Alexis Pouillon inspecting a grapevine with gnarled, twisted bark in a vineyard.

About us

Alexis and Juliet Pouillon sitting at a wooden table, each holding a glass of red wine, with a bottle of wine and a new cork on the table. They are smiling and sitting in front of a rustic wood-paneled wall.

About us

Our winemaking journey in the Columbia Gorge AVA started in 2005.

Domaine Pouillon is a collaboration between husband and wife. When we met in 2005, we both had a desire to make wine with old world flair.  We built a home on the frontier-like paradise of the banks of the Columbia River in Washington State and began right away with the harvest and crush of grapes – experimenting and testing our own limits of winemaking knowledge and physical exhaustion.

Many of our first days of working together ended in elaborate meals cooked over a wood fire and washed down with good French wine followed by conversations about our dreams for the future. Those struggles, companionship, and successes fueled our passion to turn our full-time hobby into a real winery.

As the years passed, we turned our focus toward producing wines that express the unique influences of our winegrowing region and our French roots.

Our People

  • Alexis Pouillon Pouring wine with the Columbia River in the background

    Alexis Pouillon

    VIGNERON

    I prefer Vigneron to Winemaker because my focus is on the cultivation of grapes throughout the growing season not just what is done in the winery. The daily labor in our vineyard keeps me grounded and in-tune with how the vintage is developing. Because of my close connection with the vines during the year, I have a good sense how the wines will taste as they age in barrel through the winter months and into the bottle. No two vintages are alike, and our interpretation of the vineyard can be right or wrong depending how closely we pay attention. Understanding each vineyard site’s unique qualities and expressing them can only be learned through experience.

    It takes years and patience. Being a Vigneron is a lifetime’s journey, and I hope you join me on this voyage.

  • Juliet Pouillon, in a plaid shirt and wide-brimmed hat standing outdoors on a sunny day in a vineyard or garden, leaning against a wooden post.

    Juliet Pouillon

    OWNER

    When I met Alexis in 2005, we formed a simple plan: make wine, live life, and love every minute. Even 20 years after beginning our winemaking and lifetime partnership, we still collaborate on the wines and our customer’s experience on a daily basis. 

    I hope that when you visit us, you feel our love through the wines, the striking landscape, and the laughter of our children.

  • Teddi Fuller, with shoulder-length light brown hair smiling outdoors near a body of water with mountains in the background.

    Teddi Fuller

    ASSISTANT WINEMAKER

    Teddi began making wine at Domaine Pouillon in 2018. She brought her technical expertise from working in wineries all over the world. Her adventurous spirit has helped us create new and exciting wines like our Pet-Nat and Ramato!

  • Sara Dyberg, with short brown hair wearing a green sweater, sitting on a wooden chair outdoors, playing a small string instrument, with a blue wooden fence in the background.

    Sara Dyberg

    WINE CLUB MANAGER

    Sara has been part of the team at Domaine Pouillon since 2016. She has worked in every aspect of the business from website development, social media, tasting room, winery, vineyard and is now our expert wine club manager. She is also an accomplished musician and jeweler.

Our Craft

Alexis Pouillon walking through a vineyard with a dog on a sunny day, surrounded by rows of grapevines and a blue sky.

Vineyards

When we planted vines in 2007, it was only natural to farm sustainably: it’s what we know. Our estate vineyard plot had been an abandoned alfalfa field– sprouting pine trees and weeds. It was in a fragile state, depleted of minerals and organic matter. Slowly over time we have nursed it back to health using organic compost, cover crops and thoughtful animal grazing. We could have used conventional methods to turn it around faster, but the soil would have continued to suffer and become a simple medium for the vine’s root system, not a nourishing soil for the whole grape vine.

Our estate Vineyard is certified Organic by Oregon Tilth. 

A logo for Oregon Tilth featuring a stylized globe with green leaves on top, blue sky and field illustrations, and the company name in bold black letters.

When we planted vines in 2007, it was only natural to farm sustainably: it’s what we know. Our estate vineyard plot had been an abandoned alfalfa field– sprouting pine trees and weeds. It was in a fragile state, depleted of minerals and organic matter. Slowly over time we have nursed it back to health using organic compost, cover crops and thoughtful animal grazing. We could have used conventional methods to turn it around faster, but the soil would have continued to suffer and become a simple medium for the vine’s root system, not a nourishing soil for the whole grape vine.

Domain Pouillon Winery – a dark brown wooden building with open doors and wine barrels outside, situated in a landscape with rocks and bushes, under a colorful sunset sky.

Winemaking

We practice traditional artisan winemaking techniques: gently guiding the wine, allowing it to mature in the cellar before bottling and labeling each by hand. Harvest times are based not only on ripeness; but climate, color, acidity, and potential flavors. The grapes are hand-harvested and processed in our small winery.

We make wines that showcase the vineyard and climate. Living in an area that sees drastic climate changes from one year to the next gives us the special opportunity to create wines that reflect each vintage and have unique personalities. As much as possible, we produce "natural wines." Natural wines are made with very little influence from the winemaker. Using native yeast from the vineyard and gentle winemaking practices with little or no sulfur during the primary fermentation allows for multiple layers of flavors and a distinctly old-world style of wine.

Alexis Pouillon worked for several years at Chateau Beaucastel in France where he learned to trust the grapes, take risks, and have faith in the tradition of winemaking.

Alexis and Juliet Pouillon standing in front of the winery with wooden barrels inside, open large wooden doors, and a circular decorative element above.
Person wearing a black hoodie, carrying a large bundle of grapevine branches in a vineyard on a sunny day.
Close-up of hands holding dark soil near a small, cut tree branch in green grass.
Three sheep grazing in a field with trees and fall foliage in the background.
A close-up of a Domaine Pouillon grape harvest grape press filled with dark purple grapes.
two hands holding grape skins left over from a fresh grape pressing
Close-up of the underside of the Domaine Pouillon grape press with freshly pressed grape juice dripping down.
Multiple wine barrels arranged on racks outdoors, sunlight shining through trees in the background.
Close-up of a person's hand dropping a fresh cork with a windmill graphic into a mechanical corking machine, with a blurred background.
Person holding a large, irregularly shaped rock or piece of clay in a vineyard with grapevines and green grass in the background.
A person pruning a vineyard vine with pruning shears, surrounded by a vineyard with trellises and green grass in the background.
Person in a blue jacket using a trowel to dig in the soil on a grassy field.