We made a quick trip to Oregon last weekend for a friend’s milestone birthday celebration. A dozen of us spent 2 afternoons in a caravan of classic convertibles, cruising the Willamette Valley. Pinot noir is the wine of choice in the Dundee Hills & Eola Hills AVAs and we found many excellent examples at Archery Summit, Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, Stangeland and Van Duzer. Primarily tasting pinot noirs, it didn’t take long for palate fatigue to set in, so it was no surprise that my favorite wine was Domaine Serene’s Rockblock Syrah which was grown in the Rogue Valley AVA in Southern Oregon! With summer fading and veraison complete, harvest is just a heartbeat away in the Willamette Valley. The countdown to CRUSH is on (18 days, 18 hours, 27 minutes by one winery's account)!
Drink up, because we'll need you here soon
Other than a bit of Sauvignon Blanc, we'll start getting serious fruit in the 3rd week of September and then we'll be blasted in early October - including most of your cab!
Willamette Valley Vineyard Photo
Great vineyard photo and a pretty sweet ride to boot. What vineyard is this? Is that a hint of red Jory soils I see between the rows??
Eola Hills AVA?
No red Jory soil.....I'm pretty sure this photo was taken at Cristom which is Eola Hills AVA.