ROAD TRIP: North to the Southern Willamette Valley

We recently had to go to Eugene and we decided to make an adventure out of it. Jill found a great internet deal at the Village Green Resort  in Cottage Grove that allowed us to take the yellow stinky (our lab, Cotton).  We thought since we were going to be done in Eugene at an early time, we could check in and then go wine tasting since there are an abundance of wineries in the area that we have not been to.

First on our list was Sweet Cheeks Winery. We picked it because of the cute, clever name and its proximity to other wineries we wished to visit.

Our server, Jessica, turned out to be the founder's granddaughter and she was able to familiarize us with the wines and the story. We were intrigued by the name and she explained that when the owner, Dan Smith, was first plowing for the vineyard, they were working toward a gully. As they stood on the hill overlooking the work, Pappa Charlie, Dan's father-in-law, said it looks like cheeks. To which Dan replied, "Yeah, they sure are some sweet cheeks". And a name was born.

Sweet Cheeks to be sure!

We loved hanging out in the Tasting Room, it had an eclectic, rustic Hacienda-style atmosphere, with rough wood beams, a central bar and expansive views. The tasting room sits on top of the cheeks and the huge outside patio offers a panoramic view of the countryside. 

The have a number of estate wines, as well as wines made with fruit sourced from the Rogue Valley. The also have a kegger-rator for the non-wine drinking clientele.   My favorite wine was the 2012 Pinot Fusion, a red blend of 61% Pinot Noir, 21% Syrah and 18% Merlot (the Syrah and Merlot were both sourced from the Rogue Valley).

Our next stop was right across the street at Silvan Ridge Winery. Silvan Ridge is the oldest winery in Lane County (home to Eugene and the Oregon Ducks). Although it was a grey, rainy day, the Tasting Room was warm, inviting and also reminiscent of the Hacienda-style.  

The Tasting Room has two rooms off to the side for events and large tastings. One room had a long, beautiful wooden table that could have easily seated 20+ people. Sorry, I did not get a photo,  The main tasting area has a cozy bar and warm, gorgeous wood shelves displaying the wine and a beautiful stained glass window over the entry doors. It was both a familiar and comfortable setting.

We were treated a nice selection of wines from both the Willamette Valley and, again, from the Rogue Valley. With a number of great wines, one caught our attention, the 2013 Semillion. While it is only the second vintage of this varietal, it exhibits crisp, floral notes with a touch of toast and a creamy mouthfeel. The wine I was eager to sample was the 2011 Malbec and it did not disappoint. This is Silvan Ridge's first LIVE Certified wine, sourced from the Gold Vineyards in Talent (thanks Randy!)

While we thoroughly enjoyed the wines, something special really stood out.  The gentleman standing next to us, Rod Morris from Oregon Travel Adventures, was a regular and we got into a wonderful conversation about travel and all things wine - Oregon (north and south), France, Varietals, the movie Sideways. 

Ok, a side(ways) note here... in Sideways, they filmed the wine bucket scene at Fess Parker Winery, but it was renamed Frass Canyon Vineyards for the movie. FPW did not want that type of behavior to be associated with their winery. Frass was chosen because it is guaranteed that no winery will ever use that name... Frass is a term for bug excrement. Eww!

Anyhow, we had the most delightful conversation with Rod, he was a charming and enlightened companion to an outstanding tasting. Rod did turn us on to a new, to us, varietal, Picpoul de Pinet, which is great paired with oysters! We are looking forward to trying it out soon.

After a nice visit it was past closing for most of the other local wineries, but King Estate was open until 8pm, so off we went. That story will be coming shortly...

IN VINO VERITAS

Rosella Vineyard & Winery and others...

This weekend saw us revisiting many of our favorite haunts.  On Friday, we went to Dunbar Farms/Rocky Knoll Vineyards to checkout out their Belgian Draft horses, Bonnie & Clyde, they are using to cultivate their land. While there, we also enjoyed a nice glass of Rocky Knoll Dunbar Red, a very nice, easy to drink Cab Sauv, Cab franc & Merlot blend.

Afterward we went to to RoxyAnn for Friday night music where we were treated to TC & the Reactions rocking the house. Catch these guys, they are a vary talented band that performs "Power Rhythm & Blues". We enjoyed the RoxyAnn Viognier, always a tasty and refreshing wine on a hot summer eve, and got to share in some bubbly (not sure what we were drinking at that point, too busy dancing and visiting with the old gang).

On Saturday, we were off to the beautiful Applegate Valley. Local legend has it that there are more airline pilots per capita living there than anywhere on the west coast. Apparently, when flying from San Francisco to Portland and Seattle, there is always a break in the clouds over this little valley, revealing an amazing view from above. Upon visiting you can experience it yourself; the weather is beautiful, they have more blue sky days than the Rogue Valley and it is a gorgeous valley, unspoiled by development and "progress". It is also home to a growing number of excellent wineries. One can make a day of visiting the various tasting rooms, each with their own, unique story.  We spend a lot of time out there, as the in-laws are Applegate residents, so you will be hearing more about the Applegate in the future.

We enjoyed the day with the in-laws (out-laws?!) and ended up at Rosellas Vineyard and Winery.  Rex and Sandi Garoutte opened it back in 1998, concentrating on making quality wine from self-grown fruit.  They currently grow Cab Sauv, Merlot, Chardonnay, Zin and Syrah.  They produce nice, smooth wines with great fruit and low tannins. Rex achieves great balance with his wines and are always quite tasty.

I absolutely love going to Rosellas, it is the most unadorned, unassuming tasting room, very intimate... it must be 12' x 15' inside, but  Rex and Sandi have such effusive personalities, it feels much larger.  It may be small, but it is not lacking in the fun factor. Especially when Rex is holding court. He is a kick with a wealth of knowledge about grapes, farming, wine and the Applegate.

On this particular trip, we got to revisit his Merlot Blush. Wow, we loved it, it possesses great fruit, just a touch of sweetness and bright acidity with a light strawberry color. Rex has been kegging this wine for sale at the Britt Festival and was a huge hit last year!  His Cab Sauv is coming along great, the vines have been in the ground long enough that they are now well established and showing off some of the terroir of the property. Rex had a new wine, a sherry called Wai Kula "Liquid Gold", a fortified white blend. Amber in color, it shows nut and vanilla with spicy notes. It will make a great aperitif or as a special treat with some chocolate at the end of the evening. Rex called drinking the the Wai Kula, "running with scissors", meaning it is dnagerous- goes down easy and packs a bit of a wallop! Rex did assure us we can open it, put the cork back and forget about it, no hurry to finish this bottle, savor and enjoy!

We thank Rex and Sandy for their hospitality and friendship; do not miss this winery when you venture out to the Applegate. You will not be disappointed.

We will be back on the wine trail in coming weeks and we will share with you. Until then...

CHEERS!

DANCIN VINEYARDS

After the craziness of the Memorial Day/Opening weekend, we ventured back out to Dancin Vineyards with a group of friends.

They stay open until 8pm on Fri & Sat, later than most vineyards, and we made an evening of it. We sat on the patio that provides a great view of the valley, but one of the day's frequent rain showers drove us under the covered alcove by the front door. Offering table-side service, we sat down to enjoy a few glasses of wine. The day's flight had a great offering of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Malbac and Malbec Rosé. Dancin is the only tasting room I know that serves in the big, beautiful Pinot Noir glass. Along side they have a small carafe in which they serve the 5 oz. glass pour. All in all, it is a wonderful presentation, classy and very unique.

We watched with great interest as a party left the wine cave. As curiosity overcame us, we just had to go see what was in there.

 Dan, one of the owners (Cindy being the other) offered to show us the Cave. We expected a giant, deep cave carved into the hillside. Instead we were treated to a beautiful, intimate, tastefully appointed room with a gorgeous dark wood dining table running down the middle that can seat 10 people. Dan informed us that they could serve more with different configurations. At this time, rental is based on food and wine sales, but Dan said they were customizing the rates for each occasion. We were intrigued and look forward to have a small party there in the near future.

As some members of our group departed for further

adventures, Dan came out an chatted with us, covering a wide range of topics from wine making philosophy, Cave rental, tastings and fees, wine club, the use of chickens, plans for music and more. Dan is the the wine grower and assists Eric Weisinger in the winemaking. It is good to see Eric back from New Zealand and being involved in this project. 

 Behind the gorgeous Tuscan-style tasting room is a lovely lawn area shaded by a Black Walnut and other big mature trees. Along side is an unusual Chicken Condo, where they rotate chickens out to mobile Chicken coops, called tractors,  in the vineyards. The tractors are large enough that the chickens can move about, scratch up the weeds and their waste helps fertilize the vineyard. The chickens seem to be a major hit, kids and adults alike are fascinated by their antics.

Dan told us, they they will be concentrating on making top flight Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, but are augmenting their line-up with Velocity Cellars wines- Velocity, Malbec and the aforemention Malbec Rosé (my drink of choice for the evening, that's right- Real Men Drink Pink!). The also have a delicious Dana Campbell Viognier and there are plans to add a Rosenblum Zinfandel. Love what they are doing, there is a certain synergy to their offerings that works great.

In addition to the wines, Dan's wife Cindy (Dan+Cindy= DanCin) runs a stunning little food service with fresh baked artisan breads, thin crust pizzas made in a wood-fired pizza oven, desserts, cheese and deli plates and a host of other delectable delights. Their tasting notes offering food pairings for each wine, so you can best experience the tastes.

Dan and Cindy have been together 17 years and have figured out what makes them function best. Dan said that within the name DanCin, they are "fine as long as they stay between the 'n & c'." In other words, perfectly balanced right down the middle. This shows through in their wines, food and atmosphere. It is a comfortable place with attentive staff that really puts it best foot forward. 

The logo itself encompasses their winery. The seven dots along the top represent the 7 Pinot Noir clones they use, the Dan and Cin and two distinct boxes, surround by one box, unifying them together.

We had a brilliant evening with our friends and Dan certainly added to the enjoyment of discovering Dancin Vineyards. We would certainly like to thank him for opening a very special bottle of Rosenblum 2001 Maggie's Reserve Zinfandel, it was a special treat and greatly appreciated. The wine has held up great and is delicious to the last sip.

For more information, please visit the...

Dancin website

Dancin Facebook page