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!

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