Damien Lapuyade

The Path

Training at UC Davis gave Lapuyade the technical and sensory base required for winemaking. At Iris Vineyards, he worked as cellarmaster, where the cellar’s routines and demands shaped his practice from the ground up. He then moved into cellar work and a winemaking role at Carlton Winemakers Studio, adding another layer of hands-on experience. By 2020, he was winemaker at Evening Land Vineyards in the north Willamette Valley, a position that brought the region’s character into sharper focus in his work. He is now winemaker at Beaux Frères in the Willamette Valley, where that background meets the estate’s identity.

The Work Today

Since 2023, the Newberg post has carried the title Head Winemaker, and the scope of the role matches the site. Lapuyade talks about Chardonnay in direct, technical terms. “Chardonnay is a really compelling varietal because it's so malleable,” he says. The point is practical: the grape can respond differently depending on how it is handled, and that flexibility gives the winemaker room to work.

Signature

Damien's signature wines include Willamette Valley Chardonnay and 2023 Beaux Freres Chardonnay. Read together, they point to the center of his current practice: Chardonnay as a varietal built for nuance, and a region that gives that nuance a clear frame.

In Their Words “I'm really excited to start this new era at Beaux Frères of having a estate-driven Chardonnay program.” “Chardonnay is a really compelling varietal because it's so malleable.”

Acclaim

The named bottles here are the 2023 Beaux Freres Chardonnay and, in 2025, his debut Willamette Valley Chardonnay, noted as his first Chardonnay release at Beaux Frères. That sequence marks a winemaker settling into a defined lane while opening up what Beaux Frères can say through Chardonnay. On that shift, he said, “I'm really excited to start this new era at Beaux Frères of having a estate-driven Chardonnay program.”