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Women of the Willamette Valley: Pioneering the Future

The GOODS from Penner-Ash Wine Cellars

Willamette Valley, OR | Lynn Penner-Ash was the first female winemaker hired in Oregon. In 1998, she and husband, Ron, founded Penner-Ash Wine Cellars. A pioneer in the Willamette Valley, Lynn built her legacy as a ‘master blender’ and early champion of the region’s promise. Today, she works side by side with winemaker Kate Ayres, to craft expressive Oregon wines of uncompromising quality.

Over the past two decades, Lynn has fostered relationships with grower neighbors and friends, sourcing fruit from a host of vineyard sites throughout the Willamette Valley. The Penner-Ash portfolio uniquely explores six Willamette Valley sub-AVAs, showcasing many of the region’s most distinguished vineyards including Shea Vineyard (Yamhill-Carlton), Bramble Hill Vineyard (Ribbon Ridge), Zena Crown Vineyard (Eola-Amity Hills) and Bella Vida Vineyard (Dundee Hills). These eminent sites produce terroir-driven Pinot Noir that showcases the distinguishing textures and flavour profiles characteristic of each distinct sub-AVA.

Lynn Penner-Ash (L) and Kate Ayres (R)

Kate describes the Penner-Ash wine style as, “a textural experience from start to finish.” The women strive to produce wines that invite you to enjoy them in their youth or lay them down for years to come to experience how Willamette Valley Pinot Noir gracefully evolves with age.

For twenty vintages, Lynn has taken a reserve winemaking approach to the flagship Penner-Ash Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, blending it right alongside her single-vineyard expressions. Understanding that Pinot Noir lovers around the world will most often discover Penner-Ash through this blend, Lynn and Kate strive for a classical expression of the region and an emblematic representation of the Penner-Ash winemaking signature.

Lynn notes, “Every year is a new challenge and opportunity to create amazing wines from what Mother Nature gives us. It keeps me passionate about winemaking as I love the challenge of the unknown.” With her years of experience in the valley, Lynn continues to mentor Kate, who shares that “I’ve been fortunate enough to build my career alongside Lynn, and many other strong and talented women winemakers who have shaped the current Oregon landscape.”

About Penner-Ash Wine Cellars | Founded in 1998 by husband and wife team Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash, Penner-Ash Wine Cellars is a pioneering and acclaimed Willamette Valley boutique producer. Grounded in a 20-year legacy of uncompromising winemaking, Penner-Ash welcomes explorers and locals alike to experience distinguished Willamette Valley vineyards through site-specific selections and the flagship Willamette Valley blend.

Penner-Ash Wine Cellars
Region: Oregon
15771 NE Ribbon Ridge Rd, Newberg, OR

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