
Unbeknownst to him, his friend, Andre, opened up some of the world’s best examples, including top wines from Burgundy and first growth Bordeaux. Horner was fascinated by the wines and soon began reading books about how to make wine. In 1986, he decided to take the plunge.
“I got a hold of the grape grower directory in Washington and just started calling people,” Horner recalls. Of the numerous numbers he called, Horse Heaven Hills grower Rob Andrews was one of the first to pick up and was more than happy to provide Horner with grapes. Horner picked up 500 pounds of fruit that year, putting the grapes in asparagus picking bins that Andrews loaned him.
As many a winemaker can attest, his first effort was not quite as successful as he might have hoped. “I did everything by the book, and I totally screwed it up!” Horner says with a laugh. “It was disgusting.” Disgusting perhaps, but he was far from discouraged.

The trip was fateful, but not necessarily in the way that Horner might have envisioned. He quickly decided that Davis wasn’t a good fit for him. “What I wanted to learn was the kind of stuff that you can’t read in a book,” Horner says. “You have to learn by actually doing or being with somebody.”
On his way back home, Horner decided to stop by a few wineries in Oregon. At Tyee Wine Cellars, Barney Watson encouraged him to go up and visit Bethel Heights. Once he arrived at Bethel Heights, Horner talked with owner Terry Casteel about his own interest in making wine. “He told me, ‘You know if you ever get serious and head this way, give us a call,’” Horner recalls.
Horner arrived back in Seattle convinced that he wanted to take the next step. He lined up a clinical pharmacy job in Salem, Oregon with the idea that he was going to move there and subsequently earn enough money to plant his own vineyard. The perfect plan was all in place.
Three days after he arrived in Oregon, it all fell apart. Horner realized that his approach was all wrong. He knew could no longer put off what he really wanted to do with his life. “I was really good at it but it didn’t fill my soul,” Horner says of his job as a clinical pharmacist. He decided to walk away from his profession and pursue his dream of making wine.

Horner looks back on his time at Bethel Heights fondly. “I learned so much from that family,” he says. “They opened the door to me. It’s one of those experiences that maybe happens to people once in a lifetime.” Indeed, the Casteels even allowed Horner to make wine under his own label and sell it out of their tasting room. “Who does that?” Horner asks.
In 1992 Horner moved on to Witness Tree, where he spent three years making wine and managing the vineyard. Looking for experience at a larger winery, he took a position as associate winemaker and grower liaison at Washington Hills, working alongside winemaker Brian Carter (now of Brian Carter Cellars). Over subsequent years, Horner worked jobs at Avatar Partners in Napa Valley and then Benton-Lane Winery in Monroe, Oregon.
Horner first met Erath Winery founder Dick Erath when he was working at Bethel Heights. Erath had planted his first vineyard in Oregon in 1969, starting out with 23 different varieties before honing in on Pinot Noir. The winery had its first commercial release in 1972. Over time, Erath blossomed to become one of the crown jewels of the Oregon industry.
Horner assumed the role of winemaker at Erath in 2003. It was not long after, in 2006, that Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the parent company of Chateau Ste. Michelle purchased the winery from Dick Erath. Horner says of his experience working for Ste. Michelle in the ensuing years, “It’s like a winemaker’s dream come true. You think it’s going to come with a string attached and that there’s going to be somebody from Woodinville telling you how to make your wines but it doesn’t. I make wines that are true to the style that I like.”
While Horner makes a variety of wines at Erath, Pinot Noir is the focus. A number of these are single vineyard, single clone selections of Pinot, such as the wines from Prince Hill. “There might be 15-plus Pinot lots in the cellar that are all called Prince Hill,” Horner says of each vintage.

Creating larger batch, Oregon-designated wines as well as smaller batch, single vineyard and single clone designated wines gives Horner the best of both worlds. “It’s like we’ve got this larger production facility but there’s a boutique winery inside of it,” Horner says. “For us, it’s how can we grow and how can we do it without compromising quality.”
Having now spent nearly 30 years in the industry, Horner says that the next frontier for Oregon is being able to make a more affordable Pinot Noir. “We know we’ve got to get Pinot to more people,” he says. “That’s the challenge for Oregon today.”
Picture of Gary Horner and bottle shot courtesy of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Other images by Richard Duval.
Erath Pinot Gris Oregon 2011 $14

Erath Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2010 $20

Erath Leland Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2010 $50

Erath La Nuit Magique Reserve Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2010 $65

Erath Pinot Noir Prince Hill Dundee Hills 2010 $50

Erath Pinot Noir Prince Hill 777 Dundee Hills 2010 $50

Erath Pinot Noir Prince Hill Pommard Dundee Hills 2010 $50

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