Oregon Wine Trip - Days 3 and 4

The first two days were quite enjoyable as Beth has mentioned.  On Day 3, we ventured over to the Dundee Hills AVA known for the red-tinged Jory Loam Red Hills of Dundee.

We started off the day with a winery tour and tasting at Archery Summit featuring four of their highly rated Pinot Noirs.  We enjoyed seeing their underground aging caves linked with French oak barrels where the temperature remains between 55-59 degrees throughout the year.  The wines included in the tasting were '09 Premiere Cuvee PN, '09 Looney Vineyard PN, '09 Renegade Ridge PN and '07 Arcus Estate PN (this one we are laying down for our 25th anniversary in about four years).  All of the wines were absolutely delicious!  It will be hard to wait for our shipment to arrive in the fall after the temperatures lower :(.  

After our tour it was tie for lunch so we headed into the town of Dundee.  There we ate at The Dundee Bistro where we enjoyed a delightful meal

Our next venture was to White Rose Estate where the vineyard was plated in 1980 to self-rooted Pommard clone pinot noir.  The 10-acre White Rose Vineyard is one of the oldest and most storied vineyards in Oregon.  One of our favorite wines was the 2009 Appellation Series "Chehalem Mountains AVA" PN which we brought back to the lake house that evening to enjoy with Bart's chicken marsala.

After enjoying wonderful wines, we stopped by Red Ridge Farms to taste some wonderful olive oils where they also have a gift shop, nursery and olive mill.

Our final  destination of the day was to the Carlton Winemakers Studio tasting room.  they are the home to eleven individual vintners that produce some of the region's most coveted wines under one roof.  We picked up a couple of bottles to enjoy with dinner that night, one being an '09 Montebruno Eola-Amity PN and the other was an '09 Brittan Vineyards "Basalt Block" PN.

The last day started out with a venture seeking hike on the Trail of Ten FAlls at the Silver STate Park about an hour's drive east of the lake house.  Not having all day, we hiked for about an hour and a half where we were thrilled to see two beautiful waterfalls and get a little fresh air and much needed exercise (unfortunately wine has calories).

After picking up a quick lunch, we headed to JK Carriere Wines.  While there, we tasted some wonderful Pinot Noirs and met the owner and winemaker, Jim Prosser.  We also learned that the pictures of the wasp on the bottles was due to Jim's fear of the dreaded insect because he is allergic to them!  The name of the winery, JK Carriere is derived from the combined names of his two grandfathers.  Some of our favorite wines were the Provocateur PN, Vespidae PN (named after a particular wasp), and the Shea Vineyard PN.

Next on our journey was Penner-Ash Wine Cellars.  From their tastings we enjoyed the Willamette Valley PN, Dundee Hills Vineyard PN, Yamhill-Carlton PN and for a change of pace, a delicious Syrah!

To round out our trip, our last winery was  Trisaetum Winery located in the southwest corner of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.  The winery name is derived from the proprietor's, James and Andrea's kids names, Tristen and Tatum.  James is also an artist who has his own 1500 square foot art gallery featuring his paintings and drawings while you can enjoy your wine tasting!  We enjoyed a 2010 Artist Series No 11 PN (featuring one of James' paintings), '09 Trisae PN, '09 Trisaetum Estates Reserve PN and (something different) an '11 RR Off-Dry Riesling.

The four of us thoroughly enjoyed our Oregon wine trip through the Willamette Valley!  If by chance you can make your way out there too, make sure you don't embarrass yourself by mispronouncing Willamette.  For those in the know, it's Willamette, damn it!

Cheers!

Lisa