New “Resilience” Wine Turns Willamette Valley Winemaker’s Mental Health Journey Into a Mission

NEWBERG, Ore. (March 31, 2026) — Oregon vintner Chase Renton, founder of L’Angolo Estate, today announced that he will release Resilience (SRP $38), a limited-production Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from his family’s organically farmed estate vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA, on Friday, May 1. In alignment with Mental Health Awareness Month, Resilience reflects Renton’s personal mental health journey and was created out of a deep personal mission: 100% of proceeds will benefit the Kevin Love Fund, an organization dedicated to advancing mental health education and emotional well-being.

“Mental health struggles are far more common than we acknowledge, yet they remain difficult to talk about,” says Renton. “My journey with anxiety and depression has been more challenging than my battle with cancer. Resilience is about creating space for those conversations and raising meaningful funds for organizations doing the work every day.”

A series of launch events at the winery, Soho House Portland and G-Love will be announced soon.

Renton grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, where his parents nurtured an early interest in wine. Initially recruited as a collegiate golfer at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL, Renton’s path shifted during a semester abroad at Florence University of the Arts, where a wine appreciation course sparked a passion that would define his career. After graduating with a degree in psychology, he found himself searching for meaningful work during the Great Recession and immersed himself in the world of wine. He studied wine at the Apicius International School of Hospitality in Florence, Italy, and worked harvests across Europe and the United States, including stints at Kosta Browne Winery, with Mark Haisma and Pierre Naigeon in Burgundy, and eventually with Isabelle Meunier in Oregon.

In 2012, with support from his parents—who decades earlier had planted a small Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in St. Helena—Renton founded L’Angolo Estate in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. L’Angolo follows a rare estate model, where the 20-acre vineyard, the winery and tasting room are all on one property. Renton also makes wine internationally, launching a small Tuscan project, L’Ignoto, with friends in 2014 and acquiring vineyard holdings in Radda in Chianti in 2021.

Renton’s future was bright. In 2017, L’Angolo opened a tasting room to the public with great fanfare. The Lever Architecture-designed tasting room received the 2017 IIDA Oregon Design Excellence Awards: Best of Show and was an international Gray Awards finalist in Hospitality.

But just as L’Angolo was building a reputation for its modern winery experience, Renton’s life took a dramatic turn when he was diagnosed with cancer. Following surgery and chemotherapy, he entered remission and began hosting charity events to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Association, bringing together friends and supporters around special bottlings of wine to benefit families facing pediatric cancer. It was through the Children’s Cancer Association that he met NBA champions Channing Frye and Kevin Love. In 2018, Renton and Frye decided to host a fundraiser at L’Angolo called Give Joy Get Joy. Together, they produced 50 custom magnum bottles for the event and raised $40,000 in donations.

In 2020, Frye launched Chosen Family Wines with Renton and Love, inspired by the supportive bonds of friendship Frye formed during his time in the league, particularly following the loss of his parents.

In the years that followed, Renton faced yet another challenge—one far less visible. As his winemaking projects expanded and family life grew, he found himself confronting burnout, anxiety and depression.

Fortunately, he sought the support of The Mental Health Collective in Newport Beach, CA. “I owe them my life. Mental health—especially among men—is rarely discussed openly,” Renton said. “Through my own healing process, I realized how important it is to allow space for emotions and vulnerability. Some days are hard, but those days pass. There is always tomorrow.”

With Resilience Pinot Noir, Renton hopes to transform that personal journey into a platform for open conversation, awareness and support. “I believe that wine, consumed in moderation, can be a platform for a shared meal with friends, allowing conversations and community to thrive in a world where more and more people are feeling isolated and alone.”

All proceeds will benefit the Kevin Love Fund, which Love founded in 2018 after he publicly shared his own struggles with anxiety and mental health. His openness sparked a national conversation, as fellow athletes, celebrities and thousands of fans began sharing their own experiences. Established to inspire people to live their healthiest lives, the Kevin Love Fund works to create equity between mental and physical health through research, education and storytelling that helps break the stigma surrounding mental illness.

“Everyone is going through something, whether you can see it or not,” says Love. “Social connection is essential for mental wellness, and that belief is at the heart of everything we do at the Kevin Love Fund. I’m incredibly grateful to Chase for helping bring this wine to life and for aligning the spirit of Resilience with our mission. Proceeds from this launch will directly support and expand the programs we’ve built since 2018, specifically our free evidence-based mental health curriculum, which empowers young people to speak openly about their mental health and develop the tools to navigate life’s challenges. Partnerships like this allow us to continue to create safe spaces for honest conversations, encourage vulnerability and ultimately help more people live healthier, more connected lives.”

Resilience Pinot Noir will be released on May 1, in alignment with Mental Health Awareness Month, with availability through L’Angolo Estate’s mailing list and tasting room, as well as select retail partners, including Zupan’s Markets in the Portland metro area. The inaugural release will be limited to 200 cases, with an initial fundraising goal of $25,000–$30,000. Renton hopes to grow the project in the coming years nationally, expanding the wine’s ability to raise funds, raise awareness for mental wellness initiatives and build community.

“Wine has always been about connection,” Renton added. “We are living in a society of great isolation today. If a bottle of wine can bring friends together, spark a conversation, raise funds and help someone feel less alone, then it has served its purpose.”

The label, bearing Renton’s handwriting, is inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold. In that spirit, this Pinot Noir release celebrates the beauty found in healing and transformation.

About L’Angolo Estate

Founded in 2012 by Chase Renton, L’Angolo Estate is a boutique winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley dedicated to crafting elegant, terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Renton’s winemaking journey has taken him from Italy to France and ultimately to Oregon, with experience at acclaimed estates like Kosta Browne Winery. In addition to L’Angolo Estate, Renton produces wines in Tuscany under the label L’Ignoto and collaborates on innovative projects including Chosen Family, alongside former NBA champion Channing Frye and Kevin Love. He is also partner and co-winemaker for Nash Vineyards in Carlton, Oregon. Through thoughtful farming, minimal intervention and a commitment to community impact, L’Angolo Estate crafts wines that tell meaningful stories both in the vineyard and beyond. In early 2026, Tracy Kendall stepped into a full-time winemaking role at the Estate, with Renton serving as Director of Winemaking, while Galen Hagerty was named Estate Director. L’Angolo Estate is open daily, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., by appointment. Reservations can be made via Tock or by calling the tasting room at (503) 538-7953.

Follow on Social Media:

Instagram: @langoloestate

About the Kevin Love Fund

When professional basketball player Kevin Love publicly shared his personal story about challenges with mental health after a public panic attack during a game, he had no idea the movement it would create. One by one, fans and other high-profile celebrities began to share their own stories of fear and struggle. Quickly, a national conversation had begun.

In 2018, Love established the Kevin Love Fund (KLF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to inspire people to live their healthiest lives by creating equity between mental and physical health. As an evidence-based nonprofit organization, KLF focuses on research, education and narrative change to break the stigma around mental health.

Follow on Social Media:

Instagram: @KevinLoveFund