We did some tasting during a weekend trip to Portland, OR. There were a lot of wineries to choose from, but I chose to go to the Dundee Hills where a number of fine wineries are located. We started with a 1.5 hr tour of Domaine Drouhin followed by tastings at Domaine Serene and Archery Summit Winery.
Domaine Drouhin
I only know of this winery because my sister bought me a bottle as a birthday present. They are a french family winery that bought some land in the late 80's in the Willamette Valley. The tasting consisted of a comparison between the Oregon Wines (referred to as "DDO") and the Maison Joseph Drouhin wines from France. They also served a spanish cheese, Montenebrowhich I highly recommend. We have had some problems finding this cheese locally.
The first tasting comparison was between the 2007 DDO Chardonnay Arthur (prounounced Ar-ture for her son) and its comparable Maison Joseph Drouhin Chardonnay from Chablis. The DDO was a little softer and less flavorful, better paired with food. The Chablis was sharper and more flavorful and able to stand alone. We preferred the Chablis over the DDO Chardonnay.
The second tasting was between a 2008 DDO Pinot Noir Willamette Valley and the Drouhin Burgundy. Sorry I dont have better notes on the French wine, apparently its not available for sale in the US anyway. The french wine was more dry and less balanced. The DDO Pinot was very flavorful and had a delightful long finish. Very delicious wine.
The last wine tasted was the 2007 Laurene. The Laurene is DDO's flagship wine. All of the barrel's of wine are tasted and the top 100 are selected. The top 10 barrels are used to make the ultra rare Louise wine, which is only available to winery members. The other barrels are used to make the Laurene. This wine was very good. As you may expect the overall flavor was very similar to the DDO Willamette Valley but with a more concentrated flavor and elegant finish.
Domaine Serene
We tasted 5 wines at Domaine Serene. The first was a chardonnay, the 2008 Etoile Vineyard Chardonnay ($45). This was OK, but we preferred the DDO and the Chablis that we had at DDO.
The second wine was a 2008 Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir which is a blend of Pinot from all of their different vineyards. Each vineyard of the vineyards are adjacent, but are at different elevations and face different directions, resulting in quite different flavors. The Yamhill Cuvee was decent, but lacked the concentrated flavor we were hoping for. Tasted watered down compared to the DDO wines. Vanilla Cherry Blossom on the palate.
The next wine was a 2007 Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir ($58). This was a delicious wine. Concentrated flavors of black cherry and raspberry. Fruit forward with a long enjoyable finish. This was our favorite Domaine Serene wine.
We also tasted a 2008 Jerusalem Hill Vineyard Pinot ($75) and it was much more woody and spicy with flavors of smoke, blackberry and dark chocolate. My sister Lauren would enjoy this wine!
They gave us a bonus pour of the 2009 Rockblock Viogner ($35). This was a delicious summer white that we really enjoyed. We will be buying some Viogner to enjoy soon!
Archery Summit WineryOur last tasting was at Archery Summit, which is located at the south end of the Dundee Hills in Dayton, OR. First planted in 1994, the estate is now comprised of 115 acres spread across five vineyards. We opted for the Signature tasting which included four of Archery's pinot noirs.
The first was the 2008 Premier Cuvee ($48). This is a blend from all on the five vineyards, aged for 10 months in 50% new oak barrels. The wine opens to your nose with blueberries and spice. The taste is spicy with dark fruits and molasses. We were not particularly impressed by this wine, but coming from some great wines at DDO and Serene, our expectations were already set quite high.
The second wine was a 2007 Pinot from the Looney Vineyard ($85). This wine was very enjoyable. Super fruit forward with concentrated flavors with a great balance of tannin and texture. Plum, blue raspberry and vanilla bean are apparent, while the wine continues into a beautiful long finish.
The third wine tasted was the 2008 Arcus Estate Pinot Noir. This was the most complex wine we tasted all day. Starts with exotic perfumes, violet, blueberry and cherries on the nose. On the palate there are flavors of spice (sarsaparilla, cinnamon and toffee) all lightly placed on a core of distinct black cherry flavor. Loved how the taste changed from spicy and full to soft and lovely fruit as it evolved into its finish.
The last wine was a 2007 Red Hills Estate Pinot Noir ($85). This was a nice concentrated wine, but was no match for the Arcus Estate. Starts with blue fruits and floral notes on the nose, followed by black cherry and blackberry with star anise and cinnamon flavors. Overall this wine was on par with the 2008 Premier Cuvee.
