Michael Lundeen
GM & Winemaker
Being a native Oregonian, Michael Lundeen’s calling to make fine wines began at home. Michael has been lovingly crafting the wine at Walnut City since 2010. Drawing from over 15 years of experience, his influence on the wines has been profound.
From honing his skill with Pinot Noir luminaries Belle Pente and Domaine Serene, to a stint abroad with Castello di Verduno, the historic Piemontese estate in Barolo, Michael’s style has developed from context. His debut in 2007, and subsequent four vintages, as founding winemaker at Illahe Vineyards solidified his place in the Willamette Valley.
Michael’s wines favor varietal and regional typicity over flashiness. Never hesitant to raise the bar, he launched our direct press Rosé, Riesling and méthode Champenoise wine programs. Honing whole cluster fermentation techniques and decoding the nuances of extraction are ongoing pursuits and topics of interest. For Michael, worthwhile winemaking isn’t a process of repetition – it’s reflective, forward-looking, adaptive and humble.
