Willamette Wine Tasting

I’m heading out to the Willamette Valley at the end of September (assuming things don’t shut down again). I’ve got a lot of things locked down, but I keep second-guessing myself on the winery choices. A couple of my top picks are shut down for good reason (Todd and Marcus). The others that I am planning on include:

Day 1
Evesham Wood
Cristom (confirmed)

Day 2
Kelley Fox (confirmed)
Bergstrom
Patricia Green

Day 3 (maybe)
Harper Voit
SchoneTal

I don’t have a lot of experience drinking pinot from Oregon - or, really pinot in general. Is this a solid range of producers? Are there any I should consider swapping out?

Not sure if you’re trying to focus on Pinot or if you’re open to producers that aren’t Pinot-centric.

I’d suggest (if they’re open) - Arterberry Maresh, Johan Vineyards and Martin Woods Winery. All three make very nice Pinots as well as excellent whites (and very nice Gamay at Martin Woods). If you’re looking for mostly whites, Bill at Paetra is a must visit.

I’m focusing almost exclusively on PN. Would you knock out any of the ones I listed for one you advised? Day 3 likely isn’t happening and I realistically am probably only going to be able to fit in 5 wineries based on time constraints.

You could hit Lingua Franca by Cristom as well.

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Plus 1 on Scott’s suggestions.

Johan makes some excellent Pinot Noirs and my favorite Blaufrankisch.

I would add Vincent to your Eola-Amity day.

You should also see if Walter Scott are doing “to go” tastings. I got my act together amd emailed you tonight, we’re happy to do a “to go” set for tasting current release wines as well.

I also would recommend Belle Pente, when you’re seeing PGC. And Brickhouse that day if they are open.

Then I’d make sure to visit Goodfellow (see Marcus’ comment above about “to go” bottles), Kelley Fox, Belle Pente, Patricia Green, and Johan. Those five would give you AVA diversity and many well made Pinots.

I like Evesham Wood, but not as much as the five listed above. YMMV, but I’m not a fan of the others listed in your itinerary not included in the five suggestions. Brick House and Walter Scott are great choices too if any of the above doesn’t work out.

Enjoy your trip. The valley is great.

I would knock out Bergstrom. A few years back we did a Vertical of the 2002 Bergstrom Vineyard…not only were the wines disappointing, they were so far out of balance that I dropped myself from their case club immediately & each time I’ve gone back to try their wines (even from different vineyards) I’ve found them to have such a short life in them that they’re the one place I actively encourage others to avoid whenI hear they’re going to the Willamette Valley. Brick House, Domaine Drouhin, Argyle, are all far more interesting with time. If you’re looking for a place close to Patricia Green, why not check out Beaux Freres (their neighbor).

I would visit Bethel Heights and Walter Scott which are right next to each other and both make great wines.

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They are right next to Cristom so easy visits if open.

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If you decide to go to Bergstrom, you might head a little further up the hill and hit de Lancellotti, which I particularly liked and are doing appointments.

I was considering a delayed visit the last week of September as well, but it appears that several of my favorite folks will be closed or limited to some capacity which is completely understandable. Throw in harvest and I would imagine that it will be more difficult to visit with folks.

If we make the trip, I guess that we could pare the visits down to 1 or 2 a day, but what’s the scene in the valley, restaurants in general? I know that Valley Commissary is at least temporarily closed and I would imagine that Thistle is closed.

Anyway, back on topic, it appears that you have Eola Amity as Day 1 which is great. It’s best to group your tastings in the valley to avoid too much time traveling between visits. As Marcus suggested, I would contact Vincent and schedule an appointment with him on Day 1. If he’s available, Vincent would be a short ride from Cristom. And definitely schedule that “to go” tasting at Walter Scott on Day 1. For Day 2, Kelley Fox and PGC would be a great day of tastings. If you are looking for a third appointment, it kind of depends on your tasting time at Kelley Fox. Plenty of folks around PGC as others have suggested, and as Marcus suggested Belle Pente isn’t that far away either. And definitely catch the “to go” tasting at Goodfellow.

Enjoy your trip.

Valley Commissary is permanently closed. Thistle reopened Tuesday with all outdoor seating. Most other restaurants in downtown McMinnville are open, though seating is limited. Through Labor Day, they have closed Third Street on the weekends to allow for more outdoor dining.

Rick, thanks for your response. Yeah, it was my understanding that the Valley Commissary closure was permanent, but their website is still indicating temporary closure. Always enjoyed catching up with you and Marcus during our McMinnville day and heading to VC for lunch. Good to know about Thistle and the other DTM restaurants.

Thanks for all the advice guys, it’s much appreciated. I’ve update my plans based on your advice. I really wanted to check out Beaux Freres, but frankly I’m priced out of their wine and I’m looking to find winemakers I can enjoy for years to come.

Day 1:
-Vincent (awaiting response)
-Johan (awaiting Vincent’s response first)
-Cristom
-Harper Voit (hopefully, they’re within walking distance of our hotel)

Day 2:
-Kelley Fox
-Belle Pente
-Patricia Green (they said maybe, but I’m hoping it all works out)
-Goodfellow

ya gotta make time to visit Eyrie Vineyards. And while you’re in the neighborhood, stop by Heater Allen (a fellow wine geek) for some excellent Pilsner.

Eyrie is currently closed or I would’ve gone - so convenient :confused:

I like the suggestions in this thread. Kelley and Dustin at KF are a great visit. loved my time visiting Patty Green, and with Marcus. If you can, the suggestions of Bethel Heights, Walter Scott for to go are great. Personally, the other one that is on my list the next time I go is Big Table Farm and/or Lingua Franca, just because I really enjoy their wines.

I think we’re hedging our bets a little on harvest and tasting room intersection this fall. I’m only hiring 1 harvest worker rather than 5-6 and the staff is a little concerned that there might be days when they need to pitch in and scheduling tastings could be a bad plan. I’m pretty confident I have it figured out as far as how to pull off the same work load with less than half the people. I’m guessing it will work out just fine. Little bit of them being overly-protective of the situation at hand.

I absolutely understand, Abigail communicated that well. I’m excited to check out your wine, so hopefully it works out!

Wow day 2 looks unbelievable. A trip we hope to make in the next few years. I’ve got wines coming in the fall from all of them. 16-18 just an incredible trio of vintages.

We had a 2018 Arterberry Maresh our first 18 this weekend. It opened up with about 45 mintues of air. What a wine especially for the price but will reward 3-4 years in the cellar.