Sun Break Wines was founded in 2018 by me, winemaker and owner, David Patte with a singular focus: to craft small-batch, vineyard-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Oregon’s Eola–Amity Hills. After several years of hands-on apprenticeships across the Willamette Valley, I became fascinated by how fermentation style could reveal different expressions of the same site. I have a simple but persistent curiosity: how many different truths can a single vineyard tell? Rather than choose just one approach, I committed to exploring all three.
Our Pinot Noirs reflect this philosophy. We produce three distinct red Pinot Noir bottlings from the same vineyards: Ariane (100% whole cluster), Colette (100% destemmed), and Marie-Paule (a cuvée of the two). Together, they offer a rare lens into the nuances of terroir and the role of craftsmanship in shaping a wine’s voice.
Today, Sun Break continues its spirit of curiosity through exquisite, bright, Chardonnay and blanc de noir (white Pinot Noir, méthode Champenoise sparkling wine and cider, and small-batch vermouths crafted and infused with organic and no-spray botanicals.
I hope you will join me in exploring our love of terroir, technique, and place— it’s an invitation to explore how the Eola–Amity Hills can sing in soulful and unexpected ways.
Every bottle expresses our commitment to purity, transparency, and the quiet beauty of small-batch winemaking in the Eola–Amity Hills. And it very regarded to have received ther following accolades:
- Our Reserve Marie-Paule Pinot Noir is consistently among the best in the world: 96pts/Editor’s Choice (2022), 95pts (2023), 93pts/Editors’ Choice (2021)
- Our signature series Pinot Noir (Colette, Ariane and Marie-Paule) are consistently awarded 92+pts. All three received 93pts for the 2022 vintage.
- Our Chardonnay (92pts) and blanc de noir (white) Pinot Noir (91pts) shine bright. The Chardonnay was chosen for a panel tasting and discussion at the 2025 Aspen Food and Wine Classic.
- Our small-batch artisanal vermouth is highly acclaimed with top reviews of 94pts
Biography: David Patte is the owner, wine, vermouth and cider maker. David learned the craft and science of vinification through harvest internships with numerous Oregon wineries and wine makers including Clay Pigeon Wines, Anderson Family Vineyard and Winery, Lumos Wine Company, Dominio IV Wines, Native Flora Wine, and Mylan Wines. This was supplemented with classes at the Chemeketa Wine Studies Program, and a lifetime of tasting wine, vermouth and cider in the U.S. and France, and perhaps most importantly, absorbing the stories, lessons and experiences from hundreds and hundreds of winemakers from France and the U.S. along the way. I don’t remember ever taking a vacation without at least a few days of wine tasting experiences, except perhaps our trips to the Hawaiian Islands.
David grew up in the United States (mostly) but is of French origin and as a youth, summers were spent on the family farm in the Rhone Valley, along with two years of Lycée. Wine making had been in the family’s past (Le Cellier, Ardeche) and wine appreciation was ever present at every Sunday family reunion meal at the farm. David was enamored with wine early in life as a young adult learning to love aperitifs, Rhone blends, Pinot Noir and Champagne at the weekly Sunday family feasts and other special occasions. The names of the wines are an homage to David’s French family who nurtured an appreciation and interest in great food and wine. Merci!
Sustainability
First off, and perhaps most importantly our vineyard sources are dry farmed, not tilled, and do not use herbicides nor synthetic insecticides or fungicides.
We are a One Percent for the Planet member, donating 1% of our sales to the environment. We focus our giving to the Pacific Forest Trust to enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and sequester carbon on working lands.
Our home and office are almost net zero (85% to 90% depending on the year’s weather) thanks to 36 solar panels and a geo-thermal HVAC system. We also recently acquired a Chevrolet Equinox EV!
Carbon Neutral Shipping: Our shipping partner, VinoShipper, supports the UPS Carbon Neutral shipping program. This funds projects that offset the emissions of the shipment’s transport (such as reforestation, landfill gas destruction, wastewater treatment, and methane destruction).
New reusable Revino bottles starting soon with the 2023 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay! We are super excited to switch to newly available bottles made in Washington State with 100% recycled glass – and they are reusable. Scan the QR code on the right for drop off locations or contact me. I can pick up when I deliver to your home or when you meet me at Bjornson Vineyard, and you can drop off at many other wineries in Portland and across the Willamette Valley. (Revino then removes labels and washes bottles for resale and reuse.)
