The Sarah Jane English Newsletter: 23rd Edition
February 7, 1999

VALENTINE'S DAY is a time to splurge—not a time for either/or. Do it all! Here’s to excess on Valentine’s Day. Lavish your loved one with flowers, candy and wine. Choose one with a distinctive label like those listed below.

Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, $30
Beringer Gamay Beaujolais Nouveau $7
Carmenet Vineyards Dynamite Cabernet $17
Caymus Vineyards Conundrum and Cabernet Sauvignon $17 and $25
Dry Creek Vineyards Fume Blanc and Zinfandel Old Vines $9 and $12
Eberle Cotes du Robles $13
Ferrari-Carano Reserve Red $47
Flora Springs Sangiovese $17
Hanna Merlot and others $16
Iron Horse Brut Rose $25
La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi Barbera $18
Marcelina Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, both $19
Pacific Echo Rosé $23
Quivira Zinfandel and Red Meritage $16 each
Robert Pepi’s Two Heart Canopy Sauvignon Blanc $13
St. Supery Meritage Red and White $40 and $20
Signorello Semillon $20
Valley of the Moon Cuvée de la Lune and others
Venezia Sangiovese, Chardonnay
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Rosé $47
ZD Cabernet Sauvignon $40

(Ask for current vintages available. Prices vary from store to store.)

For pure beauty, the Ferrari-Carano Reserve Red ($48) represents the creme de la creme. It is a perfectly balanced blend of the five grapes grown in Bordeaux. The label features a painting by Marco Stassone, commissioned by Don Carano to reflect the depth, vibrancy and richness of the wine. The art is beautiful, but only tasting the marvelous wine can really impart those qualities.

Flora Springs winemaker Ken Deis says of the Sangiovese, "This wine deserved to be honored with a romantic label inspired by the master neo-classical Italian sculptor Antonio Canova, and I invite you to enjoy this sublime blend of several arts with a toast to life and life’s pleasures."

A Sonoma County producer, Hanna Winery, upgraded its distinctive label with high gloss paper and added touches of gold to the geometric design. It might appeal to engineers or mathematicians or ballerinas who must consider angles so carefully, and the wines will appeal to anyone with good taste.

Carmenet Vineyard Dynamite Cabernet has a winsome, whimsical label that changes each year. This year’s label has a critter’s view inside a cave, looking out at the mountains and surrounding vineyards. The labels may change, but the wine remains approachable with rich flavors minus overwhelming tannins. If you’re grilling, have rib eyes and grilled vegetables with it.

Sometimes the color of the wine is art. Such is the case with the several sparkling rosé wines: Veuve Clicquot, Pacific Echo, Iron Horse, for examples. They are gorgeous in the glass but too delicious to stay there long. These versatile wines are great as aperitifs and delicious with a wide assortment of foods.

Speaking of gorgeous color brings to mind the Eberle Cotes-du-Robles, $13. This vibrant ruby-garnet wine is a little gem, bursting with fresh fruit and a compelling texture to suit most any palate. As Gary Eberle says, "This isn’t a wine for thinking, it’s for drinking." Here! Here!

For sailors, select wines from Quivira (kee-veer-a) Vineyards and Dry Creek Vineyards. Quivira takes its name from a legendary kingdom that Spanish explorers believed was located in Northern California. The handsome Spanish galleon on the label is from a 16th -century map. Quivira Zinfandel and Red Meritage (rhymes with heritage) are especially nice.

The labels of Dry Creek Vineyard feature watercolor renderings of sailboats. The nautical theme—each variety has its own romantic painting--simply reveals owner David Stare’s passion for sailing. His Dry Creek Fume Blanc (another name for sauvignon blanc) has long set the standard for this excellent white wine and his Zinfandel is always delectable as well.

Another appropriate sauvignon blanc comes from Robert Pepi’s Two Heart Canopy. This wine is excellent—period. Fortunately the "Two Heart Canopy" suits Valentine’s.

For those puzzled about a relationship, Caymus’ Conundrum ("anything that puzzles") can hint about the dilemma. The Caymus Vineyards Conundrum is perfect for the task. This flawless white wine—a blend of several different grapes--is reliable year after year for making any repas the best it can be. I drink it with almost every food—no desserts.

Classical types will appreciate Atlas Peak wines. The triangular, flaming red-orange label shows tragic Atlas carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders—his punishment for supporting the wrong deity. It shows the importance of the right choice. Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon is a noteworthy wine, as is the Sangiovese—sure to please.

Enjoy the jazzy label and festively refreshing Beringer Gamay Beaujolais Nouveau. This wine is always a joyous celebration and suits a wide range of foods—pasta with fruit salsas, light chicken dishes and all kinds of sandwiches.

Another beautiful bottle for red wine lovers is the ZD Cabernet Sauvignon, ($42). This bottle appears etched with a festoon of purple grapes and leaves outlined in gold. The bottle and the wine are truly handsome and irresistible.

Valley of the Moon presents the whole bottle as decoration. They are a dramatic black and silver, with a haunting moon theme--Cuvée de la Lune $25 and Sangiovese $25, dreamy to see and taste.

St. Supery Meritage (rhymes with heritage) wines represent the best wines they make. First introduced in October 1997, the bottles feature different illustrations each vintage. This year’s releases, the St. Supery Red $40 and the White $20, both show artistic portrait illustrations, worthy of these ultra premium Bordeaux varietal blends.

Venezia offers a selection of fine wines. Never, have I been disappointed with any of these exceptional wines. All of them wear handsome grape bearers on the labels: Sangiovese $24, Chardonnay $20, Cabernet Sauvignon $24. They’ll become regulars at your table.

La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi wines are the family’s expression of their Italian heritage. The labels are lovely wood-cut-styles with gold embellishments, try any of them--Pinot Grigio $16, Barbera $18, Sangiovese $22, Moscato $12. You’ll love their heritage and the wines.

Marcelina creates a festive, colorful and lively label that appears part of the glass--a young couple gathering fruit at harvestime. It's stunning and so are both of the wines. Enjoy the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon, $19 each.

Signorello has a handsome, happy Bacchus cameo in a gold framed medallion. All the wines are super premiums and the Semillon $20 is extraordinary, maybe the best I've ever tasted. The others are worthy as well.

 


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NEW RELEASES
(prices vary store to store; notes and food suggestions included when given)


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CHILE
VINA SAN PEDRO 35 SUR, produces Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, $7.50 each—all from 35º southern longitude, the wine growing region in the Lontué Valley of Molina, Chile, with the same Mediterranean-like conditions to grow great grapes. Vina Pedro owns 2,490 acres of low-yield vineyards with a winemaking plant that’s considered one of the largest and most modern in Chile.

VINA SAN PEDRO also produces the GATO line from the same region at $5.50 each—Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Chardonnay, Rosé, Sauvignon Semillon and Cabernet Merlot.

Chilean wines are known for their good value and these are good quality as well.

 


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NEW ZEALAND
BRANCOTT VINEYARDS produces wines that capture the essence of New Zealand. Marlborough, at the N.E.tip of South Island, has an average temperature of 64º, abundant sunshine, a relatively dry summer and long cool nights. Gisborne, on the East Coast of North Island, is regarded as the chardonnay capital with opulent fruit flavors.

1996 BRANCOFF "B" Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $25, "Passionfruit, fresh vanilla, attractive flavor nuances, dry and balanced."

1996 ORMOND "O" Estate Gisborne Chardonnay, $23, "rich and opulent, ripe layers of tropical fruit, nuttiness, and toasty vanillin."

1996 RENWICK "R" Estate Marlborough Chardonnay, $23, "Peach, pear, citrus, complex, elegant, full."


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OREGON
Oregon is rich in pastoral beauty, majestic mountains, undulating hillsides and fertile and agriculturally abundant river valleys. The state straddles the temperate 45° North Latitude parallel, an important factor in the production of highly esteemed grapes.

Oregon’s combination of latitude, marine breezes, coastal mountains and long hours of sunshine with cool nights allow grapes to ripen gradually. Rainfall in the winegrowing regions occurs primarily in late fall and winter. These growing conditions and the favorable clay-loam soils have helped Oregon emerge as one of the world’s fine winegrowing areas.

Most of the vineyards are located in the temperate, marine-influenced climate of the interior valleys. Protected by the Coast Range mountains to the west and the high Cascade Mountains to the east, these river valleys are blessed with the long, warm summer days, moderate winters and a gently cooling autumn which permit full development of nuance and complexity in the grapes.

Oregon has four distinct winegrowing appellations: southernmost Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley in mid-state Douglas County, Willamette (pronounced wil-lam-ette) Valley which follows its namesake river from central western Oregon north to Portland to include the Columbia Valley along the state border east of the Cascade Range.

Willamette Valley, the coolest region, is the source for most of the state’s wine grapes and it is the one I visited. Approximately 60 miles wide at its greatest breadth, the River and Valley run south to north, about 100 miles from Eugene to the Columbia River at Portland. The main highway artery of the state, Interstate 5, follows the river. The center of the valley is 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean which provides marine-air influence depending on weather conditions and local formations of the Coast Range mountains. Most of the 40 or so inches of rainfall occurs during the mild winter months. Summers are relatively warm and dry. Vineyards are typically located on benchlands hillsides at the western margin of the valley. Distinct subregions can be identified including the Red Hills of Dundee southwest of Portland, the Eola Hills northwest of Salem, the South Salem Hills and the area west of Eugene near the town of Veneta.

Statistics includes: number of wineries in 1998—120; number of wineries in 1988—66; vinifera acres/ vinifera harvested acres—7,800/6,300; number of varietals—24; ratio of white to red wines produced—48/52;

U.S. ranking for number of wineries—2nd; U.S. ranking for production output—4th; increase in sales of Oregon wines since 1988—282%; Oregon’s wine sales--$99.3 million; benefit to state economy--$110 million+; Oregon wine sales in 1997—827,312 cases; major varieties—pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, pinot gris, cabernet sauvignon, müller-thurgau, gewurztraminer, sauvignon blanc, merlot, zinfandel.

From the air, Oregon appears to be one giant, green, Christmas tree. Coniferous forests cover the mountains and hills with ample splashes of waterways tossed into the picture. It was a beautiful introduction for my first visit to Oregon. With the attentive and careful planning of my visit by Jeannine Breshires of the Oregon Wine Marketing Coalition, my travels were well planned and finitely orchestrated to see as many wineries as possible in one week’s time. How I wish Texas had such an entity for its wine industry.

My agenda included PONZI VINEYARDS, ARGYLE WINERY, ERATH VINEYARDS WINERY, KING ESTATE, BETHEL HEIGHTS VINEYARDS, MONTINORE VINEYARDS, AMITY VINEYARD, SOKOL BLOSSER WINERY, ELK COVE VINEYARDS, CHEHALEM, REX HILL VINEYARDS, OAK KNOLL WINERY. I remember all the wines being clean, fresh, and well made.

 
I also recall thinking that KING ESTATE was the most perfectly designed wine facility I’ve ever visited—when I finally found it. The beauty of the location certainly doesn’t hurt the effect any either. This part of Oregon looks nothing like typical wine country. Perhaps because so little of it is devoted to vineyards. It’s a mountainous forest. Fortunately King say the potential. Not only is the physical plant of KING ESTATE extremely impressive, the wines are stunning. I’ve enjoyed them since their first vintage, 1992. Every aspect of the wine process is given sacred scrutiny, which—perhaps--is why drinking the wines is like hearing a heavenly choir.

KING ESTATE Chairman of the Board Ed King, Jr. took part of the fortune earned by his patents and corporation—the world’s foremost supplier of electronics (navigation, communication and identification equipment, radar and auto-pilots) for private, corporate and commercial airline aircraft—to build his wine property. His decision, made in conjunction with his son, Ed King, III—now president--came from his love for fine wine and great entrepreneurial challenges. Ed, III practiced law before working for his dad, developing and managing the Mobile Communications Division of King Radio where he spearheaded the development of a microprocessor-based tuning system that revolutionized mobile communications.

Located in southeast Oregon, the 550-acre King Estate has mountain-vineyard sites from 800 to 1,100 feet with cool prevailing northwest winds that moderate vineyard temperature. The beautifully groomed, well-drained, sloping-hillside vineyards are among the most clonally diverse for pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay in North America.

For example, tens of millions of dollars were spent on developing a remarkable pinot noir program.

In addition to the lovely, elegantly sculpted wines, King Estate has produced two beautiful cookbooks: King Estate Pinot Noir Cookbook, and the King Estate Pinot Gris Cookbook, $16.95 each. For information: tel. (541)-942-9874, www.kingestate.com
 

PONZI VINEYARDS is located in the rolling farmland 15 miles southwest of Portland, the winery closest to the city center. Established in 1970 by Nancy and Dick Ponzi, the winery is a small family-owned winery that has earned international recognition for consistently producing high quality Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Arneis and Vino Gelato. The Northern Willamette Valley winery is now under the guidance of the second generation Ponzis—Michel, Anna-Maria and Luisa. The first four barrels produced in 1974 have been expanded to the current annual production of 10,000 cases. I tasted through the wines with Maria and she told me their focus is on the wine varietals that perfectly match the Oregon climate: pinot noir, pinot gris, chardonnay and white riesling.

For information: tel. (503) 628-1227 fax (503) 628-0354, www.ponziwines.com, e-mail: ponzi@earthlink.net.
 

ARGYLE Winery, established in 1987, is a top U.S. sparkling wine producer. The company is a partnership between Australian vintner Brian Croser and Oregon vintner Cal Knudsen. They also produce Chardonnay, Dry Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir and have a Texas Aggie, Rollin Soles, for a winemaker.

A former hazelnut processing plant houses the winery and the tasting room is in a restored Victorian farmhouse. Craig Eastman, vice-president of sales and marketing, showed me the facility and we tasted the wines—and I’m pleased to report that this Aggie really knows what he’s doing. All ARGYLE Brut sparklers are vintage dated and made from chardonnay and pinot noir. They’re lovely, and the other wines complete the compliment. We enjoyed the wines with a delicious dinner at Tina’s (please see related story) and the foods enhanced the wines.

Argyle has a unique tank room. The stainless steel tanks are encased in Styrofoam insulation within a housing unit. The latter literally looks like house siding. It completely shelters the tanks from view and various temperatures. Instead of jacketed tanks, Argyle workers use a chilling plate that goes into the juice. These practices conserve energy which is directed into the tank exclusively rather than dissipating throughout the building.

Another unique winery feature is the refrigerated room for fruit. It’s grand-ballroom size at 800 square feet and gives a whole new meaning to walk-in refrigerator. As the fruit comes in, it can be chilled overnight at 35 degrees to minimize oxidation; consequently, there’s no need for sulfur. The fruit is stored in 20-pound bins, light enough to keep the skins of grapes on the bottom from bursting—avoiding detriment from oxidation, bacteria, and mold. According to Craig, lack of sulfur use keeps the Argyle wines bright and true to color. In addition to the elegant sparkling wine, the Argyle Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling are well made and well worth discovering. All the wines consistently win awards and accolades by the press. For information: tel. (503)538-8520, fax (503)538-2055

SOKOL BLOSSER has a convenient walk-through, self-guided tour that describes what happens during the different seasons and shows visitors how grapes grow. I was fortunate in having Alex Sokol Blosser show me around and share his family’s wines. Grapes for the wines come only from Yamhill County and have won gold medals at London’s International Wine & Spirits Competition; San Francisco State Fair; Dallas Morning News National Competition; Atlanta International Wine Festival and others.

Susan and Bill Sokol Blosser started their vineyard in 1971 and the winery in 1977, combining their names and talents to establish one of Oregon’s largest and well-known wineries.

"There was no Oregon wine industry when my parents started," Alex said. "They were among the pioneers. Our production relies on traditional and conservative procedures assisted rather than controlled by technology."

That includes hand-harvested grapes brought in small wooden totes to the winery and treated as gently as possible for their full flavor potential. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are both aged in small French oak barrels for up to 12 months. The limited bottling of Redland is composed of the best barrels and is specially selected to represent the finest of each variety. We tasted through the line and my special favorites were the fresh, clean, properly balanced Pinot Gris $13, Redland Pinot Noir $35, Redland Chardonnay $20, and White Riesling $7. For information: 800-582-6668, www.sokolblosser.com/sb


ELK COVE VINEYARDS enthusiastic, immediately likable marketing director David O’Reilly never tires of showing the beautiful landscape--rows of vines, rolling hills, tree-covered mountains and sweeping vistas that enhance the winery property. Owners Pat and Joe Campbell brought a love of the land combined with respect for learning to their winery operation. Joe, who previously practiced medicine for the Oglala Sioux Indians, coined his motto—Primum Non Nocere, "First Do No Harm." His practice with grapes requires gentle handling.

Property in Yamhill County attracted the Campbells with its south-facing gentle slopes, gnarly prune trees, native wildflowers and blackberries and magnificent Roosevelt Elk. They planted in 1973. Now son Adam Campbell is making the wines and has been instrumental in planting new vineyards and implementing a new gravity flow crush and fermentation facility. The wines shows his dedication to modern advancements and preservation of time honored traditions.

ELK COVE’s 45 acres of vineyards produce a number of special wines, each bottled separately to show off that segment of the vineyard at its best. David and I barrel tasted the wines of La Bohème, Wind Hill, Bishop Creek, Roosevelt and the differences were notable. My notes on barrel samples follow.

While big and tannic in the barrel, the wines had plenty of fruit to help them evolve in bottle. We also tasted the bottled wines and I wasn’t surprised to find them filled with good structure, nicely textured and expressing the flavors discerned in the barrels.

For information: tel. (503)985-7760, fax (503)985-3525

REX HILL is owned by proprietors Paul Hart and Jan Jacobsen and managed by a diverse team of professionals. Key players include Lynn Penner-Ash, president and winemaker, Diane Kenworthy, a seasoned vineyard manager and Kay Kusy-Eliassen, a well-traveled director of marketing.

The first crush under the REX HILL label was in 1983 with grapes purchased from ten different vineyard sites. "Paul poured as much energy into cultivating relationships as he did developing the land (now 225 acres) he had begun to acquire," said my hostess, Kay Eliassen. "Our soils are often compared to Burgundy and we don’t mind the comparison, although we think our vivid wines stand in a class by themselves. Unlike many grape growing regions, there is no typical harvest in Oregon—even though we can always count on some degree of cold and rain and a number of sleepless nights."

In 1996 Rex Hill Vineyards reached a new record production of 32,000 cases. In 1998 the production was 42,000. Pinot Noir accounts for 50% of total yield, Pinot Gris 25%, Chardonnay 15% with Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc making up the rest. The three major varietals are barrel fermented or barrel aged in French oak barrels. Vineyards designate and reserves received 50% new oak.

The winery is located in a former fruit drying plant, a building rich in history. For information: (503)538-0666, fax: (503) 538-1409, e-mail: rexhill@teleport.com, www.rexhill.com

 
MONTINORE wines embrace the European concept that wines are made in the vineyard. Frenchman and Winemaker Jacques Tardy certainly agrees. With 585 acres, he has ample grape opportunities. "I grew up in Burgundy where my family has owned vineyards for generations, " Jacques said. "My older brother ran our winery in Nuit St. Georges so I came to America. The French government is too much in the wine business in France. Here I can express myself in creative ways without all the French restrictions. I’d never go back to our winery in Burgundy."

As we tasted through the wines, Jacques talked about the wines.

"I use two to three hours of skin contact with the white wines to enhance the fruit flavor and for a touch of color for the Pinot Gris."

I’ve questioned a lot of winemakers about weird odors I get in wines. No one has ever been able to explain the particular phenomenon I describe as a cross between aspirin, cleaning powder and metallic. So I asked Jacques why often wines have a medicinal/metallic odor and taste—like aspirin and mercurochrome, and his answer is the first I’ve ever received. Thank you, Jacques.

"Research has been done and is ongoing about UTA, or untypical aging, which can give those odors. It can be due to dry weather during veraison and is apparently a particular compound (2aminoacidophenon). It makes the plant lack nitrogen. One remedy is irrigation at that time."

Jacques apprenticed at J. Lohr before finding a home at Montinore. I don’t know what the wines were like before he came in 1992, but he definitely has a magic vinous touch. I liked his style.

For information: tel. (503) 359-5012 fax (503) 357-4313

AMITY VINEYARDS is owned and operated by the dedicated Oregon wine enthusiast and winemaker, Myron Redford. Myron said "I am one of the pioneers in this state—I borrowed the money from my family to being this pursuit—and I do things differently. I use, by choice, not economics, no new oak in any of my wines and I believe I am the only one in Oregon that does so—maybe in the U.S.," he added. "I specialize in Pinot Noir—it’s over 50% of our production, but I prefer to blend rather than vineyard designate. I introduced true Gamay Noir to the U.S. from French clones sent to Oregon State University, and, by the way, our 1997 is very nice (I tasted it and it was). I make what I believe is the only wine labeled "Sulfite free" in the U.S. and I have to get the label approved every year and independent lab teats to prove it. Although I was making and selling several hundred cases of Chardonnay each year, I decided to get out of the Chardonnay business in 1993. I made my last Chardonnay in 1994 and have rafted all the estate vines to Pinot Blanc," he continued. "I have set up an organization, Oregon Pinot Blanc, to promote the varietal. Incidentally, all Oregon Pinot Blanc is true Pinot Blanc, not Melon. Our site, with a 180-degree view of the coast range, is one of the most beautiful in Oregon." It was.

I tasted AMITY wines seated at a table under a huge wild plum tree, a setting that gave me a full view of the beautiful, surrounding manicured vineyards and verdant mountains. Then Myron and I joined his wife for lunch on the deck of their home, truly nestled in a conifer forest.

For information: tel. (503) 835-2362 fax (503) 835-6451, , www.amityvineyards.macnet.com, e-mail: amity@macnet.com

 
CHEHALEM (Chuh-hay-lum), besides being a winery that makes delightfully rich and bold premium wines, is a local Indian word that means "valley of flowers." Harry Peterson-Nedry is the thought and planning behind the winery. His wife, Judy, wrote Oregon Wine Country and I quote her entry on CHEHALEM.

"Raised on a farm in North Carolina, Harry first tasted wine in his twenties. With a double major in Chemistry and English from the University of North Carolina, he was already predisposed to a career that combined science and art. In 1980 the family purchased land on the Chehalem Ridge in Yamhill. Planting began in 1982 with five acres of pinot noir. Harry continued his career in industry, squeezing in grape growing and experimental winemaking during evenings and weekends. He formed The Chehalem Group Limited Partnership to allow vineyard expansion and additional land purchases, sold grapes to neighboring wineries, and in January 1993 released his first wine—1990 Pinot Noir. Bill and Cathy Stoller became partners, and the winery expanded in 1995 when Chehalem bought Veritus Vineyard. In 1996 Harry released Chehalem’s first reserve Pinot Noir, the 1994 Rion Reserve, named for his friend and collaborator Patrice Rion of Burgundy." Cheryl, Harry and I tasted a number of their wines.

For information: tel. (503) 538-4700, fax (503) 537-0850, e-mail: harrypn@chehalemwines.com.

 
OAK KNOLL WINERY is owned and operated by the Vuylsteke family—and there’re are plenty of them to handle the job: Stephen is president and CEO; Ronald is chairman of the board and winemaker; Marjorie is public relations and retail sales ; John is warehouse manager and Thomas takes care of the plant and maintenance. Their ancestry is Belgian, and Ron founded the winery in 1970. I tasted through their wines with Stephen, Ron’s son, and he represented the group well.

Oak Knoll grapes are bought from "a large stable of dedicated growers, Stephen told me.

"If you grow your own grapes, good or bad, you’re stuck with them," he said. "But by working with our growers we can select exactly what we want and maintain a flexibility in the marketplace. Moreover, because our growers are in different parts of the Willamette Valley, each with different soil and climatic conditions and therefore different grape flavors, we can create wines of intricate structure with subtle nuances otherwise not possible from a single site."

One of the Oregon wine pioneers, Oak Knoll Winery is housed in an old dairy. It’s hollow tile construction has natural temperature control to the latest and best equipment. The Vuylstekes inspired local farmers to plant wine grapes, testing the experimental plots with small lots to find the best locations. They’ve been buying their grapes ever since the vines began producing.

"This sampling gave us the flavor palette from the land to craft our wines, " Stephen said. "We wanted to stress food friendly wines, accenting good fruit."

For information: tel. (503) 648-8198, fax (503) 648-3377


BETHEL HEIGHTS VINEYARD has 50-acres of vineyards meticulously farmed by Ted Casteel to help brother Terry Casteel make the excellent wines. The backbone of the wine production comes from vines that are over twenty years old. New plantings of recently introduced Dijon clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were begun in 1994. All vines have been refined over the years to maximize the specific potential of each section of the vineyard. Case production has increased from 3,000 in 1984 to 10,000 in 1997—luckily for wine drinkers. The winemaking emphasizes gentle handling, natural processing and letting the grapes speak for themselves.

Pat Dudley, married to Ted, handles marketing, and Marilyn Webb, married to Terry, handles the finances of the operation. Marilyn was traveling but I had a delightful luncheon with Pat within the framework of the new winery under construction, which, of course, and again, overlooks the magnificent view of the hills and wine fields. She prepared fresh salmon sandwiches for us, a first for me. I hope I’m invited back.

Pat said "We make three different styles of Pinot Noir: Estate bottling blends from all parts of the vineyard, Reserves from selected barrels of unique sections and "Eola Hills Cuvée" from neighboring vineyards. The Estate Chardonnay is barrel fermented and aged on the lees until malolactic is completed. A few barrels are selected to age longer for the Reserve. Pinot blanc and pinot gris were planted more recently but are definitely keepers," she assured me. "Like pinot noir grapes, they achieve intense but balanced and delicate flavors on our site and our winemaking style emphasizes the fruit character."

For information: tel (503) 581-2262, fax (503) 581-0943, e-mail: bethal@viser.net

 
ERATH marks its 25th anniversary this year, established in 1968 but the first crush was 1972. Owner/winemaker Dick Erath has focused on making distinctive Pinot Noir from grapes grown in the Red Hills above Dundee, but he produces other delicious wines as well. The Pinot Pyramid forms various categories of Pinot Noir and at the apex are the Single Vineyard Designations (100-500 cases); then the Reserve Pinot Noir (500-1,000 cases); he Vintage Select Pinot Noir (1,000-3,000) and finally the Vintage Pinot Noir ( 10,000 to 25,000).

According to Judy Peterson-Nedry’s book, "Dick Erath, a California native, ranks as one of the most influential Oregon wine pioneers. He moved with his family to Dundee in 1968 and planted his first four acres of grapes in 1969. . . . He released his first commercial wines from the 1972 vintage. In the winery, Erath’s passion was for Pinot Noir and Riesling, but his true love is for grape growing. For years he has run a successful nursery that has supplied many of Oregon’s grape growers. . . . Exciting Chardonnays from recently planted Dijon clones share the limelight with the Pinot Noirs, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc."

Mike Harris showed me around the property—another one with an incredible view, and then we tasted through the line of these lovely wines.

For information" tel. (503) 538-3318, fax (503) 538-1074

 


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TINA'S in Dundee
760 Highway 99W
Dundee, Oregon
(503) 538-8880

This bright, friendly restaurant is filled for luncheon (Tues.-Fri) or dinner daily, year-round. There’s a wife-and-husband-chef team who are doing a really fine job. They take turns in the kitchen and with the children. Tina Landfried handles the daytime cooking and all breads and pastries and David Bergen takes over for dinner. As a starter, the Salmon Cakes with Fried Capers $7 were moist and nicely flavored, delicious with the Argyle Riesling, as were the Seared Sea Scollops with Thyme Cream Sauce $12 and Argyle sparkling Brut. The Grilled Chinook Salmon (line caught) $23 with ginger, soy and garlic served on udon noodles with bok chok, snow peas and Napa cabbage was perfect. The Braised Rabbit $18.50 with portabello mushrooms and apple brandy and creamy polenta was infused with good flavors, the Beef Tenderloin $26.50 served on Port an garlic sauce with Yyukon potatoes had good texture and deliciousness. The breads are freshly baked, as are the desserts, and well worth the calories. We tasted everything with the Argyle Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines which showed themselves to be food friendly.

Argyle Vice President, Sales and Marketing Director Craig Eastman and I had a delicious dinner at Tina’s and later in the week I enjoyed luncheon at Tina’s with Chehalem Winemakers Cheryl Francis and Harry Peterson-Nedry. The Chehalem Chardonnay and Riesling were treats with our soups, salads and sandwiches.


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