Left Coast Estate is a 490 acre family-run operation in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. With a focus on ecological stewardship through winemaking, Left Coast is the family business and multigenerational homestead of Cali Pfaff, her siblings and co-ownership family, and their children. The property serves as the studio’s proving grounds for sustainable conservation and low-impact viticulture practices. 28% of the property is preserved as habitat areas with a 100-acre restoration of an Oregon White Oak savanna, among the largest in the region under private conservation in partnership with US Fish & Wildlife.

Founded in 2005, Left Coast has a twenty plus year track record of sustainable winemaking and experience-driven hospitality. The design of grounds reflect our stewardship philosophy, emphasizing native species conservation, low-impact construction—as seen above in the oak pavilion, and a material simplicity to honor and foreground the beauty of the savanna.

The vineyards, covering 160 acres of the property, are LIVE certified—a vigorous third party accreditation program for sustainable viticulture. Our vineyard crew, who call the property el rancho, have been with us for decades and the wine is a marker of the care and passion they put into the grapes. We prioritize soil health through biodiverse covercropping and we compost 100% of food and agricultural waste onsite.

The Willamette Valley’s history manifests in the plants we grow and tend on property. Starting with the soil, our rich sedimentary loam comes from the Missoula Floods, which brought Jurassic-era fossils and erratic boulders. The land has seen the continual influence of the Tualatin, Yamhill, and Ahantchuyuk Nations. Prior to viticulture, the property was a homestead of Oregon Trail pioneers, whose apples, cherry, and plum trees still occupy the property. These layers inform our planting, with native crops, like Limnathes douglaii or Meadowfoam, in some areas and cultivated Brassica rapa or field mustard (as seen above) for soil conditions in others.

In addition to grape farming 11 varietals, the Estate is a working farm. The crew raise livestock on the property, sheep mow the vineyards in the winter months, and a large production garden, greenhouse, and avian coop supply our tasting room with produce and eggs. We have partnered with the local soil and water conservation district and NRCS to install pollinator hedgerows and sow native meadows.

Since 2015, we have partnered with US Fish & Wildlife and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to restore 100 acres of Quercus garryana, Oregon White Oak, savanna. Within the Willamette Valley, less than 2% of this vital habitat remains. We are the largest conservation project of this kind within the Oregon wine industry.

The project began with extensive clearing of an understory of invasive species that was choking out the young oaks. Periodic controlled burns maintain the fire-adapted ecology of the savanna. Native seeding and planting brings seasonal superblooms of camas, allium, and trout lilies.

We (Cali and Chad) were married on the property, alongside our daughter Juniper (3 months old at the time). As Juniper, her siblings, and cousins represent the next generation of stewardship, we protect the oaks for all the life they support as keystone species and for those who come next.

Below is a 30-acre superbloom of fragrant Douglas Meadowfoam, Limnanthes douglasii, a native annual—in partnership with local beekeepers who tend in field in exchange for single-source honey and periodic maintenance.