What three wineries in Oregon would you visit?

People seem to be listing their favorite wineries with no regard to whether these places actually have tasting rooms or are open to the public. Good luck getting an appointment with John Thomas, for example.

I would choose Scott Paul (for the chance to taste pinot from Oregon and Burgundy side by side), DePonte (one of two producers of Melon de Bourgogne in the state), and Eyrie (for the history).

I've never been, but Biggio Hamina makes very nice wine quite unlike their name, and they apparently have a wine bar.
 
I won't lie. It's nice to see people recommending you visit me. Unfortunately I'm out of wine and currently in a place where I can't take people. However, I and Scott from Bow & Arrow and two others - Helioterra and Division Winemaking Company - will be in a new co-op spot in SE Portland called the Southeast Wine Collective starting later this year. Keep it in mind, if only to try the others' wines. No hard sell here.

I've recommended Teutonic to Disorderly types but they aren't out in the coast range in Alsea. Their vineyard is, but they live near me in NE Portland and make their wine in Oregon City. Not sure if they receive guests but contact them. If so, go for it. If not, find their wine around town and give it a go. Old vine Chasselas, Riesling at 9%, Pinot Noir from vines well above 1000' in a region where above 800' is supposedly impossible to cultivate vinifera. Definitely worth a go.
 
originally posted by Mark Davis:

I don't think Chehalem or St Innocent or Patty Green or Eveningland or Brickhouse are very disorderly.

-mark, Portland, Oregon
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I've only tasted four or five Brick House wines. They're not big like California wines and the oak was used judiciously. What is your complaint about Brick House?
Plus, he grows gamay. That should make him an honorary Disorderly right there.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by Mark Davis:
Evesham wood during the Russ days

I don't think Chehalem or St Innocent or Patty Green or Eveningland or Brickhouse are very disorderly.
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Has Evesham Wood changed their style?

St. Innocent was very much to my tastes in the '90s and I've had intermittently excellent bottles since then but I've also had some disappointments. I don't drink enough of them to know which are more representative.
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Long story...but I attended a pre-IPNC dinner quite a while ago (2004 or 2005?) and wanted to meet Jean Pierre Charlot of Joseph Voillot. Mark Vlossak of St. Innocent and Jean Pierre did a dinner here in Portland. I sat with the winemakers and a prime at Vintage59 - the folks who bring in Joseph Voillot. Jean Pierre Charlot got up in front and thanked everyone for wanting to drink his humble wines...he was so humble and appreciative. His wines (he opened a '90 I believe) towered over the St Innocents. In contrast...Mark V. couldn't stop talking about how he had got the highest scoring wines from Oregon for his 2002s. After I had heard him yak and yak about his scores for far too long, I couldn't help myself...and asked "is that a good thing?"...and his response was that it was good for his pcoketbook or wallet - can't remember the exact terms. I was shocked and have refused to drink the wines ever since.

Point chasers..or the winemakers who appease them...are not disorderly. Not in my case, at least.

I actually don't drink too much Oregon Pinot anymore, so the fact that I stopped drinking the wines is not a big loss for them. I found the wines pretty extracted -- especially Shea - and that wasn't what I looked for.
 
originally posted by SteveTimko:
originally posted by Mark Davis:

I don't think Chehalem or St Innocent or Patty Green or Eveningland or Brickhouse are very disorderly.

-mark, Portland, Oregon
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I've only tasted four or five Brick House wines. They're not big like California wines and the oak was used judiciously. What is your complaint about Brick House?
Plus, he grows gamay. That should make him an honorary Disorderly right there.
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He gets props for the Gamay, yet I've never found his wines in the top tier of Oregon...your results may vary. My '99s didn't age well. There are a number of producers in Oregon that didn't age well for me in the mid/late 90s...Patty Green and Ken Wrong are two of them....in both cases, I've found the wines delicious and hedonistic (but not disorderly) in barrel and they seem to go downhill from there. Several vintages. My opinion.

The Gamay is definitely cool, but then again...so is the ESJ version.

..but I have another story...and it involves Doug chasing us away on his tractor...because we dared to try to visit him with a bus...a bus full of numerous folks with large cellars who...at the time...bought a lot of his wine. I have to admit -- one of my fav. guys in Oregon - Jim Prosser - hates the buses too...but he tolerated it (it was good for his ego, really)...and many of those folks became some of his best long term customers. It wasn't a bus full of kids wanting to get drunk -- it was full of a bunch of wine enthusiasts with cellars...visiting the best wineries in the region.

What was even more awkward was a charity dinner that involved Doug's wines that was won years later by a friend.

-mark
 
originally posted by Arjun Mendiratta:
People seem to be listing their favorite wineries with no regard to whether these places actually have tasting rooms or are open to the public. Good luck getting an appointment with John Thomas, for example.

I would choose Scott Paul (for the chance to taste pinot from Oregon and Burgundy side by side), DePonte (one of two producers of Melon de Bourgogne in the state), and Eyrie (for the history).

I've never been, but Biggio Hamina makes very nice wine quite unlike their name, and they apparently have a wine bar.
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Thomas will be difficult.

Eyrie from the 70s and 80s is much more interesting than current-day Eyrie...though, I've heard great things about the '02 Reserve. The 33 vintage vertical of Eyrie South Block was a real eye opener for me and those wines have set a very high bar for those with a disorderly palate.

Scott Paul is a great guy and while you are there...you can taste a wide variety of Burg producers as well...some of which are disorderly (Lafarge, Mugnier, ..)....but he probably isn't tasting these two. http://www.scottpaul.com/burgundy-import-company

-mark
 
Anyone have opinions of EIEIO? It's Jay McDonald's (get it, McDonald's farm?) project- different cuvees for a lot of different sites. I've found them tasty in the past. He operates The Tasting Room, a retail shop (with a rotating flight of open bottles to taste) in Carlton. He's got a pretty hands off style, and his employee recommended a few more- I'd have to dig around my notes for them, which I can do tomorrow.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
What do you think of Ponzi Vineyards? (I recall a '79, drunk in '03, that was amazing.)
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I like lunching at their bistro in Dundee. Their wines? Mheh.

Mark Lipton
 
I met Luisa Ponzi last year at a dinner for producers of a particular vineyard that we share. Her Pinot wines were beautiful, very fragrant and translucent. Can't speak for final blends - I haven't tasted through much Ponzi stuff in recent years, but she's making some cool stuff.

Let's face it. Some OR producers might as well be making typical California wine. Some resemble Burgundy, at least in terms of style and even oak profile. There are some oaky burgs out there. Some taste like Oregon, which I'm striving for, whatever that really means (one hand clapping and all that). Some might fit in a LDM like portfolio, if there were one for Oregon. Teutonic is like that. Bow and Arrow probably too. Let a thousand flowers bloom, no?
 
I'm also in the thousand flowers camp. I'm a big fan of what Brian O'Donnell is doing at Belle Pente. I think Scott Paul is having his cake and eating it too, what with his Carlton/Burgundy one-two punch. DDO is another must-see, for the history, the people, the wine, and the view from the vineyard, and I like Melissa Burr's wines at Stoller. They definitely have the visitor thing together there too with a view from the tasting room that's unmatched in the area if that's a consideration. Although most of these wines come from vineyards within a couple of miles of each other, they're all made it slightly different styles, reflecting the differences in source as much as in the winemaker's approach to winemaking. I'm okay with that - when I'm visiting a wine region that's relatively new to me, I like to get an idea of the range of wine made there. At that point I'll have a much better idea of what I want to focus on the next time.

-Eden (I'd also recommend a stop to see Michael Alberty at Storyteller Wine while in PDX - lots of disorderly-pleasing bottles there)
 
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
Some taste like Oregon, which I'm striving for, whatever that really means (one hand clapping and all that). Some might fit in a LDM like portfolio, if there were one for Oregon. Teutonic is like that. Bow and Arrow probably too. Let a thousand flowers bloom, no?
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In the can't-visit-em-but-do-buy-em category, I'll second (third, fourth, whatever) Teutonic and Bow & Arrow and Cameron. I'm slightly embarrassed that I've not yet had a Vincent and so need to rectify that.

But Brad asked about worthwhile visits. If you can lobby the family for extra time, head down valley to and near the Eola-Amity Hills, where it'd be worth it to call up Erin Nuccio of Evesham Wood for an appointment (there's no public tasting room). His 2010 La Grive Bleue, for one, is pretty awesome and shows that the changing of the guard has gone quite nicely. You'll have a good visit at Illahe way over near Dallas; I especially like the (dry) Riesling and native fermented Bon Sauvage pinot noir and tempranillo rosé, and it's a particularly beautiful spot in the valley (open Thurs-Sat only, I think).

Nearer to Portland, I'm of the opinion that Brick House is doing great work, some nice depth and elegance in most of their wines. Ditto Scott Paul, in slightly more polished renditions. What's not to love about Eyrie? The 2009 Daphne kills me coming and going, to put forth just one data point. However, note that the latter two producers' tasting rooms are not at their vineyards.
 
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
I won't lie. It's nice to see people recommending you visit me. Unfortunately I'm out of wine and currently in a place where I can't take people. However, I and Scott from Bow & Arrow and two others - Helioterra and Division Winemaking Company - will be in a new co-op spot in SE Portland called the Southeast Wine Collective starting later this year. Keep it in mind, if only to try the others' wines. No hard sell here.

I've recommended Teutonic to Disorderly types but they aren't out in the coast range in Alsea. Their vineyard is, but they live near me in NE Portland and make their wine in Oregon City. Not sure if they receive guests but contact them. If so, go for it. If not, find their wine around town and give it a go. Old vine Chasselas, Riesling at 9%, Pinot Noir from vines well above 1000' in a region where above 800' is supposedly impossible to cultivate vinifera. Definitely worth a go.
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Vincent,

Congratulations on being sold out. We are currently in Seattle, and have been collecting Teutonic wines from various shops around the city. Can you recommend any place to buy your wines or Bow and Arrow in Portland? Also, I would appreciate any wine shops recommendations in Portland.

Thanks,

Brad
 
I think Michael Alberty at Storyteller still has my wine. E&R Wines nearby does as well. Liner & Elsen might still have some. Bow & Arrow should still be at Albery's. E&R as well. Oh, also Will Prouty's Division Wines, a newish shop on SE Division - terrific selection of Disorderly friendly stuff. Will is terrific. Has Scott's wine. Doesn't have mine now but I saved a little for him and we're working on getting it back in. People, check out Division Wines. Cool shop.
 
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
I think Michael Alberty at Storyteller still has my wine. E&R Wines nearby does as well. Liner & Elsen might still have some. Bow & Arrow should still be at Albery's. E&R as well. Oh, also Will Prouty's Division Wines, a newish shop on SE Division - terrific selection of Disorderly friendly stuff. Will is terrific. Has Scott's wine. Doesn't have mine now but I saved a little for him and we're working on getting it back in. People, check out Division Wines. Cool shop.
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Anybody have any experience with, or views on, Vinopolis?
 
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
I think Michael Alberty at Storyteller still has my wine. E&R Wines nearby does as well. Liner & Elsen might still have some. Bow & Arrow should still be at Albery's. E&R as well. Oh, also Will Prouty's Division Wines, a newish shop on SE Division - terrific selection of Disorderly friendly stuff. Will is terrific. Has Scott's wine. Doesn't have mine now but I saved a little for him and we're working on getting it back in. People, check out Division Wines. Cool shop.
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Thank you!
 
originally posted by kirk wallace:
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
I think Michael Alberty at Storyteller still has my wine. E&R Wines nearby does as well. Liner & Elsen might still have some. Bow & Arrow should still be at Albery's. E&R as well. Oh, also Will Prouty's Division Wines, a newish shop on SE Division - terrific selection of Disorderly friendly stuff. Will is terrific. Has Scott's wine. Doesn't have mine now but I saved a little for him and we're working on getting it back in. People, check out Division Wines. Cool shop.
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Anybody have any experience with, or views on, Vinopolis?
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Kirk,
I have been ordering from them online for a few years and the service is excellent, the wines arrive in great shape.

I have never been in the shop, but I have a friend who is in Portland once a month who always goes there and returns with a mixed case. He is just discovering French wines and the guys there sold him Charly Thevenet Regnie, which he loved.
 
originally posted by kirk wallace:
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
I think Michael Alberty at Storyteller still has my wine. E&R Wines nearby does as well. Liner & Elsen might still have some. Bow & Arrow should still be at Albery's. E&R as well. Oh, also Will Prouty's Division Wines, a newish shop on SE Division - terrific selection of Disorderly friendly stuff. Will is terrific. Has Scott's wine. Doesn't have mine now but I saved a little for him and we're working on getting it back in. People, check out Division Wines. Cool shop.
Click to expand...

Anybody have any experience with, or views on, Vinopolis?
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Vinopolis is one of my favorite retailers. I buy all my Oregon favorites through them and the occasional Burgundy or random oddity. Last year they were the first store I've seen in years to offer the Chasseloir Muscadet Cuvee de Ceps Centenaires.
 
...and his response was that it was good for his pcoketbook or wallet - can't remember the exact terms. I was shocked and have refused to drink the wines ever since.
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But isn't he just being honest? Winemaking is not an altruistic activity, and I cannot see Allemand giving away his wines nor Marc Ollivier either. It is a business. These are not monks reduced to vows of poverty, they have bills to pay like you and me, and - sure - they are in a field of endeavor where money is a primary object and probably doing something they love, but they have costs, pensions to fund, kids-to-college and all that. Cut 'em some slack. I generally stop buying wines when I can't afford them. That's my pocketbook.
 
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