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syncline (‘sin-klin)

a trough of stratified rock in which the beds dip toward each other from either side

Story
Philosophy
Team

Syncline Winery

Poppie and James met during the harvest of 1997 while working together in the cellar in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, where James had been winemaking since 1994. Shortly after, they fell madly in love and began plans for a new endeavor: a vineyard of their own.

Lured by the majestic wildness of the mountains and whitewater rivers, they relocated their home to the Columbia River Gorge. Their passion for Rhône and sparkling wines led them to explore the emerging potential of vineyards in Washington State.

Inspired by the early efforts of Rhône and Burgundy-style wines sampled from Washington vineyards, Syncline’s first vintage in 1999 consisted of 76 cases of Celilo Vineyard Pinot Noir from vines planted in 1973. They were part of the small group that founded the Columbia Gorge AVA in 2004.

They have built a strong reputation as a creative, limited-production, autonomous estate winery with a vision of creating world-class wines while maintaining biodynamic estate vineyards, green building practices, and innovative wine growing.

With 19 acres of estate vineyards in the Columbia Gorge and winegrower partners in Red Mt, Yakima, and Horse Heaven Hills, production is kept under 5,000 cases annually to ensure intimacy with each barrel and vine.

Our Philosophy

From the first conception of the winery, we have believed in the uniqueness and potential of a sustainable, small family farm in the Columbia River Gorge. We have built a winery and planted vineyards based on the simple designs and demands of a wine-growing family with the intention behind every decision that our farm will become a multi-generation estate.

We have slowly grown from three barriques of wine to our current size of just under two hundred barriques, which has allowed us to remain autonomous throughout the lifetime of our business.

In addition to our estate vineyards, we work with a select group of winegrower partners who collaborate to deliver expressive and exemplary grapes. As community members, we believe in providing meaningful employment that is healthy and rewarding.

How we make wine

First and foremost is the vineyard. Great vineyards create outstanding wine when thoughtfully farmed with well-chosen varieties. We have established relationships with a select group of winegrowers who have allowed us to become intimately involved in their vineyard management. In addition, we have introduced new rootstocks to Washington state to best match sites with varietals.

For over 20 years, we have gathered data and nurtured a diverse native plant cover crop as we have expanded our estate vineyards. We continue to push new viticultural limits, planting one of the rockiest sites in the cooler Columbia Gorge AVA. All of our estate fruit is farmed with Biodynamic practices. We use organic compost additions and neighborhood wood chips to manage the soil for optimal water retention, fungal activity, and carbon capture, with dry farming potential for our estate vineyards. In addition, the native plants create extended biological activity, feeding soil microorganisms throughout the year. 

All grapes are handpicked, brought to the winery, and partially destemmed, with a large portion kept as whole clusters. Fermentation in French concrete fermenting tanks and large upright oak vats occurs for all of our finest lots of grapes. Native or ‘wild’ yeast fermentations are cultivated. Each lot is either foot trod (pigeage à pied), manually punched-down, or pumped-over.

Free-run juice is kept separate for our top bottlings. Gently pressed and free-run juices are separately matured in older French oak, oak vats, or concrete tanks. We have sworn off manipulating the wines and have chosen to blend instead of fining. Wines are bottled either before the next harvest or the spring following. Our focus is on each vineyard’s unique expression of place.


Our Team

Poppie Mantone
General Manager and Co-Founder
James Mantone
Vigneron and Co-Founder
Emilie McKinny
Assistant Winemaker
Miguel Flores
Vineyard Foreman
Syncline Winery visitor gardens
Allison Knivila
 Wine Club and Hospitality Manager
Cody Robison
Tasting Room Manager
Michael Tarro
Cellar Master
Randi Riggs
Tasting Experience Guide
Connor Hartman
Vineyard and Cellar Assistant, Garden and Groundskeeper
Ann Barrepski
Bookkeeper
Ken Barrepski
Artist in Residence
Sharon Trude
Tasting Experience Guide