First, Oregon.
Though we were bummed to leave Portland, I was really excited to have a day exploring some Oregon wine country. After a tasty lunch at Cha Cha Cha, we headed out to the highway and began the search for Alloro. The vineyard and winery were definitely a bit tucked away and turned up just as I was about to turn the car around and look for the turn that we missed. The gates in front of the small building were closed, but it was an incredible day so we stopped the car and looked around a bit. The most remarkable thing wasn’t the beautiful land or the lavender everywhere, it was the incredible quiet. Terroir may be said to be comprised mostly of microclimates, soils, sun exposure… but I can’t help but think that the quiet around these vineyards helps those grapes concentrate.
The entrance to Alloro (look at that lavender!):
Before heading all the way back down the mountain, we checked out plenty of vineyards up there. Almost none of the vines in Oregon had been harvested.
Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains:
Next up was Adelsheim which I think I was looking forward to the most. I have always loved their Pinot Gris and wanted to taste their Pinot Blanc & Auxerrois. As we approached the winery, there was a sign warning us to beware the forklifts and bees, which was good advice… there were yellow jackets *everywhere*. Those Adelsheim vineyards are well pollinated, I must say.
some of the Adelsheim tanks:
Next we were on our way to Anne Amie, which had much more land than Alloro and a *much* bigger winery. The Alloro winery could have easily fit into the Anne Amie parking lot. Anne Amie is by no means a huge producer, but as small wineries go, it was pretty big. It seemed kind of crowded with a crowd I wasn’t too interested in tolerating, so I looked but did not taste this time.
The entrance to Anne Amie:
Some new vines being started at Anne Amie:
The Anne Amie winery/tasting room/mansion thing:
The Lamborghini parked at Anne Amie that helped me decide not to taste there (though the large SUV with the ‘I MUST’ license plate *almost* compelled me):
The final tasting was to be at Eyrie, whose founders David & Diana Lett are pioneers in growing both Pinot Noir & Pinot Gris in Oregon. We felt lost as we followed the map to the winery since it was located in an industrial area of McMinnville, Oregon, next to some railroad tracks and with no grapes in sight. The winery was the smallest of the day and was lined with wine barrels in just about every cranny. The tasting room was about the size of a ‘cozy’ New York living room and had many pictures and articles about the history of the Eyrie Vineyards, including pictures of their vineyards now and in 1966 (especially remarkable were the pictures of Diana Lett tilling the land by hand their first year. This is what constituted their honeymoon.). Although Eyrie has been around now for more than 40 years, it definitely still has the feeling of a new adventure.
Just after finishing this post, I learned that David Lett passed away on October 9th. Luckily the Oregon wine industry as a whole carries on his legacy in some way.
Barrels stored at Eyrie:
French oak:
A barrel stained through sampling:
Next up, California.