Cameron Winery: A Year in the Making
Cameron winery is dedicated to producing high-quality, hand-crafted and sustainably-farmed libations for the people. A small family operation, they produce 3,000 to 4,000 cases annually. John Paul, the irrepressible owner and winemaker emeritus, founded the winery in 1984.
After working out of a roofless warehouse on the other side of the tracks in McMinnville, they moved to our current location in the hills above Dundee. There, they planted Clos Electrique, a 4 acre dry-farmed vineyard that included Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Clos Electrique was planted in a traditional Burgundian manner, using several different clones of each varietal. Over the years the vineyard has expanded to 7 acres. Varietals now also include Nebbiolo and a field blend of white Italian grapes.
John Paul came to winemaking from an academic background. After receiving a PhD in Marine Biochemistry, he realized that winemaking offered opportunities to use the right side of his brain and to drink at work. He therefore jumped academic ship and began working in the wine industry, with stints in Oregon, New Zealand, and California. After working as an assistant winemaker at Carneros Creek Winery in the Napa Valley, he took the high road north and started Cameron with his wife, Teri Wadsworth, and partners, Bill and Julia Wayne of Abbey Ridge Vineyard, Marc Dochez, and Shawna Archibald. The winery name was inspired by its location in Dundee and was named after the Paul family’s Scottish Clan.
Winemaker Tom Sivilli joined the winery in 2011 after working in wineries in both Australia and Oregon. His excellent palate, deep respect for our vineyards and uncanny ability to keep things going led to his title of winemaker. Our vineyard manager Phil London hales from the illustrious Mt. Eden Vineyard in California. Phil is instrumental in moving our vineyard practices to regenerative agriculture. John’s partner Teri has since day one brought her irresistible sense of humor to the operation as evidenced by our newsletters. P Julian Paul is involved in label design and is a continuous source of new products such as spritz rose and cider. Tawny Paul is also intimately involved in the winery’s happenings. Linus and Yuki the dogs, Vinnie the cat, 10 chickens and a hive of bees round out the team.
