Winery Focus

St. Innocent
Mark Vlossak's training as a winemaker began when he was a young man and tasted wines daily with his father, a wine importer. As an amateur, he produced sparkling wine in 1985-87 and apprenticed with Fred Arterberry, Jr. at Arterberry, Ltd. in 1987 and 1988. At The Wine Lab in Napa, CA, he trained in enology under the tutelage of Lisa Van de Water. He was the winemaker for Panther Creek Cellars from 1994 to 1999.

St. Innocent Winery was founded in May 1988 by Mark Vlossak, the current winemaker and president, and eight investors. Ten tons of grapes were crushed the first fall, producing 396 cases of still and 176 cases of sparkling wine. Production increased to our full capacity of 6800 cases in 2004. The winery is located in Salem, Oregon, at the southeast corner of the Eola Hills, in the mid-Willamette valley.

St. Innocent produces small lot, handmade wines: seven single vineyard Pinot noir, two Chardonnay from Dijon clone plantings, two Pinot gris, and a Pinot blanc. The winery owns no vineyards, choosing to work closely with local growers instead. Unique sites produce grapes that have a concentration of flavor reflective of the site-based terroir. Maintaining a close working relationship with its growers allows a collaborative fine-tuning of viticultural techniques in order to focus these flavors and aromas in the wines.

The philosophy behind the winemaking at St Innocent is that the function of wine is to complement and extend the pleasure of a meal. The characteristics of a wine should enhance different food and flavor combinations - this interaction amplifies the pleasure of a meal. To this end, St. Innocent wines tend toward higher acid levels, and more diverse and balanced flavors.

What's Available

	St. Innocent Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard 2009 Price $41.00   Read More...	Available 0 bottle Qty
	St. Innocent Pinot Noir Villages Cuvee 2011 Price $25.00  $25 / bottle WS 90 Points! Winemaker Mark Vlossak has been making Oregon pinot noir for a long, long time now, and he's gotten quite good at it. He takes barrels of wine from all the great vineyards he sources from, puts that experience to use, and blends the barrels into this Villages Cuvee (named in hommage of Burgundy, obviously) which is, every year, one of the great deals in Oregon wine. From the WS: "Tight, focused and juicy, with blackberry and currant fruit playing against mineral flavors and tangy acidity as the finish liners enticingly. Drink now through 2017. -- HS"  Read More...	Available 0 bottle Qty
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