The big American journey continued in Oregon with the first of two back to back tours
Our first night dinner in Salem was at Bentleys Grill ……we kicked off with a sparking Gruner Veltliner (a first for everyone) and then moved onto some Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, a delicious Tempranillo and a slightly austere Syrah. All from Oregon and showed there is more here than just Pinot Noir!
Another first on a TSWT tour – we are travelling in a limo. We don’t normally succumb to such ostentatious showing off but this was compulsory.
Chilled fizz awaited us inside, we cranked up the rock ‘n roll volume on the record player (oops – showing my age) and off we headed …
Our first full day in Oregon was spent primarily in the hands of Soter Vineyards. First stop was at their North Valley tasting room in Newberg. This was a beautiful log cabin that was formerly a private residence. Glorious views of the vineyards could be seen from the tasting room as we settled into a tasting of seven wines that reflected the exceptional quality and diversity of the estate. We discussed the subtle intricacies of terroir which changes dramatically in quite a small area. The difference in volcanic soil over a marine soil gave noticeable different attributes to the four Pinot Noirs – all from the same year and using the same vinification techniques.
From Newberg we headed over to the main property of Soter – their Mineral Springs Ranch. This is a stunning high ceilinged barn conversion with an open fire and fabulous open plan lounge and kitchen. Here we embarked on the Provisions Lunch tasting. Their resident chef had created a delicious set of small dish pairings with six different wines – with all the food sourced from their vegetable garden. A truly delicious experience.
From Soter we took a short drive to the old historic town of Dundee. Dundee is pretty much where the Oregon wine industry started and we stopped in the Four Graces Family Estate. Here we relaxed outside and basked in some glorious late afternoon sunshine as we tasted through another excellent range of Oregon wines.
Our limo took us back to Salem, and the next morning we headed out for one final day of glitz and glamour, visiting two vineyards in very close proximity to each other.
Johan Vineyards have a distinctly Austrian feel about them, yet the family is of Norwegian heritage and as well as the expected Pinot Noir, they also make Gruner Veltliner and Blaufrankisch – which people were not expecting. After tasting the wines, their winemaker took us through some barrel tasting. First up was a still fermenting and cloudy chardonnay – fizzing still with the CO2 of fermentation. This was followed by something I have ever tried before – whole cluster Pinot Gris during carbonic maceration where the intial fermentation is taking place inside the grape. There was a distinctive petillance on the palate as we bit into the grapes.
The rest of day was spent with Left Coast Cellars. We had the most extraordinary experience here. Meeting the owner Robert Pfaff and the rest of the management and winemaking team with a quick glass of rosé the format of the day was explained. Luke, the general manager, took us out in a 1950 Chevrolet truck for a drive round the estate. At a variety of different stops we were poured a glass of wine and insight was given into the particular aspects of the vineyards, forest and location relative to the coast and the influence of the fogs and breeze. The journey ended up at the winery – a slice of pizza and some delicious Chardonnay to help us on our way. In the winery we met Joe, head winemaker, who took us through some barrel tasting before arriving at the Sparkling Wine Cave for a quick glass of their fizz.
It was then time to head into their restaurant for a pairing lunch – wonderful soup, stunning beef, Oregon cheeses and a brownie to die for – all matched with their estate wines. It was a truly magical experience.
Dinner on final night was at the excellent Da Vinci’s Italian restaurant in Salem. Despite being somewhat exhausted from the depth of information absorbed at Left Coast we found renewed energy for more food and wine.
A great finish to a truly great tour!