North Willamette Vintner's Wine Trail Weekend

"The North Willamette Vintners (NWV) represents the wineries located in, or immediately adjacent to, Washington County, Oregon." Most of the wineries Oregon is known for are further south, Yamhill and Polk Counties for instance. These ones are really only about 20-30 minutes from Portland, whereas most of Oregon wine country (Dundee Hills, etc) is closer to 45 minutes to an hour away. Despite their easier access, these are definitely less known wineries. Some of them make quite good wine, though. There were several new spots for me that I was eager to check out, so along with Dennis and Morgan, we decided to see how many of the 21 spots we could hit in the two day event. Turns out 15... pretty darn good, and we never rushed at any winery. Most of those we didn't go to I had either been to before or just wasn't particularly interested in. We made some really fantastic, surprising finds. This was definitely an enjoyable event that I'll likely do in the future. The cost for both days was a mere $35, and you got to keep the glass and a six pack wine bag.

These vineyards aren't actually grouped at all, but cellartracker only lets me have 15 flights, so I have to group some of them together! First, Purple Cow. A very surprising stop. Just 30 minutes from Portland. Their Muscat was one of the finest white wines of the weekend, if not the finest. Really interesting stuff. They call themselves Purple Cow because they say they like to do things differently, like growing Trempranillo in the Northern Willamette Valley. Most people wouldn't dream of doing such a thing. The owner says he thinks he has been able to "trick" the vines into thinking they're in a warmer climate by watering them with hot (110 degrees) water. I guess it seems to be working... but I always say you should grow what the land and climate give you, otherwise you loose any sense of terroir... not that Tempranillo is a very terroir reflective grape, but still... currently the Tempranillo is primarily purchased California fruit, but there is some Oregon fruit on there as well. Normally I'm not a fan of new world Temp and Petit Sirah (Durif), these were pretty darn good.

Apolloni was a nice stop, with fantastic pates offered. We tasted through three barrels of 2008 that were very interesting.

• 2009 Purple Cow Muscat 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Smelled like a carved out pumpkin at halloween, but the pumpkin has sat for a while empty of its guts and things are rotting a bit. This is all quite pleasing to me. The palate is very nice, showing ripe white fruit, including pineapple. Quite delicious and soft, with some mild acid and light sourness showing through. Nice mellow fruit on the finish, which is pleasing and a bit tart. Probably the best white of the day. Very surprising and good stuff.

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• 2006 Purple Cow Tempranillo Reserve California 87 Points

  USA, California

  (4/10/2010)

  This is primarily fruit from Clarksburg, California, but there is actually some Willamette Valley fruit blended in. They are one of the only succeeding in growing Tempranillo in the northern Willamette valley apparently. They are watering with 110 degree water, which some how tricks the vines into thinking they're in a warmer climate, says the wine maker. Eventually they hope to bottle an all WV wine. Anyway, it was pleasing juice. Very fruit forward on the nose, showing some sweet candy that I actually liked. More candied fruit on the palate which was soft, pleasing, and seemed quite well made. Some tannins on the finish, but it's very soft and creamy overall. I wouldn't have guessed the 15.1% alcohol

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• 2007 Purple Cow Durif 86 Points

  USA, California

  (4/10/2010)

  Soft nose, though a bit like a cleaner product. Mild palate, showing some gritty tannins, and tastes like The Grape Ape from Voodoo Donuts. Some spice on the finish, with just a slight bit of heat showing through.

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• 2008 Apolloni Vineyards Pinot Grigio Estate 84 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  A little funky on the nose, showing some crisp acid and weird almost barrelly funk. Very mild, non-descript mid-palate. Some funk and acid on the finish, but this is really just tasting like a generic Pinot Gris. Nothing out of the ordinary, though nothing bad.

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These were the 2008 Pinot Noir Barrel samples:

• 2008 Apolloni Pinot Noir, Clone 113 – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
  Nice soft floral aromas... very soft. Grippy tannins on the palate, and this comes across very raw. There's some vegital components, and even some meaty briar as well. Nice acid on the finish, with great structure. Big time tannins and acid. This could be good. (88-90 pts.)
  
• 2008 Apolloni Pinot Noir, 50% 777 and 50% 667 – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
  Slightly green aromas, but again nice and soft, with light berries present. Very pleasing red berries on the palate, soft, and some gritty tannins building on the palate and into the finish. (88-89 pts.)
  
• 2008 Apolloni Pinot Noir, Ruby Vineyard, Pommard Clone – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
  Larger in size on the nose, with bigger red fruits, though not tending to black, with some light greenness. Very primary on the palate, needs a bit more time to really see what this one is all about. It's a bit gritty and really not much there other than its large stature. Primarily all tannins on the finish. (86-88 pts.)
  

• 2007 Apolloni Vineyards Soleggio Conti di Val Seriana 86 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Primarily Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Nose shows some briar, a bit of booziness, deep dark fruit, and mild fruit. More of the same on the palate, with tart, thick tannins enveloping the palate on the finish, with some nice acid. A decent effort.

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Apparently the vines at David Hill were planted BEFORE David Lett planted his vineyard, though they were working together, these vines went in 4 months sooner in 1965. I knew they were serious when I pulled in and saw the size of the vines. Impressive stuff. Here's some 45 year old Oregon Pinot Noir vines:



We started in the winery for some barrel tastings:

I had not been to, nor heard of this vineyard before. Apparently 2008 is the first time they've bottled on their own label, previously just selling fruit. This is a very light weight operation... kind of like a large scale back yard wine maker, with minimal equipment. He took us through a flight of some of his 2009 white barrels and they were strange to say the least. Seemed quite dirty, as in, dirty wine making... the wines almost seemed contaminated. This place seemed like a horse ranch that decided to grow some grapes... overall, the finished wines were pretty darn good, actually. Certainly worth the $9 and $18.

• 2008 A Blooming Hill Vineyard Mingle 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

  (4/10/2010)

  A blend of 60% Pinot Gris, 20% Chardonnay, and 20% Riesling. Nose shows a pleasing amalgam of fruits, green apple included, with white berries. Wow, quite pleasing fruit on the palate, which is very soft and delicious with mild acid lingering. Nice and tart. Apple skins show prominently on the finish and linger for a long time. I think they wanted something like $9 for this bottle, which is a very fair price for this tasty wine.

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• 2008 A Blooming Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains

  (4/10/2010)

  They used to just sell fruit from this vineyard, but this is the first vintage of Pinot Noir they've bottled under their own label (which is terribly gaudy). Very funk aromas on the nose, showing some burning sulphered match. Very raspy nose overall... also, kind of like burning one of those fake compressed logs in your fireplace, which are surely made with a bunch of chemicals. Some funk on the mid palate again, which is raspy, though showing deep fruit. Nice finish, with pleasing tart red fruits and bitter tannins. A nice effort.

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I've had some of these wines in the past and really enjoyed them. Nothing was showing well today though, other than the cheeses. A very pretty spot, for sure.

• 2009 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir Rosé 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Smells like sugar cane, with balls of little sour sugar balled up on top. There's also some spiky candy berry fruit. Nice acid on the mid-palate, which is also lightly funk with a slight berry tinge. Acidic finish, light and tart, but not really fruity. A bit much acid that seems to be out of balance with the other components.

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• 2007 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 84 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Light oak rasp on the nose, but overall it's very light with just the slightest bit of raspberry showing through. Nicer fruit on the palate, with acidic zest. Quite tart on the finish, and light on flavor. Some structure here, but not in balance with the fruit.

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• 2007 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir West Block 76 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  More pleasing nose, soft and round, nice raspberries and strawberries and not too tart. Some funk on the palate though, rasp, and really nasty acid. Tons of volatile acidity on the finish. Completely off balance with any fruit (which isn't there). Really tight, and just showing this nasty acid.

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ADEA is a co-op, and I was hoping we'd get to taste all of the wines made here, but it was primarily an interesting vertical of the Dean-Os from ADEA. Some other good wines, like Matello, are made here as well. Wish we could have tried some of those wines.

• 2005 Adea Pinot Noir Rosé Willamette Valley 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Nice, pleasing acid on the nose... didn't get too into this, and there isn't much depth, but what is there is quite soft and pleasing, with good acidity and light fruit throughout. I found this really nicely balanced. Interesting how this rose has aged and mellowed.

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• 2008 Adea Pinot Noir Dean-O's Willamette Valley 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Some greenery on the nose, with oak funk, and mild red fruits. Soft and pleasing fruits on the palate, though a bit bitter, it is quite balanced throughout. Tart and green on the finish, but pleasing balance, very nice structure. It's soft in texture despite the tartness. Good balance.

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• 2007 Adea Pinot Noir Dean-O's Willamette Valley 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Tart fruits on the nose again, even more so, but there's less dark fruits. The palate is tart, but nice and balanced with soft fruit. Tart and green finish, but again balanced structure. Not too complex, but well made.

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• 2006 Adea Pinot Noir Dean-O's Willamette Valley 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  More forward in nature on the nose here, with darker, deeper fruits, but still showing some tart fruits. Nice structure and pleasing fruit balance on the palate. Really juicy finish, with good fruit. Quite candied, actually. Really yummy.

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• 2005 Adea Pinot Noir Dean-O's Willamette Valley 85 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  The one I was most excited about, and became the least interesting; go figure. Soft tart fruits on the nose, with some briar. Tastes really young... I'd say tastes younger than any of the previous three Dean'O's. Very tight palate, not much showing, but soft structure. Acid and some greenness on the finish. Really seems young with the structure, and there's not really much fruit showing here at all. Not sure if this one's just in a dumb phase or if it has actually lost its fruit already?

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• 2008 Adea Pinot Blanc Mora Family Vineyards 74 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  1% residual sugar. Nose is sweet and tart... generic. Nice palate, good texture, showing tart, lots of acid... quite nice. But wow, the finish is sickeningly sweet. Amazing how 1% residual can show through this heavy! All you're left with on the finish is the sugar, with no interesting flavors at all. It's quite vomitus..

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Always a pretty spot, but it gets crazy busy here. This seems to be the party people's spot, as it's always really loud inside. They must encourage party buses and things like that, because I always find them here. These wines are always strikes and gutters for me... some really fantastic stuff is done here, but there's also some really mediocre stuff. At least none of it is ever BAD. I actually really loved the Reserve Pinot, but then I realized it's something like $85. Not worth that...

• 2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Mount Richmond

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  (4/10/2010)

  Tasted two barrels of this. They apparently have around 200 barrels done in french oak and 5 done in American oak that make up the blend. We got to try some of each barrel, which was fun. The French barrel was very murky looking. Nose is nice and soft, like you smashed up raspberries in a clay bowl and stuck your nose in them. Pleasing, soft, mild berries on the palate, with pleasing texture and flavors. There's more rasp and funk on the finish, which is soft and not showing much fruit. I'd score this barrel 88 points. From the American barrel, the nose was much funkier, raspy fruit showing heavy. Very fruity palate, soft and round. The flavors of the fruit are identical to the french, but the texture is definitely different. Funk on the finish, burning wood embers, and definitely more oak funk showing through on the finish with the American oak. This barrel I'd call 86 points.

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• 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir La Bohème 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  (4/10/2010)

  Moldy berries on the nose and some greenness. A little gritty on the palate, which is bitter and fairly boring. Tart, drying finish with no fruit showing... just structure. Very bitter.

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• 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 91 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Mild, pleasingly soft nose of red berries, almost candied in nature. Really nice pleasing, balanced light acid on the palate, with good structure and nice red fruits. Tart finish, showing a bit of nice barrel funk, good acid, and great structure and balance. Some nice moss on a vine linger. Impressive.

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• 2007 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 81 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Very green nose, light fire, and cauliflower. Kind of sugary sweet palate, some green acid... and just uninteresting. Green, asparagus finish, with tart tannins. Nope, can't get into this one.

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• 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Mount Richmond 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  (4/10/2010)

  Bigger, darker fruits on the nose. Very soft and round palate... but too soft. Not much other than some juicy fruit, but nothing to keep me interested. Very generic finish without much balance... just lots of fruit here.

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• 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Smells really nice... sugary, but pleasing and natural (doesn't seem like artificial sugar as some of these can get). Awesome sweetness on the palate, with great pineapple, honeydew melon, lychee. Yummy. Good acid on the finish, with some pumpkin. Sweetness lingers, but it has nice balance.

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This place is always sketchy... just some country folks making some wine. There are occasional good wines made here, but for the most part they are very run of the mill. Hard not to make a visit when we're that close to it though, with Elk Cove just down the hill.

• 2007 Kramer Vineyards Pinot Gris Kimberly's Reserve 75 Points

  USA, Oregon

  (4/10/2010)

  This is done in neutral oak. Fairly big nose, but not pleasing... smells like a car that was just burned the day before, complete with melted metal and plastic parts. Funky acid aromas too. Mild, raspy squash on the palate. No dice.. finish is boring and off balanced with bad structure.

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• 2006 Kramer Vineyards Chardonnay Dijon Clone - Barrel Select 69 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Yikes... I'd hate to see what the non "barrel select" barrels tasted like. This smells like the inside of a wet, soft cheese rind... rancid and molding. Rancid... just rancid throughout...

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• 2005 Kramer Vineyards Pinot Noir Heritage Estate 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  (4/10/2010)

  From a 1984 planting. Bronzing color, fairly pleasing nose though it's very soft with some light barrel funk. Boring and light on the palate, with some mild pleasing acid... tart and tannic on the finish. A every day Pinot Noir that is pleasing if a bit uninteresting.

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• 2009 Kramer Vineyards Pinot Noir Rebecca's Reserve 84 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  (4/10/2010)

  Barrel sample... and WOW, this nose is awesome and incredible! But for a weird reason... this thing has the biggest nose of mosquito repellent I've ever come across. It smells light straight up DEET! I'm serious, if you put this product in front of my face completely blind I would never guess it to be wine... I would guess it to be some watered down mosquito repellent. I actually kind of like it, because it reminds me of backpacking. The palate shows some mild building acid, but really quite non-descript. A little harsh finish with no completeness. This thing has no fruit throughout it, nose to finish. Really weird... kind of boring funky acid on the finish, with a bit more DEET. Some people would totally hate this, but due to the memories I found it interesting and enjoyable. Not sure I'd want to consume a whole bottle (or barrel), but still...

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• 2008 Kramer Vineyards Pinot Noir Rebecca's Reserve 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  (4/10/2010)

  Barrel sample. No DEET on this one... bummer. More typical nose here, showing nice soft fruit. Nice pleasing fruit on the mid-palate, soft with no holes, very nice and pleasing. Good fruit on the finish... really tasty and smooth, in fact. I could put a straw in this one.

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• 2006 Kramer Vineyards Pinot Noir Rebecca's Reserve 82 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

  (4/10/2010)

  And now the finished Rebecca's... unfortunately not as good as the 2008 and 2009 barrels. Some wet dog on the nose, but light. Light aromas overall... tannic bite on the palate, with some spice, and not much else. Tart with no flavors lingering on the finish.. Kind of all tannins today, but really not all that bad. At least it's not a goopy fruit ball like so many 2006s.

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I visited this spot the weekend it opened a bit over a year ago. Pretty fun spot, with a crazy hillbilly winemaker just having a good time behind the bar. Lots of locals in here absolutely love this guy. A fun spot, with the cheesiest wine fountain I've ever seen at its entrance.

• 2008 Plum Hill Pinot Blanc 81 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Nothing really showing on the nose.. mild fruits on the palate, which is soft and light. Big rancid acids showing on the finish.

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• 2008 Plum Hill Pinot Gris 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Again, aromatically challenged. Sweet apples on the palate, which is very tasty. Pleasing finish. A mild wine, but yummy.

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• 2007 Plum Hill Pinot Noir Rosé 84 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Only 11.7% alcohol, and no residual sugar. Just 10 hours of skin contact, so this is a light one. Pretty funky nose, though a mild palate with decent acidity. Funky acids on the finish. Pretty standard Rose.

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• 2007 Plum Hill Pinot Noir 85 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Big spicy oak on the nose, but pretty tight. Tight and tannins throughout, without much berries showing through.

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• 2008 Plum Hill Pinot Noir Barrel Select 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  Rows 6 feet apart, with 1 meter spacing between plants. Quite oaky on the nose. Mild acid, and light palate... tart funk with light fruit on the finish.

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• 2004 Thistle Wines Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  (4/10/2010)

  Nice nose... smells like worms crawling through dirt. Pretty funky and rancid. The funk carries onto the palate, which is nice, almost a bit oxidized though, though it is pleasing. Nice acids on the finish too.

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• 2009 Plum Hill Müller-Thurgau 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/10/2010)

  10.6% alcohol, 3.24 pH, and 2.71% RS. Sweet pumpkin aromas that are nice. Nice sweet squash on the palate. The finish is a bit light, though.

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First stop on day two, and this was the biggest shocker of all... I know this area very well as I used to live up here and ride my bicycle around these hills every day for years. I absolutely love the Helvetia country and I had no idea this was here. This vineyard is on Dick road, which I always used to love riding down just to see the massive train trestle you get to ride under:



I always thought Dick road ended in gravel, as its connecting road did... however, perhaps that was 15 years ago when I used to ride out here all the time. The road is very small, and feels like a paved private road, but the drive is absolutely beautiful. As you round the bends towards the vineyard/house, it gets prettier and prettier, until you wind up at this resort looking place, which is the owner's home. It is completely set up for massive events, up to 100 people I'd say. They do weddings here, and are even going to start doing Sunday Brunches. An absolutely beautiful spot, the whole while I was thinking I hope the wines didn't suck because I really wanted to come back. They definitely did not disappoint, and I'll be back probably a few times a year. I could totally see myself living here... and what a beautiful home!

• 2007 Garden Vineyards Blanc de Noirs 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Spent 1.5 years on the lees, this is their first sparkling wine. Light yeasty aromas, fresh and zesty, with some lemon. Nice crisp light apples on the palate, with some strange pizza funk. Nice berry fruits show up on the finish which is very nice for a Blanc de Noir... you definitely can taste that Pinot Noir fruit. A well made wine.

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• 2009 Garden Vineyards Pinot Gris 85 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Done in neutral oak. Some light oak aromas on the nose and not much else. Quite creamy on the palate and light on the fruit, though there is some light squash and apples. Funky oak on the finish... not really all that great on the finish, though I did like it on the nose and palate. The finish really dings it.

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• 2009 Garden Vineyards White Table Wine 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  What a surprise... enjoyed this quite a bit more than the Pinot Gris. This shows nice pleasing white fruits on the nose, with great ripe fruits on the palate, with fantastic fresh apples and even some berries. Great mild fruits on the finish... overall a very fruity wine, but almost like fruit juice. Yummy

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• 2007 Garden Vineyards Pinot Noir 85 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Smells really nice and soft, with some earthiness, spice, and raspberry. Really light palate, and quite bizarre texture... like I'm moving liquid concrete around in my mouth. Overall kind of flat on flavors on the palate and finish. A let down after the great nose.

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• 2008 Garden Vineyards Pinot Noir 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Beautiful... 12.8% alcohol! I love it when that happens... Very soft and pure, pleasing aromas, showing some soil again, and nice acids. A bit better texture, though that still a bit chunky that I don't like, though here the berries are richer with great structure even if the berry flavors are light. Nice acid carries into the finish and lingers a while. Very soft throughout, though fantastically balanced and light. This will age very well, and I'd love to have it in 10 years. Could wind up like a nice Burgundy.

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Yup... it really is a Vineyard and Tree farm. I love their signs as you drive in, which prominently display both activities... want some wine? Sure! Need a Christmas tree? Great! One stop shopping. The pours here were amazing... probably about two tea spoons each, and I'm not joking. There's no way you could get a proper taste of these wines. We did some fun barrel tasting, but the pours were equally small so there's no point in noting them. The owner was very friendly but talked and talked and talked... all the while promising us salmon. We saw the guy cooking it... and we saw it was ready... but after waiting for 20 minutes it still was not served. We had ground to make, so we moved on. The wines we had were mediocre, but honestly better than I expected. This is basically just a red barn in the middle of some hills. The drive there is beautiful, but once you arrive it's quite boring. I may come here again for this event, but likely not otherwise.

• 2007 Helvetia Vineyards Chardonnay 70 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Big crisp acids on the nose, tart granny smith apple skins too. More apple skins on the palate, but what the hell happens on the finish? This got really nasty, with really bad tree bark funk, sap, and nasty bitterness. Really no good on the finish...

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• 2008 Helvetia Vineyards Pinot Noir 89 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Bottled just four weeks ago. Nice barrel funk and spice on the nose, some logan berries, and red apple skins. Really pleasing strawberry ice cream flavors on the palate. Good, well rounded finish. Nice wine, though the pour was incredibly slight. Not sure if I'd be so fond if I had more?

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• 2008 Helvetia Vineyards Gewürztraminer Grrrr-vertz 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  On the nose, rancid squash, stringy mold growing on the inside of a carved pumpkin. Very creamy on the palate and soft... feels like silk on the tongue... definitely more about the texture than the flavors for me, and the flavors are quite light. Again, mild on the finish.

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One of the largest wineries in Oregon... funny how one of the women was bragging about how a lot of wineries like to be all boutiquey, but they are all about their large distribution. *shrug* to each their own, I guess. Very pedestrian wines here, but you can find them in most of the 50 states.

• 2008 Oak Knoll Winery Syrah 87 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Barrel sample, to be bottled shortly. Very spicy nose, showing some burning wood, sulfur, though pretty nice and large in scale. Pleasing fruits on the palate, gravelly tannins, and dark chocolate. Juicy pleasing dark fruits on the finish.

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• 2008 Oak Knoll Winery Pinot Gris 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Bottled, but not yet labeled or released. Soft aromas of hay. Nice and soft texture, pretty mild, with a little raspy squash. Nice lemon and apple fruit (no skins) on the finish.

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• 2006 Oak Knoll Winery Pinot Noir 85 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Some acids showing through on the nose, though quite soft... really tart and drying throughout but not much in the way of fruit or any real interesting characteristics. I actually preferr their second label, the Arcachon (made up of 2007 fruit), better than this...

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• 2005 Oak Knoll Winery Pinot Noir Vintage Reserve 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Quite nice on the nose, with what seems to be some pleasing, maturing red berry fruits. Lots of structure on the palate, though... I kept hunting for the fruit but there wasn't much there. This is pretty tannic and structured on the finish as well. It's interesting because once I swallow there's still really no berries, but about 10 seconds later the berry fruit slowly begins to bloom, which is nice.

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• 2006 Beran Pinot Noir 81 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Hmm... this smells like straight cardboard. More of the same on the palate though there are some berries poking through. The finish has some spice and lingering earthy flavors. I almost thought this wine was corked at first, but I guess it's just a really stinky style... perhaps even due to cleanliness in the winery. Tried it from two bottles and it was the same.

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• 2007 Beran Pinot Noir 84 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Really funky nose again, with some cardboard, spice, and pepper also present. Brighter fruits on the palate here, some cracked pepper, but the cardboard thing is still heavy on the palate and finish.

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• NV Oak Knoll Winery Niagara 67 Points

  USA, Oregon

  (4/11/2010)

  Dudeman behind the bar is telling me that I HAVE to try the Niagara because it tastes like straight grapes! It's the grapiest wine I'll ever have... well ok... usually I look to wine to tastes like OTHER things than just grapes. If I wanted grape juice I'll drink grape juice. So anyway.... smells like, uhhh... green grapes, and nothing else. Tastes like... grapes. Particularly, grape seeds. It seems very seedy. Totally boring, and while yeah it doesn't taste "bad", it also doesn't taste like wine. On sale at the winery for $5.25.

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• NV Oak Knoll Winery Raspberry Frambrosia

  USA, Oregon

  (4/11/2010)

  I was really excited to try this as I love a good framboise, so I was eager to see what this "Frambrosia" wine was like. Nose was of course, just straight up, real raspberries. The finish, on the other hand, was disgustingly sweet and sticky. Really nasty finish and it tastes like I'm drinking straight syrup. It doesn't have the texture of syrup, but man is it ever sticky and sickeningly sweet. This could be good without so much sugar added.

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I really love this spot... the vines are trained between 5-6 feet high, and its at 1050 feet on Bald Peak. John is the nicest guy, and I love just talking to him. As a result though my notes always suffer here. Last time we talked for an hour. Today more like 20 minutes, but I like what he's doing here. Really makes me feel good about planting at my friends Roy and Paulyne's house a few miles away. All vines here are own rooted without problems thus far.

• 2007 J. Albin Brut Rosé Laurel Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  This was the first release of this wine. Very light aromas of some crisp red apples. Overall very light, but zesty. Creamy and soft mid-palate with some light red berries. Nice finish, but nothing too exciting. I think I prefer the blanc de noir to this.

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• 2007 J. Albin Pinot Gris 84 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Very very soft and light on the nose... only getting some light apples on the palate, and again too light on the finish. Nothing off putting this go-round, but not much going on.

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• 2006 J. Albin Pinot Noir Laurel Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  I always wind up enjoying my conversation with John too much to write detailed note. I did make a mental note of the enjoyment of this one... definitely a lighter style 2006, which I appreciate. Only 13% alcohol.

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• 2006 J. Albin Pinot Noir Reserve Laurel Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Holding up fantastically well... one of the better 2006s to my palate. Very interesting flavors and delineation. Nice wine making from a good crop of grapes. Again, no notes actually detailed on this one.

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• 2007 J. Albin Pinot Noir Vin Glacé Laurel Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Surprisingly delicious! This is slurpable. Very soft and elegant palate, with refined sweetness. Great texture on the palate, and good lingering flavors of floral berries. Very balanced sweetness and a great dessert style wine.

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This place... Cooper Mountain is a volcano, and there should be fantastic soil here. This vineyard was planted before the neighborhoods went in atop this mountain (800 feet high, but yes, it is a real volcano), but in recent years, as the urban growth boundary has expanded, the owner has actually sold some of his land, ripping up vines, to allow the neighborhood to expand. Now it feels like a winery in the middle of suburbia. Totally crazy... not very good wine, either. And the woman behind the counter had SO much perfume on. It was disgusting. It really bothers me when people wear perfume out wine tasting, but the person pouring the wines even!??! I've never run across that before. Just goes to show they don't seem too serious here... she kind of needs to be fired if you ask me. Anyway, suburban wine:

• 2008 Cooper Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  This was done in 50% oak and 50% stainless steel. Nose shows oak spice, but not excessively so. The palate is all apple skins with really nice flavors. Good balanced acidity on the finish. A nice effort.

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• 2007 Cooper Mountain Vineyards Pinot Noir 20th Anniversary Reserve 82 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Spice and pepper present themselves on the nose. Quite drying on the palate... getting quite bitter, but there are some nice fruits, though it is primarily gritty rocks. Incredibly bitter finish... one of the most bitter Pinot Noirs I've ever had. Just sucking tannins without much flavor.

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• 2007 Cooper Mountain Vineyards Pinot Noir "Doctor's Reserve" 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Bitter, green nose with grass and hay. Creamy and soft palate... almost tastes a bit like cola, though it does pucker the mouth. Really bitter and green finish, though tight. Still way too over powering tannins and bitterness, though better than the 20th anniversary reserve.

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• 2007 Cooper Mountain Vineyards Malbec 80 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo

  (4/11/2010)

  Deep rich nose... this could come from anywhere. Tastes like Malbec, which is to say, nothing unique or interesting.

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These people sure are snooty here. Not sure what their deal is, but I always catch an attitude here. And only two wines for the event? The folks behind the counter seemed annoyed when we were there for the event, and basically ignored us the whole time, pouring for others while we wanted there patiently. Quite dismissive were they. It seems if you aren't recognized here, you aren't treated nicely. And lots of women wearing gobs of perfume here.

• 2009 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Gris 64 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Before trying it I had decided I wasn't going to even bother noting this wine, but it slapped me so sideways silly I just had to. The nose and palate aren't bad at all, but the finish is wretched. It has so much volatile acidity and really nasty zingers on the finish that I couldn't get down more than two small sips. I started mad convulsions after my first full drink, and everyone I was tasting with had a similar reaction... a full body reaction to the nasty after taste.

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• 2008 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Tavola 86 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  (4/11/2010)

  Nice and soft nose, pleasing fruits throughout. Quite tasty and displays some soft red fruits, with hardly any tannins. Definitely a drink now style wine, and it's quite good for that. However, at $28 I would expect a LOT more from my Oregon Pinot Noir. There's lots of options out there for fairly serious wine in the $30 range.

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A really fun weekend with a couple great finds. Definitely a value, and I'll probably do it again next year.