Roco Winery

Oregon, Willamette Valley

The Roco story is one of vision. When Rollin Soles and Corby Stonebraker-Soles came to Oregon in the 1980s, they arrived at the leading edge of a movement. But in those early years, the movement we know today hadn’t yet picked up full momentum. The idea of Oregon wine was actively in the making, emerging in real-time through the daring efforts of people like Rollin and Corby and a diverse group of entrepreneurs who wanted nothing more than to produce world-class wines in an unproven but promising winegrowing region. They built wineries, developed foundational industry organizations, and worked to establish Oregon as the premier place to make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay outside of Europe. 

Now more than 35 years later, Roco Winery showcases Oregon winemaking at its peak, with a strong dedication towards sustainability. Roco wines have been named among the Top 100 Wines of the World by Wine Spectator an impressive 13 times, a distinction matched by no other Oregon winemaker. In 2013, Rollin Soles was named one of the “20 Most Admired Winemakers in North America” by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine.

Rollin Soles

The story starts in Texas, takes side trips through Switzerland, Australia and California, and ends up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Educated as a microbiologist, Rollin Soles’ winemaking combines the friendly grit of a Texas-born work ethic with the uncompromising rationality of a true scientist. In a wine world cluttered with nostalgic ideas, Rollin wants to know what’s really going on—in the vineyard, in the cellar, and in the glass. It’s the hallmark of a winemaking career that began overseas and has since landed Oregon bottles at the highest ranks of American craft. 

Soles was an integral part of establishing Oregon’s Willamette Valley as a bona fide alternative to Napa Valley. He first visited the Oregon wine region in 1979 and immediately fell in love. He co-founded Argyle Winery with the 1987 vintage, subsequently launching Roco Winery in 2003.

“It wasn’t until the late 1960s when early pioneering winegrowers proved there was potential for great wines in the Willamette Valley. People thought you couldn’t grow grapes here successfully, and these guys proved everybody wrong,” he explains.

Decades later, viticulture in the Willamette Valley has been revolutionized. Throughout this time, Soles has continued to produce wines that are ranked among the Top 100 Wines of the World by the Wine Spectator — 13 including ROCO 2008. He’s the only Oregon winemaker to hold this distinction and the only winemaker in the world to garner Top 100s for wine categories of sparkling, white (chardonnay) and red (pinot noir) wines.

Sustainability plays a big part in Roco Winery’s way of winemaking. They support healthy ecosystems and partner cohesively with growers and organizations in the thriving Willamette Valley.

Roco Winery is also LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) certified. LIVE is a non-profit organization that provides education and certification for vineyards on a set of internationally-recognized, science-based practices of winegrowing that minimize environmental and social impacts while maximizing long term agricultural and economic sustainability.

This certification represents a civic and ecological responsibility very close to their hearts. The benefits of sustainability are clear: Gentler practices are better for the earth. And they believe this also result in brighter, more flavorful wines that better reflect the characteristics of the land from which they are grown.

Crafted for vibrant and fresh-fruited varietal flavour with a full mid-palate, Roco’s wines reveal the character of the terroir they come from and the skill of the team that makes them. Check them out below!