In 1978 Dr. Robert Gross and his wife Corrine planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the slopes of Cooper Mountain, an ancient volcano located in Willamette Valley just ten miles from Portland, Oregon. After initially selling grapes to other pioneering wineries in Willamette Valley, in 1987 the family converted an old horse barn on the property to start their own label, offering Cooper Mountain's first vintage. The winery has since expanded to seven vineyards over 200 acres and is still owned and operated by founder Dr. Robert Gross with his daughter and co-owner Barbara Gross.

Each vineyard site is defined by unique elevation and soils. These elements, along with climatic conditions influenced by the winery's location between the Chehalem Mountains to the west and the foothills of Mount Hood to the east, contribute to Cooper Mountain's sense of place. The diversity of soils across Cooper Mountain’s five vineyard sites offers a rich palette for winemaker Gilles de Domingo, providing an equally diverse set of fruit flavors and characteristics.

A trailblazer in sustainable winemaking, 100% of the grapes are organically and biodynamically grown. In 1995, Cooper Mountain received organic certification from Oregon Tilth, and shortly after received biodynamic certification from Demeter in 1999. Cooper Mountain never uses synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, nor fungicides, and works to maintain the ecosystem within and around the vineyard in order promote natural predators in the area and biological life in the soil. It was the first winery in the United States to gain label approval for a no-sulfite-added wine.