Sunriver Artisan Wine Tasting

Sunriver Oregon
Tasted Sunday, July 25, 2010 by Rob MacKay with 608 views

Introduction

A tented wine tasting event on the golf course at the Sunriver resort in Oregon. The event featured several small Oregon wineries but each was charging separately for tasting so we had to pick and choose what we tasted and if you didn't pick a place that was selling their own stems, you had to drink from a plastic cup. Fortunately one of the producers, Dukes Family, was selling a nice Riedel stem so that was a good place to start. We tasted a few others as well but they were mostly somewhat forgettable.

Flight 1 - Dukes Family Vineyards (5 Notes)

  • 2007 Dukes Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Nipple Hill

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    An interesting experiment in wine making where they cut the top off a French oak barrel and ferment the grapes inside that barrel instead of a traditional fermentation tank. While a somewhat expensive process, it does seem to give the wine a really nice level of complexity without adding too much of an additional oak influence. Combine this with some nice Dundee Hills fruit and you have quite a tasty Pinot Noir. Of the Dukes Family wines, this was my favorite.

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  • 2007 Dukes Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Thomas

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    Raspberry and cherry scents but on the palate there's a bit of a green or stemy streak that detracts from the overall experience. Perhaps with time, this will integrate into the wine but if you can find the 06, go with that one instead.

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  • 2007 Dukes Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Alyssa

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Nice deep red color with a good mix of dark cherry flavors and an earthy element that adds some nice complexity. Light to medium bodied and a touch of oak on the finish.

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  • 2006 Dukes Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Alyssa

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    Definitely preferred this 06 over the 07. Fruit is riper and more complete but still retains a nice earthy element with some spicy oak overtones. Should develop well.

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  • 2006 Dukes Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Thomas

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    As with the Alyssa, I prefer the 06 Thomas to the 07 but there is still a bit of a green edge to this bottling that I didn't find in the others. I believe this comes from much younger vines so perhaps that is factoring in here as well.

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Flight 2 - Terra Vina Winery (3 Notes)

  • 2007 Terra Vina Syrah

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    A big, 15+% abv Syrah that attacks the palate with lots ripe fruits. A little on the big side for me but overall a decently made wine.

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  • 2007 Terra Vina Cabernet Franc Kestrel Vineyards

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    I really enjoyed this Cab Franc, which has 6% Petit Verdot blended into it. Nice spicy Cab Franc fruit that straddles a fine line of approaching a jammy texture but still retaining some nice characteristics through to the finish.

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  • 2007 Terra Vina Cabernet Sauvignon Eagle Ranch Vineyard

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Deep purple colored wine with a mix of blueberry fruits and spicy oak. For the price (approx $28), this is a pretty nice Cabernet Sauvignon from the Washington side of Columbia Valley.

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