From Oregon to Burgundy vineyards: The Evenstad Estates team
Visiting Burgundy's Côte d'Or. From left: Michael Fay, Evenstad Estates' VP of winemaking and viticulture; Grace Evenstad, owner, founder and chair of the board; Ryan Harris, CEO and president.
(Image credit: Evenstad Estates)

Evenstad Estates said it had taken control of Domaine Christian Confuron et fils for an undisclosed fee, giving it around six hectares (15 acres) in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits.

That includes parcels in the Cos de Vougeot and Bonnes Mares grand cru vineyards, as well as premier cru vines in Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-St-Georges, said Evenstad.

Its deal expands the Domaine Serene owner’s vineyards in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or by around 60%. It already has around 10ha (25 acres) in the Côte de Beaune.

‘This expansion is a natural next step for us,’ said Ryan Harris, president & CEO of Evenstad Estates, which was founded in 1989 by Ken and Grace Evenstad in the Dundee Hills.

Harris added, ‘We constantly seek the best terroir and vineyard sites in the world to fulfill our mission of providing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to our valued customers and wine club members.

‘The opportunity to offer small production Burgundian wines of iconic quality exclusively to our most dedicated customers fits perfectly with that goal.’

The Domaine Christian Confuron et fils estate is mainly Pinot Noir vineyards with a small percentage of land planted to Pinot Blanc in Nuits-St-Georges.

‘It was our passion for the great Pinot Noirs of Burgundy that first led us to Oregon to establish Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills,’ said Grace Evenstad, owner of Evenstad Estates.

‘To own and farm grand cru and premier cru vineyards in the Côte de Nuits represents the achievement of a long-held vision.’

While several Burgundy wine families and groups have invested in Oregon, Evenstad Estates is an example of investment going in the opposite direction.

In 2015, it bought Château de la Crée and 10 hectares (25 acres) of vines spread across Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay, and Maranges.

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Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.