Rooted in the Rogue: A Family’s Pinot Passion

From cattle ranch to vineyard, a Southern Oregon family defies the odds to craft elegant estate wines rooted in resilience and legacy.

Some vineyards are born of business plans.

Others come to fruition because a family patriarch grows weary of the heat and humidity in Florida. That’s what led Alex St. Laurent to Oregon’s Rogue Valley.

His grandfather was a Florida real estate developer who fell for the charm of a cattle ranch that reminded him of France’s Loire Valley. It was there he raised all-natural Angus, later crossbreeding with Wagyu bulls from the Snake River to create rich, marbled beef now featured in top-tier restaurants and grocery stores.

But Alex’s father had a vision — that it wouldn’t be just cows thriving on the land. After a corporate stint leading digital strategy for FOX in L.A., Alex felt called to return to the ranch.

In 2020, he moved back to help his father and raise his own family. They had already started growing Pinot Noir, selling fruit to respected producers like A to Z, Erath, and Chateau Ste. Michelle.

Frost covers the Domaine St. Laurent Vineyard.

So, in 2019, it felt natural to take the leap and make their first estate Pinot Noir from two-year-old vines. The wine was classic, elegant, and full of promise — enough to convince Alex to go all in on estate production.

Wildfires thwarted the 2020 vintage, and the COVID-19 pandemic with a newborn at home complicated life even further. But in 2021, it was full steam ahead. By 2023, they had stopped selling fruit to clients and focused entirely on making estate wines.

The Domaine St. Laurent Rogue Valley 2023 ($18) is loaded with pleasing red fruit and an iron-like minerality on the finish. It’s a tremendous value, few wines under $20 offer this much flavor and complexity.

Locals had warned them: “No way” would wine grapes succeed on the property. But the land defied the skeptics.

“There were 80- to 100-year-old table grapes, untouched, unirrigated and still producing,” Alex said. “It wasn’t great fruit, but they were still alive. That told me everything.”

With the Domaine St. Laurent Block One 2022 Pinot Noir ($35) came an outpouring of pleasing raspberry flavors. They’ve let the fruit do the talking here and that’s what is so exciting.

Alex St. Laurent is putting Oregon’s Rogue Valley on the map.

Frost, bird pressure and farming’s many curveballs haven’t deterred them.