Because the hubs was working at a location just outside of Portland, OR, we decided to take full advantage and spend a beautiful weekend tasting our way around Willamette Valley. If you have been to Sonoma, you will find that Willamette is similar although still more farm-like with a definite trend in moving toward the commercial for some wineries. Sad but understandable. My advice is this - if you have been wanting to go, go now while there are still many small wineries, where you stand a good chance of spending some time with the owners and wine makers.
Here is a short rundown of the wineries only.
Bryn Mawr Vineyards boasts a new tasting room with a great views. The wine maker is a woman (yay girl power) who making some some very nice small-batch wines. Included with our tasting, which we shared, was a small dish of cheese and animal crackers. Cheese goes well with wine, animal crackers do not. We were both a bit baffled by the choice. We arrived right at 10 because that's how we roll, even when we're not still on east coast time. We were greeted warmly and chose to sit outside to enjoy the sun and the views. We bought a couple bottles of Jeffrey's Block 2016 Pinot Noir, which is the less popular amongst the visitors but rated by the somms. Honestly, I give this place a total thumbs up - it's gorgeous, welcoming, good wine, friendly staff, and great views of the Van Duzer corridor.
Next up is Keeler Estate Vineyard. We were the first to arrive and were greeted by Beatrice. She explained the biodynamic philosophy of the winery and introduced us to a motley crew of Pinot Gris, all made very differently from each other. It was actually a bit fascinating to see how much a difference in technique and creative choice makes in essentially the same varietal. Educational for sure. The tasting there is waived after a $135 purchase, not the $90 listed on the website. I hate to quibble, but... you know. I had researched ahead of time to make sure we could eat our lunch on the porch before travelling on to the next place, so I'd imagine that having a nice spread other than Jersey Mike's and sodas we grabbed from the hotel would make for a relaxing visit.
We visited Anne Amie as guests of a wine club member friend of ours. The porch outside that overlooks their hillside was bustling with activity, and the wine hosts were a bit frazzled. We didn't really enjoy the wine here as it wasn't our style and lacking something - depth, maybe? We won't visit again.
Stoller was another freebie from the same friend from above. There is a huge yard area with lounge chairs and lots of space for families to picnic and for the kids to frolic. I'm sure for locals it makes for a fun afternoon enjoying the outside. We had our tasting in the club member area, which was nice and quiet, although still quite busy. They poured a couple very young Pinot Noirs (2017) that really weren't ready to be opened and introduced. I'd imagine that in a couple years they will be mature and a little smoother (one would hope), but for the tasting, they were a bit harsh. We enjoyed their Chardonnay and did buy a bottle of a reserve Pinot. The parking situation there was quite insane with the large amount of people. Just be prepared for a crowd if you go on a weekend.
Argyle was a return visit, and we rejoined the wine club. In full disclosure, we went on both Saturday and Sunday to take full advantage of our wine club benefits. A nice perk now is that they allow you to make changes to your shipment. Blanc de Blanc can be a bit dicey for my palate, so we switched a nice Brut. They are still making incredibly good Pinot Noir for a "sparkling house," and we continue to love it. We've never had a bad experience here, no matter how busy they are.
We visited Aramenta first thing in the morning on Sunday and were greeted by Darlene's husband while Darlene finished setting up for tastings. She brought out a little cheese and crackers to clear the palate and guided us through their Pinots. This place is small with the tasting room in a barn. It's cute, the wine is good, and the owners are nice. If you are looking for someplace on Ribbon Ridge, I wouldn't hesitate to swing by.
I found Parrett Mountain on Yelp when I was searching for some new winery options. The reviews were good for this newer (8 Yelp reviews at the time) winery, so I figured what the heck, right? Driving up to the tasting room (on the same plot as the owners' home) felt like driving through the mountains in northern Georgia - steepish, curvey, narrow, tree-lined, and beautiful views. The tasting room, which was built in 2018, is GORGEOUS! So many natural elements, including trees used from the property in the construction. We were greeted by the owners' daughter as this really is a family affair. Their grapes are primarily sourced from Washington state so prep for heavy reds - a unique experience in Oregon.
Here is a short rundown of the wineries only.
Bryn Mawr Vineyards boasts a new tasting room with a great views. The wine maker is a woman (yay girl power) who making some some very nice small-batch wines. Included with our tasting, which we shared, was a small dish of cheese and animal crackers. Cheese goes well with wine, animal crackers do not. We were both a bit baffled by the choice. We arrived right at 10 because that's how we roll, even when we're not still on east coast time. We were greeted warmly and chose to sit outside to enjoy the sun and the views. We bought a couple bottles of Jeffrey's Block 2016 Pinot Noir, which is the less popular amongst the visitors but rated by the somms. Honestly, I give this place a total thumbs up - it's gorgeous, welcoming, good wine, friendly staff, and great views of the Van Duzer corridor.
Next up is Keeler Estate Vineyard. We were the first to arrive and were greeted by Beatrice. She explained the biodynamic philosophy of the winery and introduced us to a motley crew of Pinot Gris, all made very differently from each other. It was actually a bit fascinating to see how much a difference in technique and creative choice makes in essentially the same varietal. Educational for sure. The tasting there is waived after a $135 purchase, not the $90 listed on the website. I hate to quibble, but... you know. I had researched ahead of time to make sure we could eat our lunch on the porch before travelling on to the next place, so I'd imagine that having a nice spread other than Jersey Mike's and sodas we grabbed from the hotel would make for a relaxing visit.
We visited Anne Amie as guests of a wine club member friend of ours. The porch outside that overlooks their hillside was bustling with activity, and the wine hosts were a bit frazzled. We didn't really enjoy the wine here as it wasn't our style and lacking something - depth, maybe? We won't visit again.
Stoller was another freebie from the same friend from above. There is a huge yard area with lounge chairs and lots of space for families to picnic and for the kids to frolic. I'm sure for locals it makes for a fun afternoon enjoying the outside. We had our tasting in the club member area, which was nice and quiet, although still quite busy. They poured a couple very young Pinot Noirs (2017) that really weren't ready to be opened and introduced. I'd imagine that in a couple years they will be mature and a little smoother (one would hope), but for the tasting, they were a bit harsh. We enjoyed their Chardonnay and did buy a bottle of a reserve Pinot. The parking situation there was quite insane with the large amount of people. Just be prepared for a crowd if you go on a weekend.
Argyle was a return visit, and we rejoined the wine club. In full disclosure, we went on both Saturday and Sunday to take full advantage of our wine club benefits. A nice perk now is that they allow you to make changes to your shipment. Blanc de Blanc can be a bit dicey for my palate, so we switched a nice Brut. They are still making incredibly good Pinot Noir for a "sparkling house," and we continue to love it. We've never had a bad experience here, no matter how busy they are.
We visited Aramenta first thing in the morning on Sunday and were greeted by Darlene's husband while Darlene finished setting up for tastings. She brought out a little cheese and crackers to clear the palate and guided us through their Pinots. This place is small with the tasting room in a barn. It's cute, the wine is good, and the owners are nice. If you are looking for someplace on Ribbon Ridge, I wouldn't hesitate to swing by.
I found Parrett Mountain on Yelp when I was searching for some new winery options. The reviews were good for this newer (8 Yelp reviews at the time) winery, so I figured what the heck, right? Driving up to the tasting room (on the same plot as the owners' home) felt like driving through the mountains in northern Georgia - steepish, curvey, narrow, tree-lined, and beautiful views. The tasting room, which was built in 2018, is GORGEOUS! So many natural elements, including trees used from the property in the construction. We were greeted by the owners' daughter as this really is a family affair. Their grapes are primarily sourced from Washington state so prep for heavy reds - a unique experience in Oregon.
Comments
Post a Comment