Hey Turkey! Follow Me To The Willamette Valley! - Part 1

Traveling out to last week's Wine Bloggers Convention, I stopped in Portland for a day of tasting Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. My friends Chad and Erin were kind enough to take in a weary traveler from the East Coast. From Georgia, they've taken well to being cool and eccentric Portlanders. He's a college professor, and she designs umbrellas. They also raise chickens and have a pet turkey ("Turkey") in the backyard.


Needless to say, Erin and I were eating local eggs for breakfast, before heading south into the Dundee Hills and Yamhill-Carlton districts of the valley. This was my first time in Willamette. The plan was to visit some of the valley's famous names before heading out to the conference in Washington later that evening. After struggling to get out of Portland traffic, we made it to our first stop at Archery Summit ready for action.

• The Willamette Valley lies at roughly the same latitude as Burgundy.
• The climate is mild and moist, with cool & damp winters and dry & warm summers.
• Mineral-rich sediment soils were left after the Missoula Floods that flooded the valley between 13,000 and 15,000 years ago.

Archery Summit Winery

Located in the Dundee Hills, Archery Summit produces wine from vineyards throughout the AVA, as well as in the adjacent Ribbon Ridge AVA. Their program is 100% estate, and they cater their farming to suit each individual vineyard. Sustainable practices such as natural pest-control and hand cultivating are often used. The winery is 100% gravity flow, allowing minimal handling of the wines during production. They have an aggressive new French oak aging regimen on their Pinot Noir (consistently getting more than 50% new oak during cooperage). The style of the wines is bold and rich, with pronounced oak influence and comparatively high alcohol levels (mid 14% range). Although the tasting room is small and quaint, visitors can roam the aging caves.

The Wines-

~2007 Premier Cuvée Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley- A blend from all their estate vineyards, combining Dijon, Pommard, & Wädenswil clones. Fermented with 12% whole clusters using native yeast fermentation. Aging was 10 months in 54% new French oak barrels. The wine was front-loaded with black cherry, plum, and cola notes with a bit of mossy earth. Silky and solid with smoke and further earthy notes to close---good to very good---$48.

~2007 Renegade Ridge Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills- Biodynamically farmed vineyard using Dijon clones. Native yeast fermentation. 10 months aging in 65% new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Sweet & spicy red cherry, cranberry, and plum notes are enhanced with maple syrup and earthy depth. Lush and silky with dusty tannins---very good---$85.

~2007 Looney Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge- Dijon, Martini, Wädenswil, and Pommard clones. Native yeast fermentation. 10 months aging in 60% new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. I really liked this one- leads with mineral, floral, and mushroom notes that are accented with cherry. Refined on the palate with savory notes- truffles, dried herbs, then highlighted with red fruit. Light peppery tannins and a lengthy spice finish. Should age well as the fruit enhances with time---excellent---$85.

~2007 Arcus Estate Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills - Dijon and Pommard clones. Fermented with native yeasts using 3% whole clusters. Aged in 62% new French oak for 11 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Lighter in color. Aromatic and savory- truffles highlighted with floral and cherry & plum fruit notes. Silky and light with nice earthy mineral accents. Politely firm with a nice finish---very good to excellent---$85.



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Penner-Ash Wine Cellars

The second stop brought us to the eastern edge of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, just west of the tiny Ribbon Ridge AVA. There, Lyn Penner-Ash makes killer Pinot Noir from single vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley. The modern-rustic eco-friendly winery has a tasting room that overlooks the gravity-flow cellars, also with sweeping views of across the valley. Lush landscapes and vineyards surround the winery. Warm, friendly, and elegant surroundings were a nice precursor to the wines.

The Wines-

~2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir- Aged 10 months in 35% new French oak. Cherry, floral, and mineral notes releasing further savory and dark berry flavors. Silky with lots of earth and fruit to finish----very good---$45.

~2007 Palmer Creek Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills- Dijon & Pommard clones. Aged 10 months in 29% new French oak. Lighter, with expressive mineral, floral, and spicy cherry aromas. Beautiful spice, herb, and honey aromas framed vibrant yet subtle fruit. Nice acid-tannin balance. Fine structure and finish. Should age well.---excellent---$55.

~2007 Carabella Vineyard Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains- Dijon & Wädenswil clones. Aged 10 months in 36% new French oak. Cherry cola, toffee, floral, and mineral notes. Firm with nice acid, closing with berries, mineral, and spice---excellent---$55.

~2007 Dussin Vineyard Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton- Their estate vineyards, planted to Dijon clones. Aged 10 months in 40% new French oak. Deeper and richer. More blue fruit and black cherry with only very subtle hints of mineral and earthy elements. Silky tannins---very good---$60.



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Next up was a tour at Domaine Drouhin, and then a tasting at Eyrie. To be continued...

In the meantime, check out more photos from the day in Willamette Valley here.

North GA Montains- Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Montaluce Winery

The view at Wolf Mountain

With the gloomy Atlanta heat & humidity, it was a great day to head north toward the Appalachian foothills of Dahlonega. The weather is a few ticks cooler, and there's usually a shady spot to find some respite.

There's a burgeoning wine scene in the hills around Dahlonega. Georgia wineries dedicated to growing and producing Vinifera grapes are making good quality wines. Climatically, the growing areas are moderate in temperature due to the high elevations- typically in the 1500 to 2000 foot range. Moreover, the growing season is long. Much of the soil for wine growing in North Georgia is Terra Rossa clay, well draining and often planted on steep hillsides.

Fellow Atlanta-area wine bloggers Joe Herrig and Ed Thralls have done a great job chronicling this wine scene and bringing extra awareness to it. My experience with it is fairly limited, previously tasting wines from Wolf Mountain, Frogtown, and Persimmon Creek. I had a bit of a negative experience the last time I drove up to Dahlonega to taste, so it's taken me some time to get North Georgia tasting back on the radar. The plan was to start at Wolf Mountain, whose wines I had enjoyed in the past. Second would be the newest vineyard and winery in Dahlonega, Montaluce.

Wolf Mountain Vineyards

Wolf Mountain was founded in 1999 by the Boegner family. The 25 acre property features estate vineyards planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Mourvedre, Tannat, Petite Verdot, Malbec and Touriga Nacional. For whites, they source Chardonnay and Viognier from local vineyards outside the property better suited to those varietals. Atop the hillside vineyards sits a Craftsman-style gravity flow winery with a full hospitality area. It's a fabulous vista point overlooking the vineyards and surrounding mountains. The tasting room staff was knowledgeable and attentive.


The Wines-

These were consistently well made and solid wines. Wolf Mountain does a great job. Their philosophy is to make blended varietal wines. With Vinifera grapes being newly reintroduced to North Georgia, and with the sometimes unpredictable growing conditions from vintage to vintage, this approach allows them to adjust the blends as necessary to make the best possible wines.


-2008 Blanc de Blancs Brut- The only Georgia winery producing Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine. 100% Chardonnay. This had nice bready and yeasty character on the nose with some nice floral aromas. Notes of citrus, sweet golden apple, and wheat were full with a pleasing effervescence. Very enjoyable and quite an accomplishment in Georgia wine---very good---$26

-2009 Plenitude- 70% Chardonnay and 30% Viognier, stainless steel fermented. A little tight on the nose, offering honey, lemon, and mineral notes. More mineral notes along with stone fruits on the palate---good---$20.

-2008 Chanteloup- 70% Barrel fermented and sur-lie aged Chardonnay with 30% stainless steel fermented Viognier. A rich gold color. Light notes of toast and vanilla without much fruit on the nose. Pleasant on the palate with melon, crème fraiche, stone fruit, and light floral notes---good---$24.

-2008 Sunset Rosé- Mourvedre, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the traditional saignee method and fermented in neutral oak. Aromas of honey and cherry; with forward apple and cherry fruit, along with floral and mineral notes. Opens up nicely in the glass---good to very good---$16.

-2007 Instinct- A field blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in lots for 10 months in new French oak, then blended and re-barreled for 8 additional months. A ruby-violet color with medium clarity. Notes of maple, cigar humidor, black cherry, and black raspberry; with dark berry, light spice, and cedar closet notes. The tannins are supple with an elegant finish---good to very good---$26.

-2007 Claret- Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre. Aged for 16 months in new French oak, blended & re-barreled for 8 months. Darker, richer, and deeper in color. Woodsy and cedar notes with rich dark fruit aromas. Full bodied. Rich berry flavors with cedar, light mineral, and spice. Supple tannins and spice on the finish---good to very good---$28.

-n/v Delicieux Port- Not fortified, double fermented. Jammy red and black fruit with mineral and cedar notes closing with spicy tannins---good---$?


Montaluce Winery & Estates



Montaluce is a newly developed property. It's a real estate development with European style homes and villas scattered throughout the rolling hills and vineyards of the property. It features a hospitality center, restaurant, and winery as the centerpiece of the development. The grand villa-style hospitality center overlooks the main vineyard of the property. The vineyard slopes toward the Etowah River, providing a moderating influence to the summer heat. The tasting room staff was friendly, and included a sommelier to enhance the educational aspect.


The Wines

I tasted the wines of Montaluce's inaugural 2008 vintage. There were five wines, mostly single varietals. With this being the first vintage, I get the sense that they're still finding their way. However the wines were all well made, with a couple of nice highlights.


-2008 Risata- A rosé made from 80% Sangiovese and 20% Viognier. A pleasantly interesting nose of perfume, melon, berries, and spice- with similar flavors along with mineral notes. Crisp and lively---good---$19.

-2008 Chardonnay- Blended with 5% Viognier. Stainless steel fermented. Straw and honey with hints of fruit and mineral. Melon, citrus, and light mineral with some toasty notes despite this seeing no oak---good---$26.

-2008 Viognier- My favorite of the tasting. Stainless steel fermented. Expressive stone fruit, citrus, and floral notes- with honey, melon, stone fruit, and spice long and lush throughout the palate---very good---$24 (sold out).

-2008 Merlot- Dark rich violet. Gamey cedary and dark fruit notes- with raspberry, black cherry, and woodsy notes. Finishes with dusty, minty tannins---fair to good---$25.

-2008 Cabernet Sauvignon- A rich, dense, and dark violet color. Cedar, red & black raspberry, and violet notes of the nose. Tart red and dark berries, violet, tar, and spice on the palate. Supple tannins, a little loosely structured, but a nice young wine---good---$22.

I'm happy that I got up to North Georgia again to experience its wines and scenery. Wolf Mountain & Montaluce were enjoyable stops. Both offer a good look into the new and exciting world of fine winemaking in North Georgia. The wines are interesting, as they represent a developing definition of what constitutes the characteristics of North Georgia wine. I think of them as an interesting mix of bold fruit, unique earthiness & minerality, presented with restraint and subtlety. A mix of old and new world styles. The tasting experiences were well done, with the same bells and whistles you see in more famous wine regions. All just a quick jaunt up GA 400. Cheers!