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Willamette Valley Wine Country Recap (LONG)
Posted on 6/29/21 at 2:01 pm
Posted on 6/29/21 at 2:01 pm
Since I haven't seen too many Willamette Valley posts , I wanted to provide my experiences through here. My wife and I have been working remotely and traveling out west since March. The Pacific Northwest has been the area we’ve have most looked forward to, specifically Oregon – the Willamette Valley and Portland area. It’s nothing short of amazing with beautiful places to explore outside of the vineyards and wineries. Here’s our recap visiting Willamette Valley for anyone who is interested in visiting. I won’t get into too many details of the wine since it’s subjective, but will mainly recap where we visited and what we did.
We stayed at a VRBO near downtown Newberg, right by George Fox University, arriving in Newberg from Seattle on Memorial Day and leaving for Portland on June 18th. Our VRBO host was awesome, offering up her entire garden full of fresh sugar snap peas, artichokes, and more. On our drive to Newberg, with a stroke of serendipitous luck, we found LSU was playing in the Eugene regional and immediately bought tickets. Incredible experience there and wonderful facilities.
WINERY/VINEYARD ITINERARY:
Thurs, May 13: Alloro Vineyard – Chehalem Mtns: This stop was mixed in during a different stay in Portland. Tucked away in the Chehalem Mountains, Alloro built a beautiful tasting house breaking ground last year. We took home a bottle of the 2019 Riservata PN tasting their Chardonnary, couple pinots and a Bianco di Nero.
Mon, May 31: White Rose Estate – Dundee Hills: First stop was at White Rose Estate in the Dundee Hills, where we are club members. White Rose focuses exclusively on whole cluster pinot noir and produce some great wine. The estate is beautiful, perched on a high hill overlooking the Dundee’s. Dago, the host, poured a wide range of pinots from a 2011 White Rose Vineyard and various others. I took home two 2018 Guillen’s for myself and two 2018 Winemakers’ Cuvee for my mom.
Wed, June 2: Brooks Winery – Eola-Amity Hills: This honestly was our least favorite visit for various reasons, but will give a pass during COVID. The setting is really nice perched on a high hill overlooking the Eola-Amity Hills. Their main focus is on Riesling ranging from dry to sweet. Would recommend a stop if you enjoy Riesling.
Fri, June 4: Evesham Wood/Haden Fig – Eola-Amity Hills: This was one of our favorites. Evesham produces some fantastic wine at an even better value. This is a must stop. The outdoor tasting experience was very intimate with only us and the host present. The wine did not disappoint and we were able to try a wide range of PN, Chard’s, pinot gris, and a white blend that escapes me. The grounds are beautiful, overlooking their estate vineyard Le Puits Sec. To our pleasure, their vineyard horses escaped during the tasting which the host frantically tracked down with the grounds crew. We took home 4 bottles. Time flew by and we scurried off to Eugene for Game 1 of LSU v Gonzaga.
Sat, June 5:
- Coeur de Terre – McMinnville: This place is in a very unique location tucked into the coastal range of the McMinnville AVA. Since we have our car, I was willing to make the trek out here and it was a great experience. We tried a various range of wine along with a Chard, Syrah, and Rose. Their pinots are really nice and we brought home two single vineyard pinots from the Sarah Jane block. I believe all wine is produced from estate vineyards.
- Patricia Green – Ribbon Ridge: This is one tasting we were looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. One of our favorites. PGC produces a wide array single block wines from various vineyards throughout Willamette Valley, focusing primarily on pinot and chard. The tasting house is positioned at the bottom of their estate vineyard with great views up the vineyard. Highly recommend visiting and a must stop if you can. A very quintessential and quaint Willamette Valley winemaker, much like Evesham Wood above. We brought home a few bottles of pinot – two of the estate old vine and one from Durant Vineyards.
- Since LSU lost on Friday and we booked these tastings further in advance, we decided to skip LSU v CC. Wise decision ultimately.
We stayed at a VRBO near downtown Newberg, right by George Fox University, arriving in Newberg from Seattle on Memorial Day and leaving for Portland on June 18th. Our VRBO host was awesome, offering up her entire garden full of fresh sugar snap peas, artichokes, and more. On our drive to Newberg, with a stroke of serendipitous luck, we found LSU was playing in the Eugene regional and immediately bought tickets. Incredible experience there and wonderful facilities.
WINERY/VINEYARD ITINERARY:
Thurs, May 13: Alloro Vineyard – Chehalem Mtns: This stop was mixed in during a different stay in Portland. Tucked away in the Chehalem Mountains, Alloro built a beautiful tasting house breaking ground last year. We took home a bottle of the 2019 Riservata PN tasting their Chardonnary, couple pinots and a Bianco di Nero.
Mon, May 31: White Rose Estate – Dundee Hills: First stop was at White Rose Estate in the Dundee Hills, where we are club members. White Rose focuses exclusively on whole cluster pinot noir and produce some great wine. The estate is beautiful, perched on a high hill overlooking the Dundee’s. Dago, the host, poured a wide range of pinots from a 2011 White Rose Vineyard and various others. I took home two 2018 Guillen’s for myself and two 2018 Winemakers’ Cuvee for my mom.
Wed, June 2: Brooks Winery – Eola-Amity Hills: This honestly was our least favorite visit for various reasons, but will give a pass during COVID. The setting is really nice perched on a high hill overlooking the Eola-Amity Hills. Their main focus is on Riesling ranging from dry to sweet. Would recommend a stop if you enjoy Riesling.
Fri, June 4: Evesham Wood/Haden Fig – Eola-Amity Hills: This was one of our favorites. Evesham produces some fantastic wine at an even better value. This is a must stop. The outdoor tasting experience was very intimate with only us and the host present. The wine did not disappoint and we were able to try a wide range of PN, Chard’s, pinot gris, and a white blend that escapes me. The grounds are beautiful, overlooking their estate vineyard Le Puits Sec. To our pleasure, their vineyard horses escaped during the tasting which the host frantically tracked down with the grounds crew. We took home 4 bottles. Time flew by and we scurried off to Eugene for Game 1 of LSU v Gonzaga.
Sat, June 5:
- Coeur de Terre – McMinnville: This place is in a very unique location tucked into the coastal range of the McMinnville AVA. Since we have our car, I was willing to make the trek out here and it was a great experience. We tried a various range of wine along with a Chard, Syrah, and Rose. Their pinots are really nice and we brought home two single vineyard pinots from the Sarah Jane block. I believe all wine is produced from estate vineyards.
- Patricia Green – Ribbon Ridge: This is one tasting we were looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. One of our favorites. PGC produces a wide array single block wines from various vineyards throughout Willamette Valley, focusing primarily on pinot and chard. The tasting house is positioned at the bottom of their estate vineyard with great views up the vineyard. Highly recommend visiting and a must stop if you can. A very quintessential and quaint Willamette Valley winemaker, much like Evesham Wood above. We brought home a few bottles of pinot – two of the estate old vine and one from Durant Vineyards.
- Since LSU lost on Friday and we booked these tastings further in advance, we decided to skip LSU v CC. Wise decision ultimately.
This post was edited on 6/29/21 at 2:03 pm
1
Posted on 6/29/21 at 2:02 pm to fatcatswag22
Sun, June 6:
- Lingua Franca – Eola-Amity Hills: Lingua Franca was recently founded in 2012 by a master somm partnering with Burgundian winemaekrs, focusing exclusively on pinot and chard. This visit was an excellent surprise, and was all around some of the most delightful wine of the trip. Our host provided a brief tour of their production facilities and barrel room. The tasting was held outdoors on a brutally windy and cold day, but we dressed accordingly enjoying the wine and company with the tasting host. The wine was a little pricier but we brought home two bottles of Bunker Hill Chardonnay and The Plow Pinot.
- Lenne Estate – Yamhill-Carlton: Lenne’s is a small family winery only utilizing grapes from their estate vineyards. They produce nearly all pinot with a very small offering of chardonnay. The pinot is very tasty though I remember it being some of the heavier body pinot. The indoor tasting room was small, but a nice warming change from Lingua Franca. The host at Lenne was happy to accommodate our late notice pushing up the tasting a couple hours early. Admittedly, we rushed through it to make LSU vs Gonzaga, arriving a few innings late. Certainly recommend a visit here; super relaxed vibe.
Fri, June 11: Cristom Vineyards – Eola-Amity Hills: The wife and I were exhausted after the past weekend of baseball attending every game, minus Saturday, not recovering physically until Thursday. Cristom was one of the larger wineries (production wise) we visited during our visit in WV, but came with multiple recommendations from all over, even an advanced somm we met at a tasting in Russian River the month prior. Cristom’s main focus is on whole cluster pinot noir, and it exceeded all expectations. Their single vineyard estate and old vine pinots were a delight. Even the Syrah was quite the surprise. We brought home a vertical of their ’17 and ’18 Canary Hill PN to later enjoy. For having larger scale production, Cristom seems humble and grounded, with a modest tasting house with prices that aren’t too out of control.
Wed, June 16: Goodfellow Family Cellars – McMinnville, OR: This is one visit we were very much looking forward to. Goodfellow Family Cellars is a small winery located in an unassuming warehouse in the city of McMinnville, run by head winemaker Marcus Goodfellow. The tasting was directly with Marcus who is a super passionate and down to earth winemaker full of information. After doing all the beautiful vineyard tastings, this was a refreshing two hour visit with a winemaker discussing everything about wine in a warehouse/barrel room. We learned a ton from him and this was arguably the best experience we had. The wine itself is incredible and probably our favorite – his chardonnays and pinots are something else. It was very much a “wine nerd” experience, however, my wife and I are certainly not wine nerds (just learning), and no question was too little for Marcus. The perfect experience to cap this trip.
Other Notes:
- Thurs, June 17: For our last night in WV, we went to TopWire Hop Project. This is a very unique beer garden surrounded by hop farms serving up beer from small breweries in the area.
- Honey Pie Pizza: We stopped here twice because it was so convenient and tasty. They do fantastic NY style pies with charred crusts, great undercarriage, and tasty sauce and unique toppings.
- Rosmarino Osteria Italiana: Authentic Italian restaurant foscusing on homemade gnocchi. Highly recommend.
- We try to eat in as much as possible stopping by local markets and a seafood shop down the street for fresh fish. Northwest Fresh Seafood Company has incredible offerings of fresh fish, etc.
- Lingua Franca – Eola-Amity Hills: Lingua Franca was recently founded in 2012 by a master somm partnering with Burgundian winemaekrs, focusing exclusively on pinot and chard. This visit was an excellent surprise, and was all around some of the most delightful wine of the trip. Our host provided a brief tour of their production facilities and barrel room. The tasting was held outdoors on a brutally windy and cold day, but we dressed accordingly enjoying the wine and company with the tasting host. The wine was a little pricier but we brought home two bottles of Bunker Hill Chardonnay and The Plow Pinot.
- Lenne Estate – Yamhill-Carlton: Lenne’s is a small family winery only utilizing grapes from their estate vineyards. They produce nearly all pinot with a very small offering of chardonnay. The pinot is very tasty though I remember it being some of the heavier body pinot. The indoor tasting room was small, but a nice warming change from Lingua Franca. The host at Lenne was happy to accommodate our late notice pushing up the tasting a couple hours early. Admittedly, we rushed through it to make LSU vs Gonzaga, arriving a few innings late. Certainly recommend a visit here; super relaxed vibe.
Fri, June 11: Cristom Vineyards – Eola-Amity Hills: The wife and I were exhausted after the past weekend of baseball attending every game, minus Saturday, not recovering physically until Thursday. Cristom was one of the larger wineries (production wise) we visited during our visit in WV, but came with multiple recommendations from all over, even an advanced somm we met at a tasting in Russian River the month prior. Cristom’s main focus is on whole cluster pinot noir, and it exceeded all expectations. Their single vineyard estate and old vine pinots were a delight. Even the Syrah was quite the surprise. We brought home a vertical of their ’17 and ’18 Canary Hill PN to later enjoy. For having larger scale production, Cristom seems humble and grounded, with a modest tasting house with prices that aren’t too out of control.
Wed, June 16: Goodfellow Family Cellars – McMinnville, OR: This is one visit we were very much looking forward to. Goodfellow Family Cellars is a small winery located in an unassuming warehouse in the city of McMinnville, run by head winemaker Marcus Goodfellow. The tasting was directly with Marcus who is a super passionate and down to earth winemaker full of information. After doing all the beautiful vineyard tastings, this was a refreshing two hour visit with a winemaker discussing everything about wine in a warehouse/barrel room. We learned a ton from him and this was arguably the best experience we had. The wine itself is incredible and probably our favorite – his chardonnays and pinots are something else. It was very much a “wine nerd” experience, however, my wife and I are certainly not wine nerds (just learning), and no question was too little for Marcus. The perfect experience to cap this trip.
Other Notes:
- Thurs, June 17: For our last night in WV, we went to TopWire Hop Project. This is a very unique beer garden surrounded by hop farms serving up beer from small breweries in the area.
- Honey Pie Pizza: We stopped here twice because it was so convenient and tasty. They do fantastic NY style pies with charred crusts, great undercarriage, and tasty sauce and unique toppings.
- Rosmarino Osteria Italiana: Authentic Italian restaurant foscusing on homemade gnocchi. Highly recommend.
- We try to eat in as much as possible stopping by local markets and a seafood shop down the street for fresh fish. Northwest Fresh Seafood Company has incredible offerings of fresh fish, etc.
Posted on 6/29/21 at 4:15 pm to fatcatswag22
Sounds like a great trip. Have really enjoyed our visits.
Cool fact about Lingua Franca. The assistant winemaker is from Lake Charles. We were in the Domaine Serene tasting room about six years ago and mentioned we were from Louisiana. Another group said we are too. They were visiting their daughter who was working there. I think she soon moved over to LF.
LF makes some excellent wines. Not a big white drinker, but their chard is really nice. Martin’s stocks a couple of pinots and the entry level chard.
Cool fact about Lingua Franca. The assistant winemaker is from Lake Charles. We were in the Domaine Serene tasting room about six years ago and mentioned we were from Louisiana. Another group said we are too. They were visiting their daughter who was working there. I think she soon moved over to LF.
LF makes some excellent wines. Not a big white drinker, but their chard is really nice. Martin’s stocks a couple of pinots and the entry level chard.
Posted on 6/29/21 at 5:12 pm to rsb831
Prior to visiting the WV, I was pretty resistant to white wine, but the chard at Lingua Franca and Goodfellow were an excellent intro to what I like. We also bought some Cameron, Walter Scott, and Violin chardonnay from a local wine shop as well.
Will try to pick up a bottle of LF at Martin's next time in NOLA.
Will try to pick up a bottle of LF at Martin's next time in NOLA.
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