Andante Media Kit
In 2010 we discovered our little hidden gem in the Willamette Valley and since then we have committed to being a sanctuary for lovers of wine, music, nature, and the company of friends.
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Press INquiries
Jana Loney
Director of Hospitality
hello@andantevineyard.com
Andante is the result of a shared love for the land. Co-founders Karen Saul and Joe Allan both grew up enjoying the outdoors - Karen in the fields and woods of Oregon and Joe in the Nevada desert. In the twilight of their careers in law and medicine, respectively, they began to dream about land they could share with their grandchildren and yearned to return to the bucolic, rural settings they both remembered fondly from their own childhoods.
In 2010 the couple purchased a hill just west of Salem, surrounded by oak groves, pastureland, and a wildlife nature refuge. Karen and Joe began restoring the oak woodland habitat and discovered that the best crop they could grow in the sloping shallow soils was wine grapes.
Behind the name, “Andante”
In the classical music lexicon, andante is synonymous with a moderate tempo, sometimes referred to as “walking” pace. Music is deeply important to us and this word has special meaning in our lives. Like the work in our vineyard and winery, andante describes a movement within a symphony or concerto where the tempo changes to a calming cadence. This, we have found, is the rhythm of Andante Vineyard.
Ardea Alba - The great Egret - Andante’s Logo
The neighboring wildlife refuge and our own restoration endeavors have happily contributed to the ever-growing population of birds and other wildlife at Andante Vineyard. We are particularly taken by the great egrets (Ardea Alba is their scientific name), who fly in from the surrounding area to roost above our pond.
These beautiful birds, which were hunted almost to extinction for their white feathers, are so precious to us that we adopted their silhouette for our winery logo. To us, they represent the resilience and majesty of nature and remind us of our duty as stewards of the land.
The Vineyard
The site of Andante Vineyard is rich with well-drained marine sedimentary soils, remnants of ancient seabeds, made up of a silty clay loam above siltstone bedrock. With cooling winds from the Pacic Ocean and favorable slopes for sun exposure, Karen and Joe planted 15 acres of vines between 2011 and 2018.
They began with Sauvignon blanc and a curated selection of high-performing Pinot noir and Chardonnay clones. The vineyard features Pinot noir clones Dijon 777, 667, 115; Pommard clones 04 and 91; and Wadenswil. It also features Chardonnay clones Dijon 76 and 95; Wente, and Mt. Eden.
Consistent with Karen and Joe's forward-thinking nature, Aligoté, Marsanne, and Gamay noir vines have been added to the property. All vines are grafted to phylloxera resistant rootstock, trellised on a VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) system, and are cane-pruned using the Guyot Poussard technique to encourage bilateral sap ow through the vines.
sustainability commitment
Andante Vineyard is LIVE-certied and Salmon-Safe, meeting strict standards for environmentally thoughtful and socially responsible wine growing. The vineyard has been organically farmed since 2022.
Andante was awarded Salmon-Safe’s “Hero of Salmon” award in 2022 for exemplifying Salmon-Safe's mission to implement farming practices that protect water quality, maintain watershed health, and restore native habitat.
Andante Wines
Andante Vineyard’s wines are estate-grown and fermented naturally, expressing the true nature of each variety and the site. Always made in small quantities, Andante Vineyard wines can be found primarily at the winery and tasting room, via the winery’s online store, and at select restaurants and retailers in the Willamette Valley.
Estate Sauvignon blanc
The darling grape variety of owner Karen Saul, Andante’s estate Sauvignon blanc is bright and expressive with avor notes of citrus and tropical fruits. Stainless steel-fermented and intentionally free of oak, this wine is the perfect accompaniment to fresh seafood, lively vegetable dishes, and tangy, salty cheeses. Andante will soon be introducing a small production of oak-fermented Sauvignon blanc to expand its portfolio.
estate aligoté
The newest addition to the Andante wines portfolio, the 2021 Aligoté was crafted from the second growth of Andante’s estate Aligoté vines. Brilliant gold in color , the wine oers notes of white citrus ower, allspice, sugar cookie, and lemon zest.
Estate Chardonnay
Estate Chardonnay gets a nuanced treatment in the cellar. Barrel-fermented and aged in French oak barrels, Andante Vineyard currently produces two annual bottlings of Chardonnay: the Estate Chardonnay and a Reserve Chardonnay which features the best barrels of the vintage.
Estate Gamay noir
Currently sourced for Andante’s sparkling rosé bottling, the winery plans to craft a full red wine expression of Gamay noir as the site’s new plantings of this variety mature.
Estate Pinot noir
Pinot noir vines planted at Andante Vineyard enjoy marine sedimentary soils known for imparting a characteristic dark-fruit nature to the resulting wines. In warm vintages, this is especially pronounced. In cooler years, top notes of red fruit and berries, cherries, and cranberries swirl in the glass with secondary notes of baking spices, cocoa, and wild herbs.
In the cellar, Andante’s Pinot noir wines are barrel fermented in French oak and aged for an average of 14 months before bottling. Andante currently produces three expressions of Pinot noir: the Estate Pinot noir, a Reserve Pinot noir, and the Ardea Alba Pinot noir offered as a club-only selection (Ardea alba is the scientific name for the Great Egret).
People to Know at Andante
Karen Saul
Co-founder
Karen's independent Willamette Valley upbringing included riding bikes on gravel roads, bushwhacking through woods and elds, and picking berries and beans as a youth. These experiences helped to prepare her for the farming lifestyle she witnessed growing up in her extended family. The daughter of parents who owned a small business in Salem, and a lawyer since 1983,
Karen has immersed herself in the wine business, obtaining her certificate in Vineyard Operations at the Northwest Wine Studies Center at Chemeketa Community College. Her natural warmth and cheerfulness welcome guests to Andante Vineyard, while her indefatigable teamwork with Joe and the Andante team guides the winery's operations every day.
Joe Saul
Co-founder
Joe's dive into vineyard ownership could not have been predicted growing up in a family culture that forbade wine. However, in the hot Nevada desert of his youth, where vineyards once flourished, Joe honed the driving skills that serve him every day as Andante's primary tractor operator.
A retired ENT physician and now full-time farmer, Joe is deeply invested in the land, keeping a close eye on the vines, the oak woods, and the pond that is the source of Andante's solar-powered drip irrigation system. With his knack for precision and interest in sustainable materials, Joe designed Andante's winery: a Corten steel building that blends into the natural landscape.
Erin Percheron
Head Winemaker
Erin Percheron was born and raised in Richmond, California and attended The University of Oregon where she received a B.S. in Environmental Studies. Bit by the winemaking bug in 2015, her first harvest at Iris Vineyards started her winemaking journey. She has made wine in Oregon, California, and New Zealand, and earned her Winemaking Certification from UC Davis. After settling in the Willamette Valley, Erin joined the Andante family in 2020 to focus on small-batch wine production, where her approach to winemaking showcases the elegance and complexity of each vintage.
Laurent Percheron
WINEMAKER & VITICULTURIST
Laurent was born in Saumur, France and raised on the banks of the Loire river in a small town, surrounded by vines from a very young age. As a child, he remembers his great grandpa making wine in his garage for the family every year. It is no surprise that Laurent's love for viticulture and enology started in 2009 at Domaine de La Grange aux Belles in Anjou where he learned the basics before pursuing wine studies in Beaune, France. Since then, Laurent has worked in Burgundy, New Zealand, and Oregon, which he has called home since 2019.
Jana Loney
Director of Hospitality
Jana moved to Salem, Oregon in 2005 and quickly discovered the incredible wine country here in the Willamette Valley. After about a year of exploring the wine scene, she figured that working in a tasting room was the perfect summer job to accompany her music teaching school schedule.
Jana has worked in tasting rooms in a few different wineries around the valley since her initial move. She always said when she grew up she would jump in with both feet and try the wine business full time. Apparently, she has finally grown up, because she is thrilled to call Andante Vineyard her full-time winery home now.