A quick recap of a visit last weekend, without detailed tasting notes.
Anderson Family.
The only reference to this winery I could find on this forum using the search function called it “off the radar”. No formal tasting room here. They put up folding tables in the garage and sandwich boards on Red Hills Rd., just up from Hwy 240. It’s a beautiful and steep hillside vineyard, with a view of Mt. Hood on a good day-not Saturday though.
Cliff and Allison sell grapes to other wineries including Bergstrom, Boedecker and J.K Carriere, but they make plenty fine wine themselves. The whites are crisp and the reds are balanced. The '07 PN has more depth and grip than most I’ve tried, losing none of the aromatics and silky texture that characterize the vintage. I even bought some Chardonnays, the only ones this trip.
Ayres.
Even more basic than Anderson Family. The winery is in their basement. It is also a family project.
I had tasted their wines previously and been impressed with the QPR, and this visit reinforced the impression. The wines are easily as good as many selling for 50% more.
Anyone going down to the WV this weekend would do well to put both these small wineries on their list.
Belle Pente.
I’ve notice that Bell Pente is well known on this board, and deserves the high regard.
The less expensive of the PNs taste anything but cheap, and the Estate wines are worthy of any cellar.
Dominio IV.
They got their start in the Carlton Wine Co-op, and a couple of years ago moved into a larger building in McMinville, near a bunch of other wineries. The vineyard they own is actually near Hood River, and specializes in Syrah. Dominio does a great job with Pinot and Syrah. They make a Viognier closer to a French style than the syrupy over-ripe new world versions, and a dense, dark Tempranillo that is not my favorite.
Patricia Green.
Here we got to taste barrel samples of the 2010s. If people have been calling this the most “Burgundian” year ever, they are probably right. Concentration is high, alcohol low, acidity bracing.
These might be better even than the '08s.
I’ve noticed the wine making at Patty Green has been steadily tightening up over the last 4-5 years.
There are no longer wines that make me wonder “what is going on there?”. The vineyard variations still show up clearly, even more clearly than before, but there is a unity overall.
Shea.
Barrel samples here too. This was a real contrast to Patricia Green. Here all the wines come from the same vineyard, but are made from specific blocks with specific clones. The contrast between them is striking, and all the wine making brilliant. As interesting as this is as an education in clonal variation, I still prefer the blends overall.
Soter.
Amazing hilltop site. We were greeted as usual with a taste of Soter’s sparkling wine, one of America’s best. As good as the old Beacon Hill wines were, I like the new Mineral Springs better. We were told that the new site is much more consistent and easier to work.
Trisaetum.
This was my first visit here, and the first taste of their wine. This is yet another family operation, up the way from Brickhouse, and we met just about everyone involved in the growing and wine makeing. One of the proprietors is an accomplished artist, and the tasting room doubles as a gallery.
The wines are all better than average. The prices are unfortunately also above average, unless you join the club for a substantial discount. More on that later.
Westry.
The notes are arranged alphabetically, but the winery is back in McMinville, near Eyrie, Dominio IV and others. Again, a family affair, with two energetic boys helping with the proceedings by climbing over barrels and stacks of boxes. Much better than average quality, lower than average prices.
Winderlea.
Though a small operation, the modern tasting room perched on a scenic hillside makes a huge contrast to Westry. The wines might be considered more modern as well, meaning polished, but with more apparent oak influence. Interestingly, they have added a top of the line selection from the oldest vines that possesses more elegance and definition, done with less sweetness and vanilla. Too bad it is pricy.
This post is already long, so I can provide more specifics about the individual wines tasted on request.
All the wineries we visited are relatively small, most not widely distributed, and in every case the proprietors hosted. All are great people. Most, maybe all, farm with sustainable practices, or buy from vineyards that do. I don’t recall tasting a single bad wine, and few that were not to my taste. One a few of the wineries differ is in the pricing model. Most of them keep prices low, and rely on word of mouth and loyalty. Shea gives a big discount for futures purchases, and Patricia Green has both reasonable prices and a futures program.
Soter, Trisaetum and Winderlea work on the club model, giving a substantial discount for club members, but requiring minimum club purchases. While the 20% discount brings prices down to a reasonable level, the requirement to buy wines that I don’t want, Chardonnays for instance, keeps me from joining.