Every year we ask our inspection teams to nominate one member of our program who they see as demonstrating the highest level of performance in sustainable winegrowing. This year, we were proud to award this to Left Coast Cellars who has demonstrated a holistic commitment not only to environmental sustainability, but also to supporting people and collaborative outcomes.
During an interview with our LIVE inspector, Left Coast’s CEO Taylor Pfaff described their philosophy this way: “We asked, how can we be good stewards? We knew we could observe the ongoing investment in the land, but we wanted this approach to also include people, and our long-term relationships.”
The Left Coast Estate vineyard and winery have both been certified since 2012 under our two certification programs.
Our awardee works toward a circular economy in their waste stream management
- They recover 100% of the organic waste from their winery, tasting room, and vineyard and divert it to their onsite composting activity.
- They support local recycling efforts by volunteering as a plastics collection hub
Our awardee prioritizes reductions in energy use & greenhouse gas emissions
- 98% of their 750ml bottle molds are now below 680 grams, 90% below 520g. Attaining this high percentage of lighter glass bottles reflects their ongoing commitment to greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
- They have implemented a recyclable keg program resulting in shipping weight and further greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
- The electricity generated at their large-scale solar panel installation offset 2.26 metric tons of CO2e emissions in 2023.
- Their onsite garden production provides in-season fresh options for their tasting room and subsequent benefit of shipping emissions reductions.
Our awardee’s site features:
- An ongoing restoration of nearly 100 acres of oak woodland and grassland zones with participation from regional conservation partners. Project successes include reduction of invasive species, native plant introductions, and dimensional habitat re-shaping to restore ecological functionality and improve forage and refuge options for wildlife.
- It has a large-volume onsite pond and numerous introductions of native and adapted plants that provide both clean water and high-quality forages for bees.
- To conserve important oak woodland strategy habitat, they prioritized vineyard development at locations of historical land use management. This past year they hosted a large acorn collection event for our Growing Oaks collaboration and have volunteered space for a micro-nursery to host garden beds to grow these acorns into saplings.
Our awardee cares for its people
- They foster long-term relationships with their vineyard crews They ask each full time employee to select a local charity the business can support
- They provide ongoing support for field workers through hosting a iSalud! mobile clinic Across all operations, they prioritize local vendors to support businesses, families, and local economies.
And they make some really great wine!
Our awardee’s wines consistently rank among the top 10% in the world with 90+ point scores, which shows that great wines do in fact come from sustainable production.
Congratulations to our Awardee for Excellence in Sustainability, Left Coast Estate!
Idaho's First LIVE Certified Winery
Please join us in congratulating Idaho’s first ever LIVE Certified winery, 3100 Cellars!
2024 Annual Meeting - Slides & Recording
The 2024 LIVE Annual Meeting was held over two days: virtually on March 20th and in-person at the Chehalem Cultural Center on March 21st. Here are a few resources and presentation recordings from the event.