Treehouse in O'Brien

A few years ago, a new winery took over the big red barn of Bridgeview in the Applegate.  We have been meaning to check it out, but so far had not had the chance. We did hear they had another one outside Grants Pass and we filled it for future reference.

A few weeks ago, Jill mentioned the Treehouse tasting room. I had no idea who or where it was. Then by happenstance, I was having a conversation with someone at work and it came up, they said, "oh, you mean Augustino Estate."  
I finally put two and two together and Jill and I made a trip out to O'Brien to check it out.

Yup, it is indeed a treehouse.  And, it is right on the West Fork of the Applegate River, with a gorgeous view of the Siskiyous Mountains.  It is a beautiful setting, even with the day's scattered clouds and showers.

We were greeted at the door by Rascal the Raccoon (more on him later). And we entered into a cozy, western themed tasting room, complete with swinging saloon doors, saddle chairs, elk antler fixtures and the owner Debbie who was more than happy to pour and share her story.

Debbie and Reggie have operated the Rocking R Ranch for 28 years, raising cattle and hay and also maintaining a vineyard for outside sales. In 2011, they decided that they should have their own winery and they started to stockpile some grapes for that eventual move.  Their nephew, who has lived on the ranch since he was 8 years old (he is now 24), now runs both vineyards.  Greg Paneitz (Wooldridge Creek) is their primary winemaker, with a host of other accomplished area winemakers contributing.

They have estate grown Pinot noir and Reislings. The vineyard receives the nice marine weather, with cool nights and not overly hot days; perfect growing conditions for those particular grapes. Debbie said every afternoon, they get a nice, cooling wind blowing up through the valley from the coast.  Their other grapes are sourced throughout the valley and they still contract some of their grapes off to other producers.

While the wines are outstanding, the first thing that immediately grabs your attention is the actual treehouse.  It was opened (along with the Big Red Barn) in 2017.  The family built the treehouse with help from the DIY Network's The Treehouse Guys, featured in the "O'Brien Oregon" episode and the "Godfather of Treehouses, Michael Garnier, from nearby Takilma and Treesort who was the specialist/engineer of the project.  While the tasting room is on living, growing trees, they have not had any issues with the safety or integrity of the building. It was built on seismic rollers to allow for movement of the trees, wind, etc. It is an engineering marvel. 

Ok, now on to the wines. Although they have only been producing for a number of years, they are already receiving accolades for their outstanding wines. We started off with the Angelina, a dry Syrah/Malbec rose with 0 residual sugar (RS). This is sure to be a great summertime refresher! We next tried their Pinot Grigio (nice acidity and fruit) and a Chardonnay (Jill's favorite).  They also have a Rock N Red, a Cab/Merlot/Syrah blend. The Cab gives this wine great structure and firm tannins and is sure to age wonderfully (as will their single varietal Cab).  
We were treated to my favorite of the day, the 2016 Tempranillo which won Double Gold at the prestigious San Francisco Chronical Wine Competition.  (The wine also won gold at the New Orleans International and was poured at the New Orleans Four Tops in November 2018.) The 2015 Pinot noir also took home gold at the SF competition. Overall they had quite the haul, they entered five wines and won five awards - 2017 Pinot Grigio won silver. 2016 Pinot Noir won Silver. “Caramella” Dessert wine won Silver.  In 2018 the 2014 Syrah has won Best in Class at the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition as well.  Not bad for a relatively new winery!!!  
We finished off the tasting with the Augustino Celebration (Semi Sparkling) which would be fabulous with blue cheese and the 2015 Pinot Noir Port “Caramella” Dessert Wine, which as a Pinot Port-style wine is less viscous than your average tawny Port and paired great with the dark chocolate. The Caramella offers a delicate acidity to offset the luscious creaminess of the chocolate. (YUM!)

After tasting, we wandered the deck overlooking the property and had to ask about the raccoon mascot at the front door. Debbie explained that it was a menace that terrorized the property for years, opening containers, throwing things in the pond and being a general nuisance. Apparently, he eventually succumbed to a passing vehicle and one of the hands is a hobby taxidermist and preserved him as the tasting room mascot. His name is Rascal and he keeps diligent watch over the tasting room and guests. And he looks quite dapper in his bowtie.

We eventually retired to the seats by the fireplace for a glass of wine. The stones behind the stove came from their old bunkhouse (the ranch has been working since the 1800s) and the stove is a left-over from the 1930s. It is still working great we can attest, it was warm and cozy in the tasting room.

All in all, it was a great day. We enjoyed tasty wines, heard a great story and have a place this summer to come out to and escape the heat.

         Time to step in the way back machine.

Jill and I love to go out to Jacksonville, do a little shopping, some noshing, wine tasting in the surrounding areas. Back in 2011-2012, we enjoyed visiting Corks Wine Bar in town. Fred, Carol, Tracy and Ken were always hospitable and featured great wines.


Well, this day we popped into Corks and Jill felt like a Chardonnay. The only one they had on hand was one we had never heard about - 2010 Schultz Homeward Chardonnay. As we were unfamiliar with it, Ken informed us that it was a new winery and they had just won Best Chardonnay at the annual World of Wine Fest (more on that later). Jill trusted Ken's recommendation and gave it a whirl and absolutely loved it. We were blown away that an absolute newcomer could come this far, this fast.  We were able to find the wine in our travels, but they did not have a tasting room for us to explore.


Fast forward to this weekend and I had learned that they had opened their tasting room and we decided to go for it. We headed out to the Applegate Valley and found the former cattle ranch, now Schultz Glory Oaks® Vineyard, on Slagle Creek Road.

  

Upon arriving, we found an unpretentious tasting room with one group and the two owners, Debbie and Greg, in attendance.  

Greg greeted us at the door with genteel southern charm and invited us in.  Greg had a soft Louisiana accent, having spent a good amount of time there. I inquired about the accent and how he came to be a winery in Southern Oregon.  He explained that he was actually born in Oregon and his wife, Debbie, was born in Oklahoma.  They had decided that they wanted to go into the wine business, took some classes at LSU (Geaux Tigers), and then moved on to Cal-Davis for the Winemaking Certificate Program. As to Southern Oregon, they had no real connection to Washington or California, and as Greg was from Oregon, they found the Rogue Valley appealing. They liked the geography, geology and climate and after 7 years, they are loving it! I shared with him the story of our first exposure to his wine and he said, Fred's place, Corks! He explained that they named that wine Homeward to represent Greg's coming home to Oregon.

Greg went over the current plantings and plans for this year (more Bordeaux varietals being planted) and said that Linda Donovan at Pallet Wine Co. is still producing his wines.  The vineyard was designed to have a low-impact and sustainable approach to the land, they have their LIVE certification and they have a huge commitment to proper land stewardship.


They have a 60-acre site and produce approximately 700 cases per year, representing 8 varietals. They are taking a careful, measured approach, which fits their overall outlook and personalities.

 

They use native yeasts, utilize malolactic fermentations, do not filter and minimally handle the wine, and leave many of their wines on the lees in neutral oak barrels for a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor profile. Their wines exhibit a great sense of place, terroir.


Tastings are casual, they have about 7 wines available and you can taste any 5 for $5. Jill and I, as usual, varied slightly, but both thoroughly enjoyed the Viognier, Merlot and the Tempranillo Rose` (the Rose` is sure to be a major hit this summer). Of course, Jill still loves the Homeward Chardonnay. 😋





Greg and Debbie were wonderful hosts and we met some locals from Grants Pass who were great fun. Joe and Debbie have a Contemporary & Classic Rock Music duo called Ellipse and they play at local wineries. Joe is from Argentina and has some great stories and they both have wonderful, engaging personalities. We cannot wait to see them play (next is Friday April 6, 2018 - 5:00 to 8:00 pm, Schmidt Family Vineyards).

We are looking forward to returning and tasting more of their wines and seeing the new plantings grow and mature.  Oh! I promised more on that first vintage Chardonnay at the World of Wine... the story goes that not only did the Homeward Chard win Best Chardonnay, it was also one of two contenders for the Best of Show, ultimately won by JoePa at Plaisance Ranch for their 2010 Ginet Rose` (Plaisance will be another story so you will have to wait on that one!)


I will be blogging again as we begin to go tasting this spring, so please be on the lookout for new entries. I hope you enjoy our adventures and discover some of the wonderful wines (and stories) Southern Oregon has to offer. 

                                                                 CHEERS!

Well hello there!

It has been quite a while since I blogged. Jill and I took some out away from wine and I put this page on the back burner for what was supposed to be a short hiatus. We took time to go camping, hang out with the pets and do the myriad things that make up adult life.

We recently started enjoying wine again and I thought it about time to start sharing our adventures once again. I may be a bit miss and hit during the spring, but we are looking forward to another summer of Grape Discovery.

We hope you will join us and share our experiences. The Rogue Valley has quite a few new wineries to discover and I look forward to writing about the stories we encounter.

Cheers,
Joe

A Fly-by Occurance

This has nothing to do with wine, but I thought I'd share a great story to share from our recent trip to the coast.

For many years, I had a basic, little pocket kite that I would take to the coast, camping and basically anywhere I traveled. I loved that little pocket kite. 

Anyhoo, right after my Achilles surgery a few years ago, I was just starting to get around and we went to the coast. I thought, since I can't walk very far, I will just fly my kite. I was having a good time of it, it was just the right amount of wind for the kite. I had let almost all of the string out when I was distracted momentarily. As a huge gust of wind yanked the kite from my hand, I watched helplessly as the handle unspooled the last of the line. I made a futile attempt at chasing it down, but with my recent injury, all I could do was hobble uselessly after it, with Cotton chasing me and barking like it was all a great game. I watched as it continued to gain altitude and fly south, never to be seen again.

A while later, I bought a new pocket kite, it was bigger and more of a foil style. I took it with me as usual but had trouble actually flying the damn thing.  I decided at the last minute to take it with me last week to the coast. But, persistence finally paid off, boy, am I glad I did. I had a blast flying it and got a great story to tell as well.

We stopped at Ona Beach outside of Newport, OR to let Cotton, our yellow lab run for a bit.

River - and Cotton - running toward the ocean

It was a warm day and pretty windy, about 15-20 mph. I decided to give my kite a shot. As the line unspooled, I felt a familiar feeling. Almost like I knew what I was doing, the kite starting gaining altitude and I was able to guide it left to right and up and down. We walked along the beach and at one point, I connected it to Cotton's harness; that didn't work out so well, he kept biting at the handle as we jogged down the beach. I took it off him and kept on flying. As we walked back, I started reeling in the line. Justed before we got to the river, I fumbled as I wound the line, suddenly I dropped it. It started tumbling across the sand, racing toward the creek, with me in hot pursuit. I was running faster than I had since my surgery.  The kite was teasing me, laying out line as it flew away. I was gaining on it, albeit slowly. As the handle approached the river, I was almost upon it, I almost dove for it as it skipped like a rock across the river. Dejected, I looked up to see the kite get hung up on a short tree on the other side of the river. A couple was there and they waved and indicated it stopped.

I ran across a bridge to the other side, as I came to the end of the bridge, I met the couple who saw the whole thing. They were grinning and told me they were glad the tree stopped it. As we greeted each other, I suddenly saw my kite take flight again. Slightly panicking, I bid my goodbyes and raced over the rest of the bridge to save my kite before it too flew south.

Upon coming around the corner, I saw a man flying my kite and a lady collecting line. He said he was walking on the beach when he was almost garroted by the kite string. As a kite fan, he thought hmm, someone's kite, what is it doing here. He decided to fly it away and see what happened. As he saw me running, ever so out of breath, he realized it was mine. I located the handle - still in the river, and began to gather up the line. He flew the kite until I reeled in the last of the line.  They were from the Boise area on vacation to the Oregon Coast. We both had a big laugh about it and decided we had a wonderful story to take home.

I headed back over the bridge, kite in hand and told Jill the whole story. I now know how to fly that particular kite and we have a wonderful tale to tell.

I am volunteering for the Southern Oregon Grape Fair this year, a community celebration of all that is derived and inspired from our productive vineyards in Southern Oregon. We are excited to showcase our region’s history in world-class agriculture that continues to prosper in the thriving growth of grape cultivation and winemaking. 

As you many of you may know, Talent is home to at least nine vineyards which supplies grapes for many of the Rogue Valley producers as well as north to the Willamette Valley as well. In the sleepy little hamlet of Talent lies the perfect soils and microclimates to grow rich, ripe grapes which produce fabulous, tasty wines.

Jill & I missed last year's fair because we were out of town, but I am excited to be part of the SOGF this year.  Tickets are $20, which gains you entry to the wine tent.  The day will have music, food, wine, spirits, beer, crafts, vendors and activities throughout the day.  There will be a program guide listing all of our participates, as well as, a Pairing Guide to see which wine goes best with what food being served. 

The SOGF is a walking fair of Wine, Food, Art and Entertainment: wine tasting from the region’s best wine producers; delicious food from our area’s most talented purveyors; live music from the valley’s most energetic and engaging performers; Talent Public Art Committee’s second annual Plein Air – an outdoor art competition, and the addition of Talent’s First One-Day Photography contest.  there will two Wine Competitions, with Juried and a People's Choice awards for Whites, White Blends, Reds, and Red Blends.

This year’s SOGF kicks off with Bike Chata. The 2^nd year Ride/Race, organized by the Rogue Valley Race Group, winds through the beautiful rolling vineyards surrounding Talent. This unique bike event honors the former Talent restaurant (Chata) owner, bicycle enthusiast and community builder Jozef Wayryniec Slowikowski .

The SOGF is part of the Talent Chamber of Commerce's annual fund-raising efforts and one of the many ways the Talent Chamber is carrying out their mission to support members by promoting and advocating for a vibrant and sustainable community.  As part of these efforts, we will be working with a Master Recycler in order to achieve our goal of Zero waste!

 

We hope to see you there!

“Come with me while the wine shop is still open.

We are dizzy with meeting each other.” 

-Rumi

RANDOMOCITY

As we have not been out exploring new tasting rooms lately, I thought I'd share a few random, thoughts, ideas, tips and stories with you.

TASTING ROOM ETIQUETTE

A few thoughts about tasting room etiquette... There are certain things that you should and should not do in order to ensure a pleasant tasting experience for both you and the other guests in the tasting room. Number one on my personal list is - do not wear heavy perfume or cologne to the tasting room. The scents can overpower the delicate, subtle aroma of the wine. Remember the olfactory process affects not only smell, but also taste. A heavy, cloying scent can spread through a room and linger for quite some time afterward. I have had people come in for a tasting after someone wearing a heavy perfume had left and commented that they could not smell or taste the wines properly due to the heavy, lingering aroma. If you do wear perfume, consider tasting outside if the weather is nice.  

These heavy smells also are the reason you will not usually find hot coffee in a tasting room, the scent can overpower the wines. So, if you have a cup of your favorite joe, leave it in the car.

Another personal qualm of mine is gum chewing. I had a lady came in for a tasting, she said that she had heard everyone raving about our wines and she was eager to taste them. I took her through a whole flight and she did not like one single wine. I even brought out a few highly-rated, well-received wine to entice her.  When she finished, she was quite disappointed (and said so, she could not understand why everyone loved our wine). I told her I was sorry that we were unable to find any wines she liked and explained that sometimes it happens. I told her the tasting fee and as she paid, she asked for a napkin. To my surprise, she then proceeded to spit out a piece of spearmint gum. I inquired if she had had that in her mouth the whole time. "Why yes", she replied. At that point, I told her the tasting fee was on me and handed her my business card and an invite for her (and a friend) to come back for a free tasting, provided she did not chew any gum prior to arriving. She  incredulously asked if the gum would make a difference? I responded in the affirmative and again encouraged her to come back another day and give us a try. I was not present when she came back, but I know she did because I saw the card that I had given her.

The tasting room affords customers to experience the "Joy of Discovery" of both the wine and the winery.  The staff works hard to present both in a fashion appropriate to the needs of the customer, which brings me to my next point. The tasting room is just that, it is not a bar and loud, obnoxious or raucous behavior can lessen the experience for everyone. Save the loud banter, demanding presence and/or high-maintenance behavior for somewhere else. Tasting is supposed to be held in a casual, relaxing environment. I have had customers enter the tasting room and immediately leave due to a loud, high energy atmosphere that is not conducive to the tasting experience.  Have fun, just be respectful of others enjoying the experience.

TASTING ROOM TIPS

Okay, lest I sound like a shrill, demanding, schoolmarm, I would like to share a few tips with you. If you are tasting and see an Oregon Pinot noir glass (the really big one!) believe it when the server tells you it will hold a whole bottle (it will!) It always seems that within a big group, someone will pick up the Pinot glass and inquire about it. I share the story and tell people that it will even hold a whole bottle (although it shouldn't actually do so). Inevitably, one of the (almost always) guys will question if it really does. I would bet them that it did, "If it does, you buy the glass, if it doesn't, I will cover your group's tasting fees". More often that note, they'd take me up on it. I would pull an empty bottle, rinse it out and fill it with water to the fill line. Then, I would pour it right there in front of them, proving that it did, indeed, fit in the glass. I sold more of those glasses this way. :-)

Please remember that you are sampling alcohol, so do not taste on an empty stomach. I have had people who regularly taste become victim to this. I had one regular customer who came in for a tasting and then had a glass. In the middle of the glass, she commented that she had not eaten since breakfast and asked for a fruit and cheese plate. Before we could finish preparing the plate, she got woozy and all of a sudden, just pitched off her stool and onto the floor. We had no warning other that her stating she was hungry, she was not visibly intoxicated in the least. This is a scary occurrence - and not so much fun for the customer either. Please have a bit to eat!

A typical tasting pour is around one ounce (it can vary from place to place and server to server), you are not required to drink it all, feel free to either spit or pour it out, it will not offend anyone. That is what the spit buckets are there for. This is especially important if you are visiting multiple tastings throughout the day. Be safe!

Not the proper use of a spit bucket

I have people frequently ask me about wine and food pairing. I am not a "foodie" but know some simple rules. I have recently found this chart on the Brofeifei Blog...

Well, there it is, my rant blog for the time being. Until we meet again, I wish you well and hope you enjoy your wines. CHEERS!!!

Wine is older than history. Humans didn't invent wine. We discovered it.

                                 -PHILIP SELDON, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine

Ashland Wine Cellar "Parte Seconda"

Back on 4/4/12, I wrote a blog about the Ashland Wine Cellar (AWC) being sold by long-time proprietor, Lorn Razzano. Since I had left the wine sales biz and live in Medford, I have not had the chance to revisit the AWC until recently. While I was at Cowhorn, I had the opportunity to visit the Cellar and work with Wine Steward Extraordinaire, Cheryl Garvey.  During this time, I also met Joy Light and owners Brian & Lisa Dunagan. Brian and Lisa have put together a wonderful team and have managed to keep the spirit of the Cellar, stocking unique, hard to find wines, still offering a great cigar selection, and strongly supporting the Southern Oregon wine scene, while updating and cleaning the old girl up. 

I recently received a Facebook event invite from Brian to attend a tasting. Each Thursday, the AWC hosts a "Sip & Swirl" at the store featuring different producers and distributors. Intrigued, I accepted the invitation and despite a serious downpour, I drove over to Ashland to sample and visit.  An old acquaintance, John Wren, was  pouring for Lemma Distribution and he had five wines to present, all unique and very tasty. Without getting into all of the tasting notes, I will call attention to one in particular, the 2013 Iris Vineyards Pinot gris (90 Points from Wine Enthusiast) from the Willamette Valley. It is  a crisp, medium-bodied gris with bright acidity, nice aromatics, and balanced fruit. I knew my wife, Jill, would love it and it did not disappoint. (NOTE: we will mark this for our next trip to Eugene)

During the tasting I had the chance to chat with staff member, Joy Light, who does custom hand-painted silks. I remarked how the place looked and even though I missed Lorn, they still had retained the inviting, hospitable feeling.  She told me that people still come in looking for Lorn for advice or to simply sit and shoot the breeze, as Lorn was want to do. She said that she takes messages for Lorn and gives them to him during his occasional visit to the Cellar. That is amazing and highlights the great customer service approach they all share.

I also had a chance to speak with owner Brian and catch up. I told him I loved how the place is doing and was happy that it seems to be quite successful under his leadership. I saw Brian interact with his customers and you can tell, his is a labor of love. He is very personable and takes an active, hands-on interest in his customers.

Cheryl and I had a few brief moments as she is a constant whirlwind of motion and activity. She is a first rate customer service professional and has amazing wine knowledge and palate. She never ceases to surprise me. She pulled out a few Bordeaux wines as a bonus, which were a real treat, I especially fell for a Chateau Lanessan Haut-Medoc 2002. Although it was showing a little age, it has very nice fruit with a pleasant herbaceousness, light earth and leather notes, and a complexity that was outstanding. If this is not your "cup of tea", just ask Cheryl and she will find the perfect fit for your palate and budget.

I am glad I went, I have since noticed that they also do Friday Sip and Swirls with select local producers. Hmmm, a revisit is shortly in order.

Photo courtesy of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce.

“Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, Make the sage frolic, and the serious smile” 

― Homer

                                        

Homer

Not this Homer

I am currently taking a class at SOU, Working in the Wine Industry.

I have found it to be fun and informative. Robert Trottmann, from Ledger David, is the instructor and has a wealth of knowledge to share. It is amazing to watch the young minds absorbing all that he has to offer, soaking up the information and looking forward to starting out on their own amazing careers.

As part of my classwork, I had to do a research project on where I would like to be in the wine industry. Since I so thoroughly enjoy writing this blog, I thought is appropriate to do my project on Grape Discovery. 

I have done a slide show presentation, so if you would like to see it click on this 

LINK

Wine brings to light the hidden secrets of the soul, gives being to
our hopes, bids the coward flight, drives dull care away, and teaches
new means for the accomplishment of our wishes.

-   Horace

Winter Tastings.

Winter can be a great time to go visit wineries if you are truly interested in tasting, rather than just a day of drinking, partying and/or events.  The roads are less traveled, the crowds are gone, and often there is more time to explore the wines and hear the stories about the winery, vineyard, the people and individual wines.

While it is not as strikingly beautiful as a vineyard in all of its glory, the trade-off is worth it. Winter affords you the time to sit back and savor the experience. Having a tasting room all to oneself with the complete attention of the server is a treasure.

Personally, when I visit a winery during the winter months, I like to stretch my imagination and envision what the vineyard will look like come spring. I also like to poke about as see what treasures the tasting room might hold as there is more room to wander and explore. 

I highly encourage everyone to venture forth and visit Southern Oregon wineries during the winter. One caveat is that the hours can vary greatly during the winter. Many tasting rooms have abbreviated winter hours and days, or are closed for a lengthy period altogether. I suggest you visit their website, call or check out the Southern Oregon Winery Association for details.

"Give me wine to wash me clean of the weather-stains of cares"

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Random Thoughts

Greetings!  I thought I would just share a few random thoughts with you this week.

Recently while working in the Tasting Room, the discussion arose regarding the tremendous proliferation of wineries in Southern Oregon, I was asked what I thought about it and did it bother me. This was a good question that I had to pause and reflect about before answering. Of course, competition is good and Southern Oregon has been supportive in welcoming new businesses to the fold. But, beyond that, my response was the rapid expansion we have experienced is good as long as it brings along with it a corresponding increase in quality. More great wines in the valley is a welcome addition as it brings more attention to Southern Oregon. There are many wineries in the valley that are producing highly-rated wines which raises the overall profile of Southern Oregon wines. Any addition to that list is sure to be good from a consumer, oenophile and business standpoint.

When I first stated there must have been around 30 wineries in Southern Oregon, today there is approximately 70, and more to come as I've heard on the "grapevine."

I remember many years back, while I worked at RoxyAnn Winery, Ron Stringfield of Galaxy Distributors and a Garagista in his own right, helped organize a monthly blind peer-tasting amongst the valley winemakers. I had the occasion to work one of these events and I must say, it was enlightening. There is nothing quite like a winemaker ripping apart a wine, only to discover it was one if their own. What these tastings ended up doing, however, was to create a conversation and a way for the winemakers to share their successes and failures.  I saw a marked improvement in the region's wines overall after these little soirees.  As the old saying goes,

 "a rising tide lifts all boats." 

As to personal reasons, namely this blog and my own wine enjoyment, I enjoy seeing the advent of new wineries, it means new places to go and new wines to try and more blogs to share with you.  The journey of discovery continues.  On a professional note, it means new career opportunities, new tourism attractions and a welcome addition to our local economy.

To learn more about Southern Oregon Wines, please visit the Southern Oregon Winery Association or for info on Oregon wines in general, visit the Oregon Wine Board

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.

 -Aristophanes

ROAD TRIP: Pt. 2 King Estate

During our last roadtrip we had the good fortune to check out a few Southern Willamette Valley wineries. As we exited Silvan Ridge at around 5:30pm, we realized that time had slipped by and that most of the wineries were now closed. We had planned ahead for such a contingency, leaving King Estate for last on our list as it did not close until 8pm.

As we drove over the dark country road between wineries, we came around a corner and were greeted with the sight of what looked to be a medieval fortress perched upon a hill.

https://www.kingestate.com/

We drove up to what was obviously a large production, with lots of acreage and buildings. As we wound up the road we passed parking lots and a large complex that housed the tasting room, production facilities and much more. The parking lot even featured recharge stations for electric cars.

We let Cotton out for a run and then went inside to one of the largest Tasting Rooms I have ever been in, absolutely gorgeous. European-style, elegant, classy with lots of wood and warm tones. 

The Tasting Room is situated at one end of the large great room, with dining tables and rooms off to the side for formal dining.

Entryway to King Estate Tasting Room

We stepped up for a tasting and introduced ourselves. Our Server Extraordinaire, Shannon, got us situated and proceeded to share a generous tasting flight and the story of King Estate.  They have a number of flight options available for your tasting pleasure and be sure to explore. King Estate features multiple labels - King Estate Domaine, King Estate Signature, King Estate Vineyard Designated, NXNW and Acrobat. Each with their own distinctive style.

photo courtesy of King Estates

To say King Estate is large is to do a disservice to their growth and accomplishments. They have 1037 acres, of that 470 acres are grapes, 30 acres are fruits and flowers and 500 acres are oak groves.  The estate features estate honeybees, 200-300 turkeys for (insect) pest control and a raptor rehabilitation and release program in conjunction with the Cascade Raptor Center.  

The estate is also a great steward of the land, with 4144 solar panels (enough to power 1000 residential homes) and Oregon Tilth and Salmon Sage certified organic farming. The farm and vineyards provide them with hand-grown estate wines and delicious fruits and vegetables for the restaurant as well as donations to local food organizations.

But, how was the wine you may ask? In a word, fabulous! Across the board, we sampled Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir,  Chardonnay, Cab Sav, and an AMAZING Pinot Gris Sparkling wine! They also offer red blends, rose`, Riesling and more.  We were eager to try their Pinot Gris and they have many different styles to choose from, two memorable Gris' were the 2013 King Estate Backbone Pinot Gris  and the  2012 King Estate Paradox Pinot Gris.   

The Backbone was sourced from 6 vineyards and was rich, unctuous, full and round. It had great balance of fruit and acidity and layers of complexity.

photo courtesy of King Estates

The Paradox, it was explained to us, was "an experiment gone right."  King Estate's signature style for Pinot Gris has no oak. During 2011, a happy accident occurred when the winery crew thought they were filling barrels with Chardonnay, but in actuality they were filling it with Pinot Gris.  It spent 16 months in new French oak and resulted in a unique Gris where the subtly subtly integrated with the lively acidity of the wine.  It too is well rounded, has a wonderful, ample mouth-feel, offers great layers and a has gorgeous finish.

photo courtesy of King Estates

We went through the Pinot Gris flight and then Shannon asked us where we would like to go next, she had steered us along great and we threw our trust to her best judgement. We tasted innumerable wines (or so it seemed to us after a day of tasting). Each delicious and more amazing than its predecessor.  We sampled tasty Pinot Noirs, Syrahs from Washington, a few odds and ends and finished with the two brut-style sparkling wines produced in the traditional Methode Champenoise. 

We had a thoroughly wonderful evening. The restaurant features world-class, gourmet cuisine, but we decided to forego dining on this trip. It is something that we will definitely partake of on our next visit.

We looked at the clock and realized that it was getting late and we must head back into town and a late night snack at the Village Green Resort before we called it a night. As we were saying our good byes, Jill commented, "It seems later than it is.... What time IS it?" Yup, it was one of those kind of wine tasting days, where you get so immersed in the wines that time stands still!

We had a great time at King Estate and we would like to send out a special THANK YOU! to King Estates for their hospitality and to Shannon Lewis for a remarkable journey of discovery of King Estate's wines and story.

IN VINO VERITAS