Winemaker Notes
Meet Sean
Born in Kansas, Sean Minor was surrounded by agriculture, hard work, and the values responsible for the unwavering work ethic of Midwestern families. His career in wine began after a formal education in finance from Arizona State University where he also met his wife, Nicole. After moving to California, where Sean began his fine wine career working for Napa Valley’s Beaulieu Vineyard, he knew that the wine industry was the right place for him. He furthered his education at U.C. Davis in Viticultural and Enology.
Our Winemaker
Will Bucklin continues to be our consulting winemaker, as he collaborates with Sean during the winemaking process of all of our wines. Will is a graduate of UC Davis’ prestigious enology program and started his career with an internship at the historic and world-renowned Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Following stints with Thomas Hardy in Australia and Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino, he worked with Sean at King Estate in Oregon. Together, Will and Sean work closely with the vineyards we contract, and their collaborative efforts create the consistent wines we sell today.
Sean was recruited by King Estate Winery in Oregon to manage the Estate, where he learned firsthand the importance of site-specific viticulture. After leaving King Estate, Sean led Benton Lane Winery, rounding out his cool-climate viticulture experience. Sean and his family then headed back to California for the opportunity to manage Renwood Winery and enhance his experience growing and marketing some of the Golden State’s best Zinfandel and Syrah. Four years later, he founded Sean Minor Wines.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.