Winderlea - A Winery Not to be Missed



Winderlea Vineyard and Winery



     In the summer of 2012, Lisa and I were lucky enough to visit beautiful Willamette Valley in Oregon with our husbands. We all enjoy Pinot Noir so what better place to visit. We enjoyed some wonderful wines and encountered some truly friendly people along the way, but if I had to choose, I would pick Winderlea Vineyard and Winery as one of my favorite stops..

Doors open to let oudoors in

     Winderlea is located in the Dundee Hills AVA. Fred and Marie Gunton of A Nose for Wine (www.anoseforwine.com) introduced us to the winery while on a tour with them. The tasting room is a beautiful new building with modern clean lines and the views are breathtaking. Large, windowed garage style doors open onto the large deck. The doors can be opened in nice weather for a wonderful inside-outside space. Beyond the beauty of the space, is the way the owners and Reid, in charge of hospitality and sales, make you feel welcome the moment you arrive. And then of course there is the wine! The wine was fantastic –elegant and refined with layers of fruit and a wonderful finish. We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting and made sure to have some shipped home to enjoy later. I also joined their wine club which ensures a nice discount on purchases. How much fun it was to receive my first club shipment this past fall! The Winos also recently took advantage of a special shipping promotion and look forward to more wine arriving soon.

     Winderlea is owned by Bill Sweet and Donna Morris. The wine business is a second career for both of them; previously being in the financial services industry in Boston. Their love of Pinot Noir, especially those from Oregon, led to their new home in the Dundee Hills AVA of Willamette Valley where they make wonderful Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. Their winery focuses on small lot wine production with minimal intervention and modest use of French oak barrels.

     Winderlea’s winemaker, Robert Brittan, is well known in the wine industry. He has a degree in enology from UC-Davis and made wines in Napa for Far Niente, St. Andrews Vineyard, and Stags’ Leap Winery. While working in California he also collaborated with Dr. Carol Meredith from UC-Davis on DNA profiling. He is recognized as an expert in using varietal selection to create site-specific wines. His love of cool climate Pinot and Syrah brought him to Oregon where he owns 128 acre hillside just outside of McMinnville where he produces Pinot Noir, and also has 1.5 acres dedicated to Syrah.

Celie

     I of course would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other component of Winderlea that stole my heart. They have two beautiful wine dogs. Monty is an Australian Labradoodle. His job description involves keeping deer away from the vines, chasing gophers and entertaining. It sounds like he has the entertaining down, but need some work on his other “duties”. His big sister is Celie, also an Australian Labradoodle. She is a bit older than Monty and is a perfect hostess.

Monty

     If you have a chance to travel the Oregon wine country, make sure you put Winderlea on your agenda. And if you are looking for a wonderful tour guide, be sure to contact Fred at A Nose for Wine. If a trip isn’t in your plans, you can take a virtual tour on their wonderful website www.winderlea.com.

Cheers,
Beth

Wine Word of the Week

 

Phenolics:  Chemical compounds derived especially but not only from the skins, stems, and seeds of grapes that affect the color and flavor of wine.  Tannin is one example.

Oregon Days 1 and 2

Lisa and I and our husbands have made it to Oregon! It is as beautiful as I imagined and the wine is wonderful. There is so much to share, I will try to hit the highlights so far.

We arrived Sunday and settled into our rental home, The Lake House, just outside of Yamhill. It is a charming home that sits on a beautiful pond filled with bullfrogs. It is fitting our needs beautifully. After settling in we had time to visit two nearby wineries, Elk Cove and Willakenzie. Both had sweeping views that we enjoyed while tasting their offerings. Our favorite of the day was Elk Cove Shea Pinot Noir. We brought some home for dinner that night and enjoyed it with an expertly prepared filet mignonette, creamed spinach, and garlic roasted potatoes, all expertly prepared by Lisa's husband.

Day two we met our tour guides, Fred and Marie Gunton from A Nose for Wine Tours. Fred is very knowledgable about wines and seems to know everyone in the area. His wife Marie, brought some great pairings to go along with our wines. We toured a variety of wineries ranging from the well established to some just getting started. My favorite Chardonnay of the day I found at the first site of the day, the Brick House. The tasting takes place in a wonderful old barn. They age their Chardonnay in neutral oak barrels, allowing the wines to have the crispness of an unoaked Chardonnay, but with more body. If I had to pick my favorite place of the day, it would be Winderlea. I love all of their Pinots, but my favorite was their Pinot from the Shea vineyard. I believe you can't miss with a wine that uses grapes from Shea vineyard! (sheawinecellars.com)

Today we are off to the Dundee Hills AVA to try some wine, taste some olive oil, and enjoy another wonderful day in Oregon. The only thing that could improve the day is if our cohort, Mary Jo, could be here with us!

Cheers,
Beth