Adventure

By Sean and Pam Curry, Austin Chapter

We have been aware for some time that the Willamette Valley of Oregon was a top region for Pinot Noir, and in September we set out to explore the area for ourselves.

Being our first trip to this wine region and having already been impressed with the wines available in local shops, we were excited to explore the offerings only available in small quantities at the wineries. The Willamette Valley is easily accessible, generally located within an hour from Portland. Although relatively young, the region has grown to over 500 wineries and the diversity of styles is high. The northern Willamette Valley region currently contains nine sub‑AVA’s showcasing the subtle differences in soil and climate. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominate, with a few other varietals dotting the wine offerings of many tasting rooms. Most wineries are located on hillsides to avoid the alluvial soil in the valley. Subsequently, many tasting rooms have created welcoming patios and offer stunning views. We found it very easy to linger after a tasting and revisit our favorites. It should be noted that most tasting rooms were appointment only and discouraged any external food or picnics, instead offering paired food items, cheeses, and charcuterie.

We based our stay near the town of Dundee on the eastern edge of Dundee Hills due to its central location to many of the wineries on our itinerary and the access to the Pacific Highway. Dundee has over a dozen local tasting rooms, which makes it convenient if a shorter

Sean & Pam Curry

visit was all that was possible. Argyle’s Tasting House and winery is central to town and was our first visit. Argyle offers several options including a flight of their spar‑ kling wines in addition to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The property once was home to a hazelnut processing plant so perhaps there is no coincidence that the 2019 Nuthouse Pinot Noir was our favorite. Just a few blocks to the west resides the Purple Hands Winery headed by winemaker Chad Wright, son of Willamette pioneer Ken Wright. Their slogan, “Honesty of the site & Pu‑ rity of the clones” rang true throughout of our flight of several single‑vineyard Pinot Noirs. Difficult to pick a favorite, however, the 2018 Wichmann Vineyard Pinot Noir emerged as ours with its rustic cherry and clean mineral notes.

Tasting room at Ponzi Vineyard Ponzi Vineyard

Just to the west of Dundee at a higher elevation and at the end of Breyman Orchards Road, are two gravity flow wineries with ties to Burgundy. Domaine Serene Winery, founded in 1989, sits among the Evenstad Estate vineyard offering stunning views from its winery tasting room and spacious patios. We had high expecta‑ tions based on the praise from friends and publication reviews, and their Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are certainly worthy of the accolades. One notable bottling is their 2019 Coeur Blanc, a barrel fermented full‑bodied white wine produced from Pinot Noir grapes. Across the road is Domaine Drouhin Oregon. Founded in 1988 with Dijon closes from Burgundy, this winery includes a tasting patio that overlooks their hillside, valley, and on clear days, Mount Hood which is over 65 miles to the east. Their motto is “French Soul, Oregon Soil”. We experienced this first‑hand with our tasting flight which included side‑by‑side pours that compared both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Domaine Drouhin Oregon with the family winery of Joseph Drouhin.

Moving further to the west, just outside of Dayton, is the Stoller Family Estate. This property, once a turkey farm, is now home to estate vineyards and two tasting rooms. We found ourselves lingering on the very large, terraced outdoor area overlooking a large oak tree and rope swing which appears to chaperone the hillside vineyards. Their tasting flight included well‑balanced estate Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs as well as a Bordeaux‑blend from their Columbia Valley winery History. We then travelled to Carlton to visit Ken Wright Cellars. With much of the history of Oregon Pinot Noir linking back to Ken Wright, it was engaging to visit the converted railway station that now serves as his tasting room. As Ken is credited for helping classify and drive approval for several of the AVA’s in Willamette Valley, likewise his winery produces over a dozen single‑vineyard bottlings with a focus on offer‑

Domaine Serene Winery Penner-Ash Wine Cellars

ings from these regional AVA’s. Their motto “Source is Everything” was clearly evident through our flight as we had the chance to compare and contrast his Pinot Noirs from several AVAs from top vineyards. Notable was the west‑facing Tanager Vineyard Pinot Noir from 2018 framing deep black cherry and plum fruit into a long, balanced finish.

Northwest of Dundee, located on a hilltop overlooking the Chehelem Creek is the Penner-Ash Wine Cellars. We started our visit with an educational vineyard walk while sampling a few pours from the same estate vineyard. The valley view was enhanced by the sloped rows of Pinot Noir grapes ripened to near perfection and awaiting harvest. While their estate is only currently planted to 15 acres, they source grapes from several top vineyards across the neighboring AVAs. We tasted an array of diverse and complex Pinot Noirs, an exceptional 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir, and a 2020 Viognier from the Rouge Valley that offered up a striking floral nose backed by viscous stone fruit and a touch of earthiness.

Sitting just on the other side of the Chehalem Creek in the Ribbon Ridge AVA is Beaux Frères Vineyards. The day we visited, the winery was very busy with harvest and crush. Our rustic patio seating overlooked the on‑ going sorting as ton after ton of Pinot Noir grapes made their way to the destemmer on their way to becoming part of the 2021 vintage. Their staff was exceptionally knowledgeable and keen to explain their techniques employed during the estate farming and ongoing crush. Each of their Pinot Noirs were spectacular with the 2019 Sequitur Pinot Noir edging out as our favorite of the day.

Alas, as our time in Willamette came to an end, our travel back to Portland included a tasting at Ponzi Vineyards. This beautiful winery is set atop a northwest‑facing slope in the Chehalem mountains. Ponzi is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and, although one of the oldest wineries, the facilities are state of the art and include a modern tasting facility and gravity‑fed winery. We were treated to a broad array of Pinot Noirs, preceded by a dry, refreshing 2016 Brut Rosé sparkling wine. The 2017 Laurelwood Pinot Noir stood out for its balanced red fruit, density, and long finish. Also notable was their 2019 Armeis, a variety rarely seen outside the Piedmont region of Italy.

Lastly, after an introduction to Fullerton Wines during a Knights of the Vine virtual tasting in March 2021, we arranged for a tasting at their Portland wine bar and tasting room. We were seated inside the cozy tasting room, although they also have streetside patio seating. Each of the wines was as good as we remembered with the 2017 Momtazi Pinot Noir continuing to top our list of favorites. We were fortunate to taste through a number of other exceptional Pinots including the 2017 Tenebris Pinot Noir generously offered via Coravin.

Our trip concluded, and high expectations met, we checked our newly filled shipper cases at the airport and boarded our flight back to Austin. Realizing that we have only scratched the surface, another trip to Willamette is clearly in our future to further explore this beautiful and growing wine region which has so much to offer.

Stoller Family Estate