Paden West

Paden West fell in love with music at an early age and began studying, composing, and performing it. Growing up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley gave Paden the opportunity to perform in various venues including wineries, so he learned about wine and its lifestyle firsthand. Performing in tasting rooms led to serving, which led to cellar work and harvest. Between songwriting, music lessons, and terms at schools such as the Berklee College of Music, Paden relaxed by interning at local wineries, working harvest, and in the cellar with some of the best winemakers in the area including Stoller and Penner-Ash. At 17, after releasing an album and being admitted to Berklee, Paden faced a choice: music or winemaking. He chose winemaking.

Fully focused on winemaking, Paden worked part-time in cellars, vineyards, and tasting rooms while pursuing an associate degree in winemaking and viticulture. After degree completion, he was hired by Roth Winery in Sonoma, giving him the opportunity to work with different varietals and winemaking techniques. But Willamette Valley called him back home. Paden joined De Ponte Winery, honing his winemaking skills and palate under the tutelage of talented Burgundy winemaker Isabelle Dutartre. In 2016, Paden accepted an assistant winemaker position working for highly acclaimed winemaker Isabelle Meunier of Lavinea Wines at the Carlton Winemakers’ Studio managed by Anthony King – now both mentors. After 6 years with Isabelle at the Studio, Paden Left to go be the winemaker for California famed business man/winemaker Ehren Jordan at Failla Oregon.

Working with fruit from some of the finest vineyards in the Valley and cutting his teeth under some of Oregons’s finest winemakers, Paden is instrumental in crafting some of the Willamette Valley’s most coveted and awarded Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.

He may (or may not) talk shop at home as his wife, Jessica West, is the associate winemaker at Harper Voit and winemaker for Approachment wines in Willamette Valley, Oregon.