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.
