Monday 24 September 2012

Willamette Valley, Oregon

For those of you who know me well - you know my favourite drop is a Pinot. So when I discover that Willamette Valley in Oregon is Pinot Noir Capital - I do feel my tastes buds start salivating. There is so many wineries to choose from that it almost gets overwhelming, but I persist and pick a few randomly off a map.

First stop is Lange Estate Vineyard which was voted best 2012 winery by the Wine & Spirits magazine. Let's see about that. Hmmm ok they were pretty good. Nice range of Pinots. Two were from different sites/wineries over the valley (a lot warmer down south) where as the grapes here (Dundee Hills) are quite elegant, which the last bottle at $60 was. It was yum.

The flight...
Doing what he is best at...
 

We noticed as we left that the vines were heavy with grapes so presume picking is not far around the corner.

 

Next stop was Torri Mor. They had some of the oldest vines in the region so you can imagine that it was rather a top notch drop. The wine maker is third generation Bordeux so I guess you could say he knew what he was on about. But again, a very boutique winery so not sure if we will ever come across these guys again.

 

Third and final stop was in at Dobbes Family Estate which is one of the bigger ones around here. We took the Premier Pinot flight here. What can I say - it was heaven. I thought these guys really knew what they were on about. I am not a very good wine snob so don't have all the terminology required, but I can tell you they would be awesome on a Friday night, with your GF and a plate of cheeses and chocolates. Oh and trash mags.

That mow... Hmmm... Not so sure about it...
 

After all that liquid it was time for some lunching. Stumbled on this Red Hills Deli which was a sensory delight! Sorry about all the pics!

Nothing like getting smacked in the face with fromage. We of course required take-aways.
Picked up this little bottle of Pinot... I had to have some token!
This is for you little brother. X
Best margarita I have had for $6!
This was sublime - oh how I missed you cheese
 
This was sublime - oh how I missed you cheese
Could have easily spent a couple more days exploring this area but to be honest after all the beer tasting we have done - I need some time out. So we are off to the Oregon Coast for some fresh air, some alcohol free days and exercise to work of all the indulgences!

 

1 comment:

  1. Oh Wearin!!! What's with the Mo!!?? I could defn had some fun in the red hills deli!! Yumm!!! xx

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