What is a year without a second trip out to wine country? Honestly, this was an add-on trip for me as the hubs actually scheduled this for work. We brought another couple with us so I could have some travel buddies - bonus that it was also an early birthday trip for one of them. Too bad it rained the ENTIRE time so no great photo opportunities. I love this area in the Fall, so at the very least, I was able to enjoy the brilliant leaf colors.
I don't blog non-travel related things so I want to add a note here. I started a very part-time gig (like no more than 10 hours per week) at my local wine and liquor store. We are reviewing current inventory and looking to revamp our offerings, so I turned this into a quasi work trip for me. I'll be sure to tag the ones that were more of an industry visit as they may not fully represent a normal experience.
Also, the COVID visit to Willamette required two new things (to me): reservations and proof-of-vaccination at some places. Stupid pandemic. I do want to say that when doing my research for this trip that tasting fees have risen over the past several years. If you are going to visit, I suggest doing it sooner rather than later.
We started our 3-day tasting adventure at Raptor Ridge because the wine is available to through one of our distributors. This property sits on 18 acres and is off the beaten path a bit (most of the wines we visited are). So honest review, I wanted to really like the wine, and we did find a couple bottles to bring home, but overall it was slightly disappointing. This is a one-and-done for me.
Because one of my scheduled wineries had to cancel our visit due to a COVID exposure at the winery, I left it up to our friends to choose the next spot. So, off we went to The Four Graces. We were already in the parking lot when they opened, keeping our fingers crossed that they could accommodate us right away - they did! The hubs and I had visited Four Graces on our very first trip out to Willamette, and I don't recall being overly impressed enough to return. We do sell their basic Pinot Noir, and it's on a few restaurant menus in our area. OK, so on this visit, Bree hosted us (she has spent many years in the industry) in the barn tasting room. They just bought blankets for guests to use to help fight off the chill, and I appreciated it so much! She gave us a great tour through the wines including a bonus or two since I'm industry, and my gosh! My socks almost came flying off! This place is making killer Pinot! Our friends fell in love and joined the club. Four Graces is part of the Foley family so the wine club benefits extend to their 16 other sister properties! In summary, please visit!
I planned a lunch and sip stop at Chehalem, which turned out to be an interesting visit. I pre-ordered our lunch boxes when I scheduled the tasting. What I didn't know until we got there is that Chehalem is under the Stoller umbrella and the lunches came from the chef at Stoller. The boxes were $16 and included a delicious sandwich, salad with amazing dressing, and one of the best cookies I've tasted in a long time. The wines were OK, the tasting room so comfortable and rustic, and the location easy to get to. I'd recommend this as a lunch stop if you want to kill two birds with one stone before continuing on with your day.
Our final stop of Day 1 was Lady Hill. I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect with this one. Ya'll, it was amazing! Our host, Jess, was such an absolute sweetheart, and we loved meeting Jerry and Elaine. The link I included for this winery takes you to the About Us page - PLEASE read the story! I am enamored by small, family-owned wineries, and Lady Hill no exception! Dan is making really fantastic wine from a large variety of grades. This isn't your typical Oregon Pinot house! They had live entertainment, and the tasting hall is simply fantastic. This is a must-visit!
Day 2 started with two industry visits scheduled through one of our distributors. The first stop was WillaKenzie and the second stop was Penner-Ash. Daniel was our host, and we had a grand time. Both of these wineries are making fantastic wine across the board with varietals that will satisfy different palates. Both have beautiful views and modern but welcoming tasting rooms. We then visited Trisaetum, which was altogether disappointing even though I typically love the Ribbon Ridge AVA. I say skip and go to Aramenta or Utopia instead.
For dinner, we drove up to Sherwood and ate a fantastic, and I mean really tasty, meal at Trees. Chef Shannon stopped by our table and talked to us for about 10 minutes. She is absolutely down to earth and really knows how to make create comfort food. We loved this place, and I’d go back again in a heartbeat.
Day 3 found us visiting Elk Cove (we re-joined). We had a wonderful visit, tasting a nice variety of wine and noshing on a cheeseboard. On a clear day, which this was not, you will have plenty of opportunities for great photos. Elk Cove consistently produces great wine, and they rate high on my recommendations list for Willamette. Next in line was Elk Cove’s sister club, Pike Road, which is a tasting room on Main St in Carlton, a quaint title town with a couple other tasting rooms and small restaurants. We joined Pike Road to stock on up some quality everyday Pinot Noirs, but they also make an excellent sparkling rose that is not to be missed. For lunch, we chose the Horse Radish - cute little eatery, simply but tasty menu.We also visited K&M Cellars, and while cute, it’s a worth a stop only if you have some time to kill and are downtown already. Our last winery out of the valley was Colene Clemens. They are still using the gravity technique and have a really cool location and building. They are making great wines, and I’d recommend a reservation if you are visiting Willamette.
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