Sunday August 18, 2011
Malibu, CA
Perfect Beach Weather
After spending all of Friday and most of the weekend getting my home network upgraded, I finally have time to write more about the fab weekend with BFF Sandra and her friend Marilyn.
After a wonderful night in Portland it was time to take off to Willamette Valley for some wine tasting. Willamette Valley is about an hours drive from Oregon and is known for its PInots and Pinot Gris because of the cool weather. The "tourist" industry is not as developed as it is in Napa Valley which makes it very nice to visit because there are not many crowds and the prices are reasonable. Sandra has a friend who is from the area so gave us recommendations on where to go.
We left Portland around 10am and by 11am or so we were at our first winery - Dobb's Family Estate. They mass produce wines called Wines by Joe but have several wines under the brand Dobb's Estate which are produced in small quantities and are only available at the winery. And guess what I found! I found a wine called Skipper's Cuvee so I had a get a bottle to honor my beloved dog Skipper and another one for Amy and Michael who took care of him during my travels. I also bought a bottle of Truffle oil as it is made from wild truffles found in the forests of Oregon.
Dobb's Estate Pinot Noir - Skipper's Cuvee
Dobb's Estate Beautiful Garden
Our next stop was Argyle which is across the street for Dobb's Estate. Another very pretty winery with a gorgeous garden. Argyle is of course known for the PInots but also for their sparkling wine. They also have an Oregon version of an ice wine called Minus Five. It's not "real" ice wine because the grapes are frozen in a freezer unlike in Canada where they grapes freeze "naturally". So in addition to the wines, we tried both the Minus Five and their speciality Black Brut. Both tasted OK, but combined as a cocktail, YUM!
Argyle Black Brut
Argyle's Beautiful Garden
It was then time for us to drive into the valley to visit some more boutique wineries. And was the drive gorgeous. The hills were covered with grape vines framed by evergreen trees. Only in Oregon!
The Road to the Heart of Willamette Valley
All the grapes are pruned to be closer the ground. This method is used in Oregon so that the grapes get the heat from the ground. Interesting!
Our first stop is De Ponte Cellars. The tasting room is located at their vineyard. Their 17 acres vineyard is comprised of Pinot Noir and Melon de Bourgogne( a very rare grape in the US) vines. They are dedicated to making Burgundian wines so we were very much looking forward to tasting their wines. We tried 5 different types of wines. My favorites were the 2010 DFB Melon de Bourgogne which was a fabulous white wine, the 2008 Eastburn Vineyards Pinot Noir which is made from grapes of a family friend, and the 2009 De Ponte Cellars Dundee Hills Pinot Noir. The service at this vineyard was fabulous. We even had a blind taste! So we ended up buying a case of wines - 4 bottles for me, 4 for Sandra and 4 for Marilyn. De Ponte is now one of my favorite wine makers.
The De Ponte vineyards
Marilyn and Sandra tasting their wines
Our next stop was Vista Hills. This boutique winery uses only what they grow. It is here where we learned the beginnings of wine in Oregon. It was actually started by a couple of UC Davis (my alma mater) graduates in the 1960s. People thought they were crazy but 40 years later, they proved them wrong! Willamette Valley now produces some of the best Pinots in the world. I liked all of their wines but my favorite was Chemeketa Pinot Noir 2009. They only make 45 cases so it is hard to get. Not only is it a very good wine but proceeds go to a foundation that supports kids to go to college. In turn the kids need to give back by volunteering their time for society. Love it!
Our very knowledgable sommelier at Vista Hills
Next stop was Domaine Serene, a very pretty and "serene" vineyard. It was founded in 1989 by a couple and have consistently produced award winning PInot Noirs. We tasted 4 wines: one Chardonnay and 3 Pinots. The Chardonnay was "very Chardonnay" that is, buttery. We tasted the 2008 Etoile Vineyard Chardonnay. But for 45$, I didn't think it was worth it. Our next wine to taste was the 2008 Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir which was very good and worth the 42 bucks. Next up was there flagship wine - 2007 Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir. It was a big wine, delicious but pricey - 58$. And the last wine we tasted was the 2009 Guadalupe Vineyard Pinot Noir. It was a grand wine and very chocolatey. But at 75$, out of my price range. We all enjoyed the wines but it was a bit too pricey for me.
The sommelier at Domaine Serene
Our next stop was another boutique winery called the White Rose Estate. The vineyard got the name from the original owner who was from Yorkshire County, England. The white rose is the symbol of York. Today it is owned by a California family. They only make PInot Noirs. We tasted 4 wines and all were good. But what was most interesting of the visit was the story of the winemaker - Jesus Guillen. His father was a migrant worker from Chihuahua, Mexico. He helped his father and learned wine making on the job. His brother is now the wine steward of the winery. A very tight and family oriented winery.
The White Rose Winery
Our last winery was the famous Domaine Drouhin. We made it there in the nick of the time - 355pm. The winery closes at 4pm. Our wine steward was so nice that she quickly poured wine so we can make the deadline. It's a bit intimidating as the place was grand with lots of framed letters from royalty and the White House. I believe it's the only vineyard owned by a French wine making dynasty. The Drouhin winery in France is over 100 years old and still owned by the same family. So I believe they charge "extra" for the name. Our tasting charge was 10$ but it was for only 3 wines. We tasted a 2009 Chardonnay 2008 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley and a 2007 Pinot Noir Laurent Cuvee. All were good but given the prices (30, 40 and 65 dollars respectively) we did not buy any. The estate is beautiful though as it is set on top on Dundee Hills. Spectacular views.
View from Domaine Drouhin
After 7 wineries, yes a BIG SEVEN! It was time to take a break. So we went to Red Hill Farms which is known for its olive oil. And it had a beautiful nursery. I ended up buying some olive oil, especially since they had arbequina olive oil. I also bought a bottle of the orange vinegar which was delicious! It was fun tasting olive oil and vinegar after the wines.
Red Hill Farms
The Red Hill Farms Garden: The pathway is covered in hazelnut shells which is also a specialty of Willamette Valley
Our last stop was a farm stand to look for some hazelnuts. Although hazelnut season doesn't start until the fall, we found some really good flavored hazelnuts. In additon, as a bonus, we discoverd marionberries. I've never had them before but they were in season. They look just like blackberries but taste completely different. They were so sweet and delicious! My new favorite fruit.
Marionberries
We then went back to our deluxe hotel (Best Western :)). We had a "suite", rested for just a bit as we had dinner to go to. We decided to go to Tina's based on recommendations from Argyle winery. The restaurant was cute although it was right off the main street. It was a small restaurant and known for using local ingredients. Sandra and I started with the fresh corn soup and Marilyn with a salad. Marilyn had the stuffed zucchini flower vegetarian dish while Sandra and I had the salmon. Our starters were delicious. The corn soup was so sweet! But Marilyn's salad was so fresh and the dressing with hazelnuts was fabulous. Sandra liked the salmon but I was not impressed. I found it overcooked and the sauce too rich. Marilyn's dish though was fantastic! Of course, we had it with a bottle of Pinot Noir.
Corn Soup
Salad
Salmon
Fried Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with a Harissa like condiment
We got back to the hotel by 9pm, decided to finish the bottle of Wente PInot Noir from Central Valley California that Sandra brought and called it a night. Seven wineries in one day - that was a record for all of us!
