My wife and I really enjoy Pinot Noir, and I expect PN to be the star of each tasting, but my wife especially enjoys a great Riesling or Pinot Blanc. Any winemakers that work in these varietals that we should be sure to visit? Preferably ones that offer tastings in or near McMinnville?
Goodfellow makes both, (although the Riesling may only be offered in a field blend?) and conducts tastings by appointment in McMinnville. Martin Woods makes at least one Riesling and also conducts tastings in McMinnville by appointment. You can book with Martin Woods online. I think you need to PM or email Marcus to taste at Goodfellow.
Edit: Actually Goodfellow makes a Pinot Gris not Pinot Blanc. And then the field blend with the Riesling. And perhaps a pure Riesling release as well? (I think I’ve seen tasting notes but never had a chance to buy or try myself.)
I recently posted about a fantastic Riesling from Martin Woods. Literally the best domestic Riesling I have ever had and I guess you could say I am serious about Riesling.
I learned that he also has a vinyl bar / restaurant.
A number of wineries are known for their Riesling. Besides the ones already mentioned, there’s also Brooks and Trisaetum. Eyrie makes an excellent Pinot Blanc.
HiFi is a must-visit in McMinnville. Evan Martin, the owner/winemaker at Martin Woods, owns the place. Evan makes some great wines, and their general wine list at the wine bar is stellar.
I got to try Silas’ Pinot Blanc, and it was very nice as well.
For Riesling, I really enjoy Belle Pente’s and if they still make it, Chehalem Winery made a Corral Creek Vyd Riesling that was really solid. Old-ish vines, own rooted.
Unfortunately, I don’t think any of them offer tastings in McMinnville. Belle Pente and Championship (Saul Mutchnick) are worth the drive for sure. I bet Thistle has some tasty non-Pinot WV wines on the menu if you really can’t leave McMinnville.
I think Ovum makes some fantastic Riesling in the WV and I’ve probably gone through of couple of cases of different bottlings. That grape is their primary focus, along with a few other whites, and they source fruit from the Gorge AVA all the way down to Umpqua AVA down near California. I believe this is run as a part time venture, but you might be able to get an appointment.
We do have a bit of 2019 Riesling, and can probably pour the Field Blend as well. We also made a tony amount of 2021 Pinot Blanc from a vineyard in Y-C. It’s in the style of Albert Mann and clocks in at 12.8% abv.
All of our quantities in 2021 are pretty low. 50 cases of the Field Blend(instead of around 150), Whistling Ridge Pinot Gris is a remarkably intense wine but only 89 cases. We’ll have them for visits through the early fall.
I would second Ovum, and add Love & Squalor and Teutonic wines as well. Trisaetum is also excellent. And Hi-Fi is definitely a must visit!
Things changed a lot due to Covid, and I’m not in touch with what’s open now. If you are looking for wineries that feature Pinot Blanc and/or Riesling, and have tasting rooms that are easy to visit, you could consider Four Graces in Dundee for Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. It is now part of the Foley Family portfolio. I haven’t been there for years, but their Pinot Blanc used to be the best wine they produced, and their Pinot Noirs are well rated by some-to me over-oaked.
Chehalem has a tasting room in Newberg. Sometimes their Rieslings hit the mark, and the same with some of their Pinot Noirs. Unfortunately, consistency is not there.
Last time I was there, Eyrie had not reopened their tasting room. Even before the Covid shutdown, they had switched to by appointment, and mainly for club members.
Brooks used to be a great visit. Have not been there in a few years.
Kelley Fox and Paetra are a great recommendation to the OP because they are at the same facility in Gaston which wouldn’t be too far from McMinnville.
I’ll try to respond to the OP’s original post in Travel at some point this weekend, but plenty of great recommendations upthread already. Definitely visit with Marcus Goodfellow in DT McMinnville and other options would include Brittan, Eyrie, Martin Woods, Hundred Suns, etc.
For scenery, you’ll need to head towards Eola Amity, Dundee, Ribbon Ridge, etc. Vincent and Saul are at the same facility, so that would be a combined stop and Brooks is just around the corner. I haven’t been to the newish Brooks facility, but I’m sure they have a nice tasting room and I would imagine flights of Rieslings or other interesting whites and Pinot Noir. And it’s not far from McMinnville. Other stops in that particular area could include Cristom, Bethel Heights, Walter Scott, Violin, Evesham Wood, Iota, etc.
Plenty of spots in the Dundee Hills with excellent views and I enjoy the newish tasting room and deck at Patricia Green. Lots of options. I would suggest grouping your visits to minimize traveling between AVA’s on the same day. It’s a 30-45 minute drive between Newberg and Amity.
I don’t have any other producers to add. Have enjoyed PB from a number of the producers mentioned, in particular Eyrie, Kelley Fox, Vincent and Champ Bottle.
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