The Wine Knows

What a weekend my husband and I had. Our friends and wine club mentors, Dave and Paula, invited us to join them for a weekend of picnics and wine tasting. After a busy, hot summer and an upcoming busy fall and winter, we decided to take them up on their offer. We did not regret our weekend in Oregon, because it is one of our favorite places to visit. It seems that at every turn there are wonderful wineries to visit and explore.

We started our Saturday at a church picnic at the famous Roloff Farm in Helvetia, Oregon. Although there was no wine to drink at this event (and rightfully so), we enjoyed a wonderful picnic among a great group of people and we got a brief glimpse of Matt and Amy’s home and farm, which is only open to the public during pumpkin season. Amy and Matt are wonderful people and enjoyable to visit with. We really appreciated their hospitality and their willingness to open their farm to so many. From the good food, to the potato sack races and three legged races, fun was had by all.

After the picnic, we decided to drop in at Elk Cove Vineyards because it has been years since my husband and I have enjoyed their selection of wines and tasting room. Our stop did not disappoint. I remember that this was one of my favorite tasting rooms in all of Oregon and now I remember why. The breathtaking views are too gorgeous to even put into words. Pictures anyone? With my new Nikon D40 in hand, I took some incredible pictures of the sweeping views.

Entering the tasting room we immediately noticed the elk head mounted on the wall above the tasting bar. Staring into those big, black eyes did not intimidate me. It just made me wonder what this beautiful property must have been like years ago when Roosevelt Elk roamed its hills.

Our stop at Elk Cove easily lasted for over an hour. Our friends know Elk Cove’s Tasting Room Coordinator, Kari Murphy, and they had made arrangements for us to taste some wines not typically opened for public tastings. Did we feel special or what! We tasted the 2003 Pinot Noir – Francis, the 2008 Late Harvest Riesling, and the 2007 Viognier – Del Rio, all of which are Tasting Room Exclusives. What wonderful wines they are. But even more special was the 2006 Roosevelt Pinot Noir, which Kari held back for us because they are now sold out. No wonder it won 91 pts to 92 pts from Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator and the International Wine Cellar. I was so thankful to get my hands on this lush Pinot with its sweet, long finish. After a generous pour from Kari, I took my sweet time to finish this yummy treat. The finish just lingered in my mouth and I really wasn’t in any hurry to taste anything different. But, another tasting I managed. Kari opened the $100.00 bottle of the 2006 Pinot Noir – Reserve – 30th Anniversary Cuvee. This label is held in the highest regard at Elk Cove. The unique vintage of 2006 truly made this a unique wine. What a wonderful experience it was to taste this outstanding wine. It is definitely worthy of the 93 pts given to it by the International Wine Cellar in May/June 2009. The fruit from 2006 was rare and was described as a “warm, fully ripe vintage.” That is what makes wine so different year after year. Sometimes the season is just perfect for producing incredible, full-flavored fruit. I was so pleased to taste the Roosevelt and the 30th Vintage Cuvee side by side. I am also pleased that I was able to take a bottle of the now sold out Roosevelt, home with me. I may be stingy with this bottle. Our thanks go to Kari at Elk Cove, who took the time to share some wonderful wines with us.

Still having some time to wine taste, we headed to Carlton. My husband and I have driven through Carlton many times; but we have never had the opportunity to stop. I typically enjoy going from winery to winery by car and experiencing the scenery. But I must admit that I really enjoyed Carlton, where we parked our car and walked to several wineries. We didn’t get to experience all of them because the day was coming to an end; but we stopped at several and enjoyed it immensely.

Our first stop was Terra Vina Wines. I really wanted to stop here because we first met Carole and Karl Dinger, owners of Terra Vina, back in January 2009, when our friends Dan and Paula introduced us to them. Dan and Paula thought we might enjoy featuring Karl and his wines when we started our wine club in April. Did, we ever! We fell in love with “Crazy Karl,” immediately. He is flamboyant, with a bold personality and his ideas for good wine and good food are addictive. He has a true passion for wine and his intense focus and attention to detail is why his wine making skills have produced award winning wines each year. I couldn’t wait to stop in, in hopes of seeing Karl again. Neither Karl or Carole were there; but their line-up of Burgundian, Italian, Bordeaux and Rhone style wines were available to taste. What I love about Karl’s Old World classic wines, is that they are ready to enjoy today, but they can be cellared for many years and enjoyed later. My absolute favorites of Terra Vina are the 2007 Silo Vino – Riesling, which is a Gold Medal winner and the 2007 Sangiovese, which took both Gold and Silver. His Malbec and 2007 Cabernet Franc, are both equally good and have won awards as well. My hat goes off to “Crazy Karl!” Maybe we will be fortunate enough to see him again one day and share a glass of wine.

After our stop at Terra Vina, we decided to stay focused because we really wanted to taste some wines from the Rogue Valley AVA and the Applegate Valley AVA of Oregon. We plan to feature one of these AVA’s later this fall for our wine club members. Since we probably won’t be able to take a trip to these AVA’s any time soon, it was nice to see several wineries in Carlton that featured wines with this AVA status on their labels. We stopped in at Cliff Cellars and also Folin Cellars. Both were equally enjoyable. I really enjoyed the Cliff Cellars Claret but I must say that I took a real liking to the Viognier and Tempranillo that was offered at Folin Cellars. The Viognier has a long finish with a wonderful combination of citrus and floral notes. I have become a huge Viognier lover! It has become one of my all time favorite whites. I must say that Folin Cellars has an incredible one. My husband really enjoyed the Reserve Tempranillo, which has already spent 34 months in the barrel and should only benefit from extended aging in our cellar.

So many wineries left in Carlton, but we only had about an hour left before they were all going to close. We decided to stop in at Troon Vineyard, because the Jazz music coming from their patio area was very inviting. I am so glad that we did. The music was wonderful; but the wine was superb!!! Where to start? The Troon’s signature wine, Druid’s Fluid is wonderful. The 2007 vintage apparently is the winemakers favorite Druid’s ever. There are definitely notes of chocolate and raspberry with a sweet finish. I understand that they also have a 2008 Druid’s Fluid White, which is completely sold out. Described as the “nectar of the gods,” I wish I could have tasted this one. The 2005 Old Vine Meritage is the perfect red choice for our wine club members when we feature the Applegate Valley Ava this fall. This wine had great depth and complexity and they are right when they say that it is very reminiscent of the wines of Bordeaux. We also decided to purchase a bottle of the 2008 Vermentino, which is only sold in the tasting room. This rare variety hails from the island of Corsica and Northwestern Italy and Troon Vineyard is the first in Oregon to grow it. This is a very crisp white wine and I found it very refreshing with hints of citrus. They recommend pairing it with shellfish and hors d’oeuvres. Immediately I knew what I wanted to pair it with. I make a Marinated Shrimp in Lemon-Dill Sauce and a Spinach Orange Salad. Both are going to go wonderfully with this wine. Yummy, I can’t wait!

Before leaving Troon, we tasted their Insomnia Port, also from the Applegate Valley AVA. I love a good Port and this one is so good. It is rich and smooth and not too sweet. Since it can be cellared for up to 25 years, I made sure to purchase a few. One bottle I will make sure and drink soon, in the evening with a good piece of chocolate and the rest I will save for that special occasion with friends. We are also going to feature it for our Port Club Members because it is too good to keep for ourselves!

Our afternoon in Carlton came to an end too quickly. We do plan to return soon because I find it really enjoyable to taste wines that are grown in the hot climates of the Rogue Valley and Columbia Valley and at the same find wines that are grown in the cooler climates of the Willamette Valley. I will never be bored when tasting wines in Carlton. There are some wonderful wineries and some wonderful restaurants to choose from.

Our Sunday in Oregon was spent at only one winery near Salem. Our friends host an annual picnic for their wine club members. This year the event was held at Trinity Vineyards near Salem, Oregon. We arrived early to help set up for this event. After setting up tables for the dinner, we had a chance to meet owner Steve Parker. His beautiful vineyard and home are tucked away in the hills south of Salem and they have a perfect view of the Cascade Mountains. Steve allowed me to sit on his deck with a glass of wine, where I took in the wonderful views and imagined myself staying there for many hours with a good book and a bottle of wine. His home, tasting room and vineyards are very inviting and well manicured.

Trinity Vineyards is a small, family-owned boutique winery. Their wine is made by winemaker, Joe Dobbes. Their estate Pinot Noirs have won awards, including a Silver at the 2008 Newport Wine and Seafood Festival and a Gold and Best of Show in 2007. We tasted several wines and enjoyed them all. During the course of this event, we were fortunate to meet two other couples from Portland who have been wine club members with Dan and Paula for many years. We hit it off beautifully and all of us purchased a variety of wines and we shared them with each other over a period of several hours with some wonderful food and music. I enjoyed the 2008 Viognier which paired well with some of the Middle Eastern foods I ate. Everyone at our table agreed that the 2005 and 2006 Pinot Noir were some of the best.

We enjoyed our relaxing afternoon at Trinity Vineyards and we feel fortunate that we met Steve Parker. We have found another incredible boutique winery that we hope to share with our own club members very soon. Steve recently opened up his new tasting room on his property. It is on the second story of his large detached garage building. His wife has designed and decorated a very inviting space. The bottom level is where Steve stores several barrels of wine as well as a few antique cars that he has beautifully restored. Hum….I can easily imagine a wine event at Trinity where everyone dresses in classic 1922, Great Gatsby attire, sipping wine, enjoying old cars and listening to some amazing Jazz. Too bad I live so far away. I would gladly plan such an event.

Our weekend came to an end too quickly. If only I were retired, I would gladly roam the hills of Oregon and Washington, looking for those amazing wines that aren’t found in the average day to day market place. Oh well, I am very thankful to live in an area where wineries are in abundance. Who needs Europe when I have great wineries within driving distance of my home.

***An additional note. Since writing this blog, I have made both recipes of my Marinated Shrimp in Lemon –dill sauce and the Spinach Orange Salad. Both paired beautifully with the 2008 Vermentino from Troon. I have found another new white to add to my favorites!