Memorial Day Weekend Wine Tour
Eola-Amity Hills
Tasted Saturday, May 23, 2009 by subtlet with 677 views
Introduction
This was a great trip put together to take advantage of the holliday weekend where a few of these wineres which aren't usually open to the public were pouring flights. Traffic and lines were much more managable than I imagine the would've been in the the Dundee Carlton area as well. It was a perfect blend of 2 wineries I had never tasted before, and 2 which I had had some wines from, but wanted to experience more of. All the stops were very friendly and accomodating. I want to make note of the fact that Stangeland offers their "Reserve Tasting" not as single pours, but as a 3 year vertical of each of their top two wines. What an excellent tasting opportunity! Good wine, good hosts, and good company always make for a wonderful day!
Flight 1 - Arcane Cellars (9 Notes)
This is a winery located immediately across the Wheatland Ferry. It's got a nice location right by the river. I had seen bottles from them before, but never tasted any. Most of the wines were in the sub $20 range, so it was interesting to get some exposure to some local wines at that price point.
Flight 2 - Stangeland (16 Notes)
This was a very enjoyable visit. The view is great, the room wasn't too crowded, and they were pouring a very large lineup for only $10. How reasonable! The asst. winemaker was also kind enough to chat with us during most of our tasting giving us some great insight into the wines. I was partial to their work with the 05 vintage.
Flight 3 - Cristom (7 Notes)
It was unfortunate that we were in a hurry by this point. I would've liked to linger here and really soak up the pours a little more. The tasting room is beautiful, and the quality of the pinot noirs was impressive with each one of them being unique. I favored them based on a few experiences and word of mouth before, but am now confident that they are among the top local producers.
Flight 4 - Evesham Wood (8 Notes)
Another friendly place, and another winery that I had only had limited exposure to. I immediately noticed two bottles of German Frankenwine on a shelf in the cellar, and, upon inquiry, discovered that the winemake had trained for a while in germany. It was great to hear the discussions of the different wines, and, being a big fan of German wine, I'm always excited to see how skilled winemakers put those ideas into play with Oregon grapes. I look forward to drinking through more of his catalogue.
Closing
Final thoughts from each winery: I look forward to showing Arcane Cellars Riesling in an Oregon riesling tasting I will put together at some point. Stangeland was a real treat with huge lineup, interesting wines, and great conversation with the hosts. Amongst my most enjoyable "first visits" ever. Cristom delivered beyond fairly high expections and, in my mind, justified their high reputation for Oregon Pinot. The reds were all very solid wines. Evesham Wood delivered some nice reds and whites as well as very interesting conversation with the winemaker. It was exposure to a winery that a lot of my friends enjoy, but that I know little about. I look forward to trying more of the many wines he produces.
2008 Arcane Cellars Pinot Blanc 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Nice direct scents of fruit and floral notes on the nose. The wine is on the lighter side, but exhibits some nice fruit, a dusty note, and some decent acid.
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2006 Wheatland Chardonnay Oregon 81 Points
USA, Oregon
The nose displays some light fruit, with a hint of an oily scent. There's a bit of citrus and bananna on the palate. It makes for decent easy drinking, but isn't exciting.
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2007 Arcane Cellars Viognier Del Rio Vineyard 83 Points
USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
The nose is very clean, but doesn't have much going on. Perhaps a hint of sweetness. When tasted, the experience is similar. Very very light, with a hint of floral components, but little else.
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2008 Arcane Cellars Riesling 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
The nose is nice with a hint of lilacs, some minerality and distinct riesling fruit. There's a hint of honey and peaches along with some nice acidity. It falls off a bit on the finish, but is very clean and enjoyable. Very solid wine for QPR ($16 from winery.)
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2008 Arcane Cellars Pinot Noir Rosé 78 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Oregon pinot scents on the nose along with a strange meaty funk. There's a hint of pinot flavor as well, but almost no acidity which is very strange for rose in my experience. The wine is pretty flat.
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2007 Arcane Cellars Pinot Noir 79 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
The nose is nice with funky dusty pinot fruit. Despite this, the fruit is very light on the palate. The acidity is nice, but there's a bit much heat, and all of the other flavors are very faint.
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2005 Wheatland Red 80 Points
USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
Nice clean nose with blackberries and licorice. The wine has some nice acid, and peppery and blackberry notes but is a bit watery and has a hint of a strange synthetic flavor.
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2006 Arcane Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 84 Points
USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
Nice tannic cab fruit greets you on the nose, along with some sweeter scent I can't place. The oak and tannic structure on the palate are nice, but the fruit doesn't deliver very well. It's pretty light.
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2007 Arcane Cellars Syrah 82 Points
USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
Dark fruit nose with a hint of candy and light earth. The tannins are nice, and there is some light dark fruit flavor, but no complexity.
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