On a beautiful June day in 1971, David Adelsheim and Ginny Adelsheim stood above an open field and were taken with the beauty of its orange and purple wildflowers. Five hundred feet below, Oregon’s north Willamette Valley stretched out in a patchwork of orchards, pasture and native trees. The field, rich with clay-loam soil, had a gentle southern exposure and was sheltered by the Chehalem Mountains. The Adelsheims had dreamed of planting a vineyard in the area since returning from a summer in Europe, where they were inspired by the artisanal foods and wines they encountered.
Today, the Adelsheim Vineyard estate has grown to include eleven exceptional vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley, totaling 190 acres. A new generation of experienced wine industry professionals has joined with David Adelsheim in their passionate endeavor to lead the industry in crafting consistently transcendent wines.
The winemaking process at Adelsheim Vineyard is extremely gentle, and is identical for their four series of wines. At harvest, the grapes are picked by hand into small totes, and are delivered to the winery’s two-level, gravity-feed fermentation room. Their white wine grapes are gently pressed as whole clusters and the juice transferred to the winery’s tank room. Slow, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks emphasizes the bright intensity and fruit flavors in our unoaked white wines, while barrel fermentation and extended lees contact gives our Reserve Chardonnay richness and lovely balance.
What a beautiful Saturday we had in the Northwest. It was that great luck you hope for when a friend plans a birthday outing in wine country. As we left Beaverton at 11am I knew the goal of five wineries was not likely and I think that when you go wine tasting you should relax and not be stuck to a plan. If you have to shuttle away from one tasting room to get to the next you are likely to miss the relaxing day it should be at these gorgeous places.
We stopped at Ponzi first in Dundee. It is a gorgeous building sharing space with The Dundee Bistro and The Dapper Frog. We had a large group so I didn’t do any tastings so we didn’t overwhelm the rooms when we showed up with thirteen. I think four of us didn’t drink so it helped keep it manageable.
After that we stopped for lunch at Farm To Fork. It is a gorgeous place with some fantastic food. If our party wasn’t so large I would have enjoyed the outdoor seating; instead we took up three tables. The food was a hit but unfortunately we got a server that forgot we existed.
After about 15 minutes, and the other two tables had their orders taken, we asked a server walking by if she would take our order. She said she wasn’t our server but she would. The other two tables were served and then our food finally came. I think it was the first time “our” server came by the table. A mistake happened where the order from another table was to be split with another table. Our server finally realized it and said it wasn’t her fault because the other server took the order. She blamed the other server a couple of times and said, “I’m your server.” I really wanted to ask why she didn’t take my order.
I won’t let this one server completely cloud my opinion of Farm To Fork. I have heard many praises about them and will probably be back again sometime; especially for their cookies. I waited to0 long to grab a cookie that I sampled earlier and was left wanting.
Then we headed to Sokol Blosser which seems to be a hit with everyone. I trailed behind as our large group walked up. I saw what may have been some fear in a worker’s face as we walked up. Thomas stepped up and took us to a members only area where I had the best education in wine ever at a tasting room. Normally you don’t have such focused attention when doing a tasting; here Thomas gave us a run down on several wines explaining how they make them, labeling, making their ice wine, and so much more. It was one of the best experiences I have had at a tasting room. Thank you Thomas!
Time was running out and Duck Pond was the last stop. It was Wine Club day where people could pick up the new stuff and we had a few members in the group. They have a gorgeous setting just off Highway 99. Their shop and tasting room is nice but has more of a tourist shop feel for me. I did get to go in the back where wine members were doing their pick and saw barrels and barrels of wine. A nice site indeed.
Wineries will start hitting their stride soon. Most have new releases out and the weather should start to dry out on a regular basis. Head out with a plan but take it as a suggestion. If you love the place and the wine, stick around and enjoy it. Leave your watch in the car and relax.
The 2007 Cloudline Pinot Noir – On the nose, there is an immediate burst of bright, fresh red fruits, including strawberries and raspberry, followed by an earthy quality. On the palate, the wine has a fine texture, soft tannins, good acidity and a strong core of fruit. A long, dry, relatively mild summer left Oregon vineyards in perfect shape as harvest approached. Some late rains and cooler harvest temperatures caused anxiety but ultimately produced classic Oregon Vintage. Try it with most shellfish, cheeses, ceviche, sushi, and spicy cuisine such as Thai and Indian.
I found this at Cost Plus World Market. On their website they have suggested price of $16. I dont’ recall what Cost Plus sold it for this weekend.
Winemakers Notes: “On the nose, there is an immediate burst of bright, fresh red fruits, including strawberry and raspberry, followed by an earthy quality. On the palate, the wine has fine texture, soft tannins, good acidity and a strong core of fruit. It is a wine that offers immediate pleasure, on its own, or better yet, in the company of a delicious meal.”
A vineyard is made up of many microclimates that produce wines with different characteristics and our blends reflect that diversity. Each vineyard block is carefully matched to a suited barrel. Our Cuvée A Pinot Noir is a selection of our most forward and charming barrels of Pinot noir, blended in a style meant to capture their bright, fresh flavors and aromas. AROMA
black cherry, red raspberry, sandalwood, lavender, chocolate, kirsch, sweet tobacco
FLAVOR
juicy, plush, licorice, anise, black cherry
If you get a chance, visit the vineyard if for no other reason than to drive up the beautiful drive and enjoy the view from their patio off of the tasting room.
