PARTICIPATING WINERIES
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Founder and Oregon wine industry pioneer Jim Bernau realized a long-held dream when he purchased the Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate site in 1983. After clearing away the old pioneer plum orchard hidden in scotch broom and blackberry vines, he began planting the site to Pinot Noir (Pommard and Wadenswil clones), Chardonnay (Dijon and Espiguette) and Pinot Gris. With no irrigation system, he hand watered the baby vines with thousands of feet of garden hose. Today Willamette Valley Vineyards is one of Oregon’s premier producers crafting wines of elegance and distinction. Their approach is to grow, by hand, the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management and responsible vineyard management. Willamette Valley Vineyards is committed to environmental stewardship. The Estate Pinot Noir block has been certified organic by Oregon Tilth and all their vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon Safe programs since 1997. In 2007, Willamette Valley Vineyards became the first winery in the world to use sustainable cork stoppers certified by the Rainforest Alliance to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.
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Folin Cellars
Folin Cellars is a family owned and operated winery focusing on producing 100% Estate grown warm climate varietals. Our wines are produced using minimal intervention with an emphasis on handcrafted blends highlighting our unique vineyard site. Careful care is taken in the vineyard to ensure only the highest quality fruit goes into our wines. Folin Vineyards is located in the Rogue Valley AVA. Southern Oregon's hot summer days, and cool nights make our location ideal for producing exceptional wines from the warmer climate of Oregon. The vineyard is planted to Viognier, Syrah, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre and Grenache. Utilizing the most innovative vineyard management practices, Folin Vineyards produces grapes for some of Oregon's most noteworthy winemakers as well as being the exclusive source for Folin Cellars wines.
Domaine Meriwether
What started as a quest is now our passion, producing world class sparkling wines. Obtaining this goal required three ingredients: ideal grapes - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grown in Oregon's cool climate; a skilled winemaker with expertise in traditional Methode Champenoise; and lots and lots of patience In 1998 this vision became reality with our first harvest. Now ten years later, our commitment to showcasing Oregon's bounty has expanded into an award-winning portfolio of still and sparkling wines.
Pfeiffer Winery
The Pfeiffer family moved to Oregon in 1947, purchasing the 80 acres that currently serves as Pfeiffer Vineyards and Pfeiffer Winery. Initially, the property functioned as a sheep farm until it was planted in vines. Expanding the vineyard to a winery and tasting room, Robin and his wife, Danuta combined their skills and vision to create world-class wines and a celebrated wine tasting experience. Thoughtful of the environment, their solar operated facility is a model of entrepreneurship, elegance and sustainability. Pfieffer Vineyards is a true family affair. The very gregarious Robin Pfeiffer, a middle and high school Spanish teacher and counselor for 30 years, became a respected viticulturist after retirement, managing the vineyard utilizing sustainable vineyard practices that bring in consistent premium grapes every year.Danuta, an author, newspaper columnist and former radio and television talk show host, also manages Villa Evenings, the winery's high-end wine-maker dinners. Son, Troy Stange designs the winey's labels, logos and website, Danuta's mother, Patricia helps bottling and labeling, other family members pitch in during harvest and Robin and Danuta oversee The Crush. The winery produces limited releases of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Rose and Muscat.
Sweet Cheeks Winery
Sweet Cheeks' "is all about life’s pleasure's, including fine wine" reports Winetrails NW. Expect a whimsical attitude combined with serious winemaking. The 65-acre Estate Vineyard is owned by Oregon wine industry veteran Daniel Smith and sits on 140 acres of prime sloping hillside located in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine appellation. It’s vines, coaxed to fruiting perfection by Aussie Winemaker Mark Nicholl, produce award-winning Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling. Sweet Cheeks overlooks Briggs Hill Valley and offers breathtaking views and old world meets new-world Oregon charm. With vaulted ceilings (trimmed in Oregon chinquipin wood), tumbled stone floors, a soapstone fireplace and a gourmet kitchen Sweet Cheeks is an inviting place with inviting wines.
Artisanal Wine Cellars
At Artisanal Wine Cellars we take our inspiration from the American Arts and Crafts movement, where the vision was to produce hand crafted products based on honesty and simplicity. The American Arts and Crafts movement focused on the structure and nature of materials and the details of design and construction. We have adopted these ideas to represent our view on craft of wine making.
Our goal is to craft wines that express the sum of the vineyard, the winegrower, and the winemaker. We work with small winegrowers in different viticultural areas, primarily within the Willamette Valley, that have unique microclimates. This produces fruit which is a true expression of Oregon viticulture. As winemakers, we use modern equipment to gently process the fruit in small lots. At every step we strive to let the best qualities of the vineyard's fruit lead our winemaking. From the length of the cold soak to the strains of yeast used, to how we press the grapes and the types of barrels we use for aging, we let the wine lead our choices.
To us, wine is about something shared, the flavors of the vineyard and the touch of the winemaker, that is brought to your table to enjoy over a meal with friends and family.
J. Scott Cellars
It seems as if most successful ventures are born out of the same essential ingredients - big dreams, hard work and a lot of love. J. Scott Cellars is no exception. At the age of 28, Jonathan Oberlander quit his job and moved to Davis to pursue his two loves — Bonnie and winemaking. Today Bonnie and Jonathan Oberlander are small boutique wine producers crafting wines from Pacific Northwest vines. Jonathan, having trained as an assistant winemaker at Bernardus, is the epitome of the new generation of Oregon winemakers who utilize a combination of Old World winemaking traditions with New World technology and innovation. They currently produce Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Reisling, Roussanne, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Petite Syrah from selected sites in Oregon and Washington. Guided by the motto "You can't have a dream come true, if you don't first have a dream" they continue to develop their own estate site.
Soléna
The story of Soléna exemplifies old world meets new. It begins in Medoc where Winemaker Laurent Montalieu took his first steps in the vineyard owned by his grandfather Joseph Montalieu. Today, the story continues on the American west coast where in May of 2000 Laurent and wife Danielle Andrus Montalieu purchased an 80-acre estate in the Willamette Valley as a wedding gift to each other. In May 2002, they launched Soléna by releasing their first bottling and, shortly thereafter, Laurent officially departed from Willakenzie Estate where he’d been a respected winemaker and partner since 1995. Soléna is the combination of the Spanish and French words Solana and Solene, celebrating the sun and the moon, and the name that Laurent and Danielle gave to their daughter. Soléna's wines are an exploration of the different terroirs of Oregon and Washington. The winery currently produces Pinot Noir from the estate vineyards as well as Pinot Gris, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Late Harvest Riesling from selected sites throughout the region.
Sweet Cheeks Winery
Sweet Cheeks' "is all about life’s pleasure's, including fine wine" reports Winetrails NW. Expect a whimsical attitude combined with serious winemaking. The 65-acre Estate Vineyard is owned by Oregon wine industry veteran Daniel Smith and sits on 140 acres of prime sloping hillside located in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine appellation. It’s vines, coaxed to fruiting perfection by Aussie Winemaker Mark Nicholl, produce award-winning Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling. Sweet Cheeks overlooks Briggs Hill Valley and offers breathtaking views and old world meets new-world Oregon charm. With vaulted ceilings (trimmed in Oregon chinquipin wood), tumbled stone floors, a soapstone fireplace and a gourmet kitchen Sweet Cheeks is an inviting place with inviting wines.
Trisaetum Winery
Trisaetum Winery began as an idea in the back yard garden where James and Andrea Frey experimented with their love of wine by planting a small vineyard. Soon the couple began taking over various rooms in their home to practice their hand at winemaking. After the couple welcomed a son Tristen and daughter Tatum (for whom Trisaetum Vineyards is named), the entire family began to work each year’s small crush, and talk of moving the family to wine country became a more frequent conversation; a conversation that seemed to always finish in the same place, a place beginning to be known as "the area" if you were serious about making serious Pinot Noir, the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Trisaetum Winery was a dream realized in 2003 with the initial purchase of a 52-acre farm property in the Oregon coast range. Today, Trisaetum’s gravity fed winery rests on the newer vineyard site in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, nestled between the likes of Beaux Frères, Patricia Green, and Brick House. At Trisaetum, all the energy is focused on crafting great wine only from nature’s two noble varietals; that being Pinot Noir and Riesling.
Westrey Wine Company
Founded in 1993, "Westrey" represents the collaborative viticulture and winemaking of Amy Wesselman and David Autrey. Both Autrey and Wesselman take part in all aspects of wine production, from vineyard to bottle. Through careful observation and experimentation, Autrey and Wesselman employ a style of winemaking that is distinctively "Westrey" while allowing each wine to communicate its vineyard of origin.
Westrey wines are styled to showcase fruit in a context of balanced texture, acidity and alcohol. Grapes are harvested at the peak of balance between acidity and ripe flavors. Upon arrival at the winery, Pinot Noir is sorted and destemmed directly into fermentation vessels to keep handling to a minimum. Indigenous yeast is used wherever possible, and wine is pressed immediately at dryness to ensure the majority of extraction occurs before the presence of alcohol. New oak barrels are used to complement, rather than compete with, varietal character. Westrey Pinot Noirs are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Although Pinot Noir constitutes the majority of Westrey's production, equal care is given to Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Fermentation and aging of Pinot Gris takes place entirely in stainless steel tanks, to produce a clean, crisp, "fruit-first" wine. Westrey Chardonnay is fermented and aged in French and Oregon oak, and undergoes a complete malolactic fermentation prior to bottling.
Westrey's total production is growing each year. In 1993, just 400 cases represented Westrey's first release. With 22 acres under vine at Oracle Vineyard, Westrey’s estate vineyard in the Dundee Hills, production has increased to about 4,000 cases annually. |
