Sarah’s ultra-premium Pinot Noir-making expertise and time spent traversing vineyards as a self-professed “soil nerd” underscore her all-around passion for Oregon wine. No harvest is exactly like the last, and in Sarah’s more than 12 years of Willamette Valley winemaking, she enjoys uncovering the story of each vintage, as it comes to her, finding the beauty and poise in Oregon’s diversity.

A familiar name in the region, prior to joining Primarius Sarah was the principal winemaker for Omero Cellars from its founding in 2008 until early 2014. She was an assistant winemaker for Willakenzie Estate and started in Oregon as a harvest intern and then assistant winemaker for Belle Pente Vineyard in Carlton. Although best known for her Pinot Noir, she also enjoys creating its varietal rosé and Pinot Gris.

Today, Sarah is one of few Oregon winemakers — and one of the few women nationwide — to crush more than 1,000 tons of Pinot Noir each harvest and earn top critical acclaim each vintage. In fact, she’s responsible for more Oregon wine production that any other woman winemaker in the state for several consecutive years. Wine author and journalist Katherine Cole perfectly characterized Sarah as “arguably the most original and intellectual oenologist to be producing wine…an Oregon winemaker through and through.”

When she isn’t busy working in the vineyards or in the cellar, Sarah plays full-contact football (Wide Receiver and Defensive Back) for the Oregon Ravens team and can often be seen with her beloved German Shepherds at her side.