The Wine Knows

The Hills of Dundee, otherwise known as Dundee Hills, is at the heart of Oregon wine. I have researched this area in the past and found that some people actually feel that it is the center of all Oregon for Pinot Noir. The unique relationship between volcanic Jory soils, elevation and protective microclimates has proven ideal for vineyards, and the Hills of Dundee have produced Oregon's top Pinot Noirs for decades.

Now I love a good glass of Pinot Noir, but not as much as my dear friend, Paula, who lives not far from Dundee Hills and is known to friends and wine lovers as "the Pinot Noir girl." My husband and I wanted to visit a few wineries in the Dundee area and who better to show us around, but our dear friends Dan and Paula, who own a wonderful wine club of 16 years and know Oregon wineries, better than anyone else I know. There are many wonderful wineries in this AVA (American Viticultural Area); but we only had time for a few and once again, we had to pick some quality wines from small wineries for our own wine club. Dan and Paula were our tour guides and we left it up to them to show us a few of the best.

We drove through the quaint town of Dundee (home of one traffic light) and we were amazed at the bumper to bumper traffic. The day was sunny and bright and it was Passport Weekend, so it was more crowded than we anticipated. We were taken out into the country and up to the top of a fabulous hill which is known as "Hilltop Lane," where we visited our first winery, Winter's Hill Vineyard.

Winter's Hill is currently building a very large tasting room and winery, which should be completed soon. The old tasting room is in a single story building, which looks almost like a large two car garage. It by no means feels like a garage. They have a wonderful tasting bar and I really enjoyed all the family photos on the wall, which shows their land and history dating back to 1961, when Emily's family settled in the area.

The view from this winery is spectacular. To reach this winery, you drive up Breyman Orchards road, which is beautiful in itself. This is true Oregon country at its finest. As you get to the top of the hill, you will find their winery which is built between a hazelnut grove and Vista Hills vineyard.

We were greeted by Peter and Emily Gladhart and their son Russell. Being friends of Dan and Paula, we were able to meet with them and hear a bit of their story regarding their winery. We found them all to be very personable and knowledgeable about wine in this area. Peter and Emily and their son, Russell planted the first 19 acres of grapes in 1990, 12 acres of Pinot Gris. It was managed for low, intensely flavored yields. In 1997 they began planting the second phase of their vineyard which is both Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Their entire vineyard is certified by LIVE of Oregon as Sustainable and Salmon Safe. This family has roots that date back to 1961, when Emily's parents, John and Lena Winter resettled from Illinois bringing the wrought iron hinges that now grace their cellar door. Peter and Emily are the wine growers and their son, Russell is the winemaker. Russell went to France to learn his skill and it was there than he met his future wife, Delphine, who is an established winemaker herself. Both Russell and Delphine create the wines for Winter's Hill. At Winter's Hill they pride themselves on growing the finest grapes, harvesting them at optimum ripeness and crafting the best wines possible.

Our favorites at this winery are the 2005 Pinot Noir, which they are almost sold out of and their 2007 Early Muscat New Release, which was paired with Emily's own "Braided Cheese Bread," (which I was able to get a recipe for and I will feature on our website in the near future).

Now as much as I enjoyed this winery, I really enjoyed what I found outside their tasting room doors much more. Outside near their picnic area, overlooking an incredible view, I found four beautiful Tennessee Walking Horses tethered to a rail. Being a true horse lover (more than a wine lover), I immediately strolled over to them and enjoyed getting up close and personal with these beautiful creatures. As I invaded their space and imagined myself going for a ride, I was surprised to meet Jake Price, owner of Jake Price Stables in Carlton, Oregon.

What a character Jake is. I immediately fell in love with his outgoing, jovial and quick witted personality. His love for these horses was very evident and he truly enjoyed sharing his passion for horses and the wine country with those he came in contact with. I learned very quickly that Jake has been training, showing and breeding horses for 38 years. It was only 2 years ago that he decided that an Equestrian Wine Tour was the perfect addition to Dundee Hills. Now Jake and his son, Don, enjoy providing outstanding equestrian tours to those who want to take in the Dundee Hills wineries on horseback. For $50 an hour, you can take a custom tour with Jake, going through the famous Red Hills of Dundee, stopping in for wine tastings and then enjoying a European vineyard style lunch. I continued to meet Jake, his customers and his Tennessee Walking Horses as we headed to other wineries in this beautiful countryside. His customers appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely and my husband and I have booked our own tour with Jake for this fall. I haven't been on a horse in a long time, but I am sure that it is like riding a bike - it will come back to me. Now I just have to remember to stay sober enough to enjoy the ride, while enjoying my wine. (I want to mention that Jake's new venture is so popular, that he is booked frequently and Wine Enthusiast Magazine will feature his new business in their May issue).

Around the bend from Winter's Hill is Vista Hills Vineyard. This tasting room just opened its doors in November 2007 and it already is so popular that it is booked all summer for weddings. I can see why. What a fun tasting room! You actually feel like you are standing in your very own tree house. In fact, the name of their tasting room is Treehouse Tasting Room and Winery. I loved sampling their wine, while sitting outside on their deck which is nestled high among Douglas Fir and White Oak treetops. As an Interior Designer, I truly appreciated the architecture of this 6,000 sq ft hideout. It is definitely built in the classic Northwest style. It has an open concept and as I meandered around I came across a small dining area that was laid out with the best looking food. Just as I was admiring the pretty tables and assortment of food, who should approached me...none other than Jake Price. He told me to look below and when I did, I saw his horses tethered, enjoying their own lunch. Jake said that this was one stop where his clients enjoy having a picnic among the treetops. I was envious and wanted to join their fun.

The wines at Vistal Hills were superb! They self-distribute, so we will be going back soon to pick up an order for our wine club and our website http://www.Northwestwinequest.com very soon. We enjoyed all of their wines but our favorite was the 2006 Survivor Reserve Pinot Noir. The Survivor Reserve was exceptional and only 45 cases were made. This wine was made by Jesus Guillen of White Rose Wines. He is an incredible young winemaker, with his own unique story (which I will tell you about next).

Our next stop was even more breathtaking. Near the top of Hilltop Lane in Dayton, Oregon, is White Rose Wines. The tasting room is in the back of the winery among the wine barrels. It is nothing fancy, just a small table with some amazing Pinot Noir to sample. The founder of this winery is Greg Sanders, whom I understand still lives in California but he has a trusting staff that manage this operation and make some wonderful wines. They only make 100 % estate grown Pinot Noir from vines planted in 1980. Their first vintage was in 2001. Most of their wines have the label name of "Dragon's Bluff", which are named after the founders sons who happen to love dragons. The wines here are worth mentioning, especially Dragon's Bluff - White Rose Whole Cluster 2006. This wine was given 91 pts by Burghound.com. They described it best by saying it has "pure red berry fruit aromas that merge in to rich, full and detailed flavors....it has a nice finishing structure as well. "

The wines as I mentioned are truly amazing at White Rose, but I must tell you about the winemaker, Jesus Guillen. This young man I found to be the true spirit of following ones passion and reaching for the American dream. Jesus decided to study computer science in Mexico in 1999, because he wanted to learn a trade and he wanted to learn English. In 2001, he decided to visit his father who was working in the vineyards at Patricia Green Cellars. Enjoying his visit and working side by side with his father, Jesus realized immediately that his future was not in computer science, but it was in wine. The wine bug bit him so to speak. Not having enough money to go to school to learn about wine making, Jesus latched on to as many books as he could get and studied on his own. He had a dream and he wanted to make wine, not only for a winery; but for his own label one day. It wasn't long before Greg Sanders saw his talent and asked him to make wine for White Rose. This was a huge step for Jesus. A bigger challenge was in 2006, when some of the fruit from the vines from nearby Vista Hills had been ruined by Voles and a very hot summer. Several tons of fruit were going to be thrown away. Jesus inquired about this and Vista Hills gave him the "ruined fruit" to do what he wanted with it. Jesus used his knowledge and skills and turned this fruit into some great wine. It not only was great, but it was amazing! The owners of Vista Hills tasted his wine, and they were so impressed with what he could do with this "ruined fruit", that they bought it back from Jesus and it was labeled "2006 Survivor Reserve Pinot Noir - New Release." Does this sound familiar? It was our favorite wine when we visited Vista Hills only hours before! Jesus was given full credit for making this fine wine and he only made 45 cases. I'm glad that we picked up our fair share.

Jesus is now on his way as a winemaker as he continues to make some wonderful Pinot Noir. At the tasting room, he was very excited to have us taste his first release of Pinot Noir under his own label, called "Dream Catcher." We immediately were blown away by this wine and we found it to be one of the best Pinot Noir's that we have ever tried. I don't have the knowledge to give this wine any "points", but I did give it 5 stars! Jesus was so appreciative of our true interest in his wine. He took us back to the barrel room where he has more wine that he will release under his own label soon. We tasted some from the barrel and for a wine that is not quite ready, it was still very enjoyable. Jesus allowed us to take his picture and he gave us permission to use his story and his picture when we feature his label for our wine club and website in the near future. He does not have a distributor and he will only make 45 cases that will only be available at the tasting room. We asked if we could reserve several bottles for the near future. Jesus has never been asked this before and it took him by surprise. We haven't worked out the details of this yet, but we have found an amazing young winemaker who has the true American spirit and he is fulfilling his American Dream. I think "Dream Catcher" is the perfect wine label for a man with the perfect dream. My hat goes off to Greg Sanders, who saw this young winemaker's talent and has given him every opportunity to reach for his dream.

Our next stop was De Ponte Cellars. They are known for having some of the oldest vineyards in the entire Willamette Valley. This winery sits on scenic property that is also very breathtaking. The views from one winery to the next in this area of Dundee Hills just kept getting better. The landscaping at this winery was impeccable and their tasting room has a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. I had heard that this winery has Pinot Noir that was featured in the 2007 International Pinot Noir Celebration and the 2007 Portland Indi Wine Festival. However, I also heard about their Melon, which is made from 100% old-vine melon de Bourgogne grapes. I love Melon and I haven't enjoyed a true Melon in some time. I was anxious to pass up all the Pinot Noir and go straight for the Melon. A big thumbs-up for this wine. I have found the white wine for our Dundee Hills AVA selection. The 2008 Melon has aromas of apple, pears and grapefruit. This will be a very enjoyable wine this summer. They recommend pairing it with Oysters, but I think I can really enjoy this one without any food. This wine will age for about 2-3 years, so I have plenty of time to pair with or without Oysters.

Our final stop for this weekend event was Wine Country Farm Cellars. This winery is also a bed and breakfast which is located on a 13 acre estate surrounded by miles and miles of vineyards and magnificent 180 degree views of the Willamette Valley and the Cascade Mountain Range. Once again, I was drawn to the stables before I was drawn to the tasting room. This historic barn was built in 1870 and it connects to a pasture for the owners Arabian horses. They too, offer an Equestrian Wine Tour. I might have to check this one out as well in the near future.

We eventually made our way into the tasting room. The winery and cellar were built in 2006, adjacent to the historic barn. They hand pick the grapes, crush, process and bottle their wines in their own facility. The estate grown fruit never leaves the farm. In fact the hand harvested grapes are brought from the fields to the winery by horse drawn carts. We really enjoyed their 2006 Muller-Thurgau, which I gave 4 stars and it will be the second AVA white from Dundee Hills that we will feature on our website. What I loved about this wine was its crisp sweetness, fresh cider-apple flavor with mineral overtones. It's going to be a great wine to sip during summer picnics. We enjoyed this wine so much, that they encouraged us to go outside to the barrel room to meet their new wine maker, Alberto Alcazar, who would love to let us taste the upcoming 2007 Muller-Thurgau. We enjoyed meeting Alberto. He is another fine winemaker, who truly understands the Dundee Hill area and keeps a watchful eye on the wine process. I believe the 2007 vintage Muller-Thurgau will be even better than the 2006.

During our visit to this winery, we were also able to taste a few of the wines from Eyrie Vineyards. What yummy wines they were. It was almost closing time and we really didn't get to enjoy the full samplings of this fine winery. I did pick up a brochure and was instantly intrigued about the history of this winery and found it absolutely fascinating. I look forward to researching this winery further and learning more about the true Oregon wine pioneer, David Lett, also known as Papa Pinot. This winery will be my first stop when I return to Dundee Hills, in the not so distant future.

As they say, "all good things must come to an end." Our day in Dundee Hills was over. There are still more wineries to check out in this preeminent winegrowing region in Oregon. The history of Pinot in this region is rich, dating back to the mid 1960's, but I feel that history continues to be made with each new vintage that comes from this amazing AVA. There is no better place to look for good Pinot Noir, than the area I like to call, "The Hills of Dundee."