Linda Donovan Wines

Wine tasting comes in many forms.  It can be a friendly tasting with friends at home, it can be a big wine event, it can be at the local store as reps ply you with their latest releases, or it can be at a winery or tasting room.  Even within the confines of the tasting room, there are a myriad of approaches to presenting the wines. Some tasting rooms offer tastings and then wines by the glass and bottle for on-site consumption, often with musical accompaniment, food and other attractions to round out the experience. Others still take a more simple approach, invite you in, taste the wine, enjoy, tell the story and maybe sell you a bottle or twelve.

The latter approach is what is offered up at Linda Donovan’s new tasting room. Linda is an accomplishe winemaker who runs Pallet Wine Company in Medford and produces her own labels as well as labels for small wineries  throughout Southern Oregon. Pallet is a humming, busy place, but it does not offer wine tasting. Initially there were plans to do a tasting room at the facilities, but time and space concerns dictated otherwise.

Recently, Linda decided it would be good to open a small, simple tasting room where she could serve her wine and tell her story. She chose a site on her sister’s Valley View Orchard, right next door to the orchard’s historic farm stand. It has an open air feel with a large roll-up door, a bright, basic room and a wonderfully expansive vista overlooking Ashland. 

The Linda Donovan Wines Tasting Room takes a basic approach – it is only open Thursday – Sundays, from 1pm - 6pm and no glass or bottle consumption is available. She prefers to let the wines be the center of attention and the stars of the show. She certainly has accomplished this style. We had a great time sampling wines, playing with her large yellow lab Finnigan and taking in the information Linda was all too happy to share with us.

We opened with a 2011 “Le Jeune Chien” Sauvignon blanc. I love a nice, crisp sauv blanc and this did not disappoint. I had to ask as to the name and Linda explained that a while back, she had two old dogs that she had been with many years. After their passing, friends kept saying get a new dog, so she ended up living up to the belief that you should adopt, don’t breed or buy. This dog became Le Jeune Chien or the young dog.  

Next up was a 2011 Late Bloomer Dry Gewurtztraminer, which had “nothing sweet about it”. It was dry, dry, dry for a Gewurtz, a perfectly crisp wine on a hot day or for pairing with food.

We moved on to reds with a 2008 Linda Donovan Tempranillo, made with grapes from Fortmiller Vineyards, which always produces smooth, delicious fruit. This rich wine was a mouthful with beautiful, smooth-grain tannins. After the Tempranillo, we had a chance to taste a 2010 Long Walk Vineyard Mouvedre, grown on property at Valley View on the Corner Vineyard. Mouvedre is rarely a single variety, often paired as a GSM, but this wine is gorgeous with earthy spicy tones and a (savory) umami mouth feel. As a special treat we had the opportunity to sample the 2010 Orchard Red, a blend of Long Walk Vineyard consisting of 29% Mouvedre, 14% Gernache, 29% Cinsault and29% Carignan, a unique wine with surprising depth and character.

Before we left, Linda offered us a sample of her value label, Pick Me. These are the perfect Tuesday night wines, with a Pick Me White, a blend of Semillion, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc and the 2009 Pick Me Red Merlot. Priced at $8 each, these wines are perfect for the non-occasion occasion, a second bottle or a quick nip.  :-)

It is my belief that every wine producer in Southern Oregon would be well served to offer $8 bottles of wine, but that is for a later post. Linda subscribes to this theory as well, much to my delight.

So, for a simple, laid back and totally relaxing tasting, and great wines to boot, I highly recommend visiting Linda Donovan’s Tasting Room at Valley View Orchard in Ashland. 

I do not think you will be disappointed.

p.s. While camping at Howard's Prairie last weekend, we ran out of wine! A quick jaunt to the HP store and we found the Pick Me Red and White, which was enjoyed around a roaring campfire with wonderful company.

Waterfront Depot, Florence, Oregon

Another trip to the coast, another tale to tell…

With the Rogue Valley having been socked in due the smoke from Southern Oregon Wildfires, we decided enough was enough and decided to head for the coast. Our normal haunts were all booked up. Apparently the whole valley had the same idea and reservations were getting scarce. On a whim, I took a look at the map of the Oregon Coast and, for some reason, Florence, OR, just jumped out at me. I booked the first room I could find, told my better half we had reservations and off we (and the dog) went on Saturday morning.

I haven’t been to Florence since the mid to late 90s, so expectations were low. A clean room and a good dinner would suffice. The room at the Lighthouse Inn was basic, comfortable and clean. Cotton (our yellow lab) settled right in and we set out exploring the town. After asking the locals, we were informed that we should dine at the Waterfront Depot and to get reservations with a quickness.

 I called and all they had was 9pm. Ok, fine, we would have time to take the dog to the water, get cleaned up, have a nice glass of Wooldridge Zinfandel that we brought with us and then sit at their bar and have a glass of wine while waiting.

We pulled up to what was once the Mapleton Train Depot. It had been slated for demolition some forty years ago and was rescued and brought to its current location on the Siuslaw River in Old Town Florence.  The current owner opened a charming little restaurant serving seafood, meats, burgers and pasta - very eclectic menu, to be sure. We had read and heard that their signature dish, a Crab Encrusted Halibut, was not to be missed.  

 Since we had arrived early, I inquired as to obtaining a table with a view and sitting at the bar while we waited. The bar was full, but the excellent hostess found us a seat off to the side. The room was warm, friendly, sophisticated with a urban touch. Giant artwork adorned the wall above the windows facing the river and the other open wall had a giant blackboard with the menu in chalk.

 We immediately felt right at home. We opened with a J. Scott Viognier, a full-bodied, rich, ripe, fruit –forward wine with bright acidity, leading itself to a wonderful balance. J. Scott is Silvan Ridge winemaker, Jonathon Oberlander’s private label, and I had not had it since the mid-2000s when I sold it wholesale.  I highly recommend Jonathan’s wines, he is a very talented winemaker. The winelist was perfect, they had a nice selection of wines by the glass and a well-rounded list of wines by the bottle from the Eugene area, Oregon, California and a smattering of imports thrown in for good measure.

We had no sooner taken our first sip of viognier when our hostess informed us that our table was ready.  We had a nice view of the river and the Siuslaw River Bridge. 

We opted for a lime pepper shrimp for an appy that was very tasty, but the salad blew me away. I am not a salad guy, but this was so good. The viognier added just the right amount of acidity and fruit, complimenting the dish beautifully. Of course, I had to have the House Specialty, so I ordered the Crab Encrusted Halibut and a glass of Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc. Normally the Nobilo, being a typical New Zealand Sauv blanc, shows a huge note of grapefruit and tropical notes and high acidity, which I like, and it did not disappoint. Paired with the fish and chili cream sauce, the wine countered the slightly sweet sauce and let the crust and fish shine through, a gorgeous pairing.

The Depot was packed on Saturday night and the staff was kept running all evening, but despite that they still did a bang up job, displaying poise and professionalism throughout. I would like extend a special thank you to our server, Wenonah, she was amazing, keeping up the communication and being attentive amidst the chaos going on around her.  The hostess was equally gracious, she found a wonderful table for us, and got our wines for us. If you go, be sure to call ahead for reservations, it is not a large restaurant and they are very popular.
We will definitely be back to both Florence and to the Waterfront Depot

Cheers!!!