Robert Brittan
I left Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa after 16 years as Winemaker and Estate Manager to fulfill my dream of making Pinot Noir and Syrah from unique sites in cooler climates. My winemaking career began in my dorm room at Oregon State University, where I was a physics and philosophy major. Being both geeky and broke, I soon realized that alcohol was an attractant to co-eds, so I began my career in fermentation sciences in order to get a date. I ultimately completed my education at UC Davis and moved to Napa Valley, where I made wines for Far Niente, Saint Andrews and Stags’ Leap Winery. With over 30 years of experience growing grapes and making wine, I believe I bring a significant amount of viticultural and winemaking knowledge to this new venture. I have always had a passion for Pinot Noir, and I hope that with the fruit from our estate vineyard in the foothills of the Coastal Range, I can bring a new voice to the McMinnville AVA, and help form the style and definition of Pinot Noir from this recently designated winegrowing region. In addition to our own wines, I am also the winemaker for the Winderlea and Ayoub wines, both located in the Dundee Hills. This has been a wonderful opportunity to make wine from a very different viticultural area and I have found that as always, Pinot Noir lends itself to many wonderful interpretations, depending on the soils and microclimates where it is grown.
Ellen Brittan
I have always had a passion for food and wine, so after spending the first twenty years of my career working in Financial Services, I finally decided to give up the corporate world to do something I would do even if I didn’t get paid to do it. After working in a lovely little family winery in Yountville, I joined Rudd Winery in Oakville, where I had the wonderful opportunity to launch and manage a new luxury wine brand for Leslie Rudd. In the course of my ten years with the Rudd Group, I also was involved in the group’s other food and spirits related projects, to include Dean & DeLuca, Edge Hill Winery, Distillery No. 209, PRESS Restaurant and Oakville Grocery. It was a dream come true to be immersed in a world of gourmet food and luxury wine and spirits. Having grown up in Seattle, studying French and Spanish Language & Literature at the University of Washington, I have longed to return to my North West roots, so needless to say I am thrilled to now be joint owner of this beautiful Willamette Valley vineyard here in McMinnville. While Robert oversees the vineyard operation and winemaking, I focus on the sales and marketing of our wine brand, as well as all other aspects of our family business. Because I love to cook, I will also be sharing with all of you the recipes that I have developed to pair with Robert’s beautiful wines. I do hope that you will try some of them and let me know what you think. There is nothing better than sitting down to a delicious meal paired with wines that you enjoy and sharing them with family and friends.
Chelsea Brittan
I was raised on my family’s vineyard in Napa, the daughter of a very passionate winemaker, so I grew up immersed in the wine industry. Something about this way of life gets into your blood: early mornings, the smell of harvest, amazing food and wine in the company of interesting people. I’ve worked eight harvests: three in Napa at Stags’ Leap Winery; one at Rapaura Vintners in New Zealand and four here at Brittan Vineyards in Oregon. I know the grape growing and winemaking processes intimately. In addition to my production experience, I have had the opportunity to travel and experience different winegrowing regions and their cultures. As a result, I have developed a love of fine food and wine and the people who are involved in their production.
I have been working with my dad here in McMinnville since we purchased the vineyard in December 2004, and thoroughly enjoy helping him with every aspect of viticulture. I am also actively involved in the winemaking process, supervising harvest activities and then assisting my dad in the winery and lab, all the way through to bottling. I also have the opportunity to represent our wines at tastings and events and I don’t think there is anything more satisfying than to follow our wines from soil to bottle and then to pour it for our customers and see the look of appreciation on their faces — that’s the ultimate payoff for all our long hours of hard work.
Katie Belle (the puppy from hell) Brittan
I am the luckiest dog in the world because I get to go to work in the vineyard everyday with Robert and Chelsea. I chase the ground squirrels, bark at the pheasant and ride in the ATV while Robert and Chelsea check out the vines. I also get to play with my favorite toy, a wine barrel bung, chasing it up and down the rows. I was originally born a Golden Retriever but now I represent the first of a new dog breed, “Bung Retriever”. Although I have a basket full of toys, wine bungs are by far my favorite. Every time we go into the cellar, I make sure to check all the aisles for wayward bungs. They tend to roll under the barrels, but no bung can escape my expert nose. We applied to Westminster for a new breed designation, but since I am the sole representative, it may take some convincing. Maybe I should send the judges a bottle of our Pinot, and an autographed bung.
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