pinot Noir lured us to the Willamette Valley. We began our Oregon winemaking starting with the 2000 vintage, and Scott took a position as Managing Director of Domaine Drouhin Oregon in 2001. We moved our production to the Carlton Winemakers Studio for the 2003-2005 vintages.
In 2003, Cameron Healy, founder of Kettle Chips, dear friend, and mentor, became a partner in Scott Paul Wines. We were ready to have control over our winemaking environment and to grow our small brand, so we devised plans to build a new winery facility and tasting room. Excited by the opportunity to participate in Carlton's rejuvenation, we bought two historic buildings and began their renovation in 2005. Our winery is housed in a repurposed granary, the former Madsen Grain Company, built in 1900, while our brick tasting room was originally a creamery, built in 1915. Renovation was completed just in time to open our doors in June 2006, and to start making wine in our new facility that fall. That same year we launched our Burgundy Import Company, Scott Paul Selections.