Willamette Valley Oregon Wine Tasting

I’ve made two trips to Willamette Valley over the past two years to taste Oregon wine from the area.   The wineries we visited were: Ayoub, Archery Summit,  Ayres,  Domaine Drouhin,  Argyle, Soter,  Penner Ash, Coelho, Roco,  Sokel Blosser, Cristom, Adelsheim, Left Coast, Domaine Serene,  Utopia, and Winderlea. 

On one of the trips my wife and I stayed at the Ley Puy Inn.  The inn is owned by Lea Duffy and Andy Kosusko and we found the accommodations clean, comfortable, and the inn was nicely decorated and very well maintained.   The setting was relaxing and the breakfasts were unique and tasty. They  went out of their way to make us feel welcome and help us enjoy the area.  Lea  set up appointments for us at some appointment only tasting rooms and they made dinner reservations for us at Painted Lady, and at Recipe two restaurants that we thoroughly enjoyed. 

Before I discuss the wineries in more detail some general comments.  First of all I found it almost impossible to find a wine we did not enjoy.  Secondly we found, much to our surprise, is that we preferred the Willamette Valley AVA wines that sold for between $30-$45 to the more expensive sub-appellations that are priced between $40-$65 or the even more expensive single vineyard wines that sold for as much as $80.  You may not get as rare a wine with the Willamette AVA but what you do get is a more accurate representation of the winemaker’s vision as they have more flexibility in mixing the grapes to make a wine more to their liking.   

Far and away our most memorable wine tasting experience, and our favorite wines came from Ayoub. 

The tastings are by appointment only and this tasting was set up by our innkeepers.  Ayoub is owned and operated by “Mo” Ayoub.  When we arrived we thought we were at the wrong place.  No fancy tasting room here just an ordinary looking house.  We rang the doorbell and no one answered.  A couple of minutes later “Mo” himself drove up with a paper bag in his hand and unlocked the door.  He put the bag on the kitchen table where he motioned for us to take a seat.  He left the room for a minute or two and came back with several bottles of wine.  He poured several Pinot's and his Chardonnay.  As much as we enjoyed the Pinot , our most pleasant surprise was his Chardonnay.   I had never tried an Oregon Chardonnay prior to that, was skeptical and not really expecting much. It was amazing.  It was smooth, balanced with just enough oak. I don’t ever remember enjoying a Chardonnay more. I don't usually pay $45 for a Chardonnay but this one is worth it. After he was done pouring the Chardonnay he opened the bag took out some cheese that he served with his Pinot Noir.  He started with the Willamette AVA Memoirs Pinot ($36) and then poured several of his single vineyard selections ranging in price from $45-$60.  Each one was enjoyable and were good values at their price points when compared to other producers. 

As a side note when we arrived home I was looking through an old issue of Wine Spectator which feature Willamette Valley wines on the cover and the article features a picture of one of “Mo's" wines as well as impressive scores for all his wines, including a 90 for his Chardonnay. I am obviously not the only one that thinks highly of Ayoub.  

Our next favorite combination of tasting room and wine was at Soter.  This was also by appointment only.  You drove up to the beautiful tasting at the top of a hill that offered an incredible view of the area.  Our favorite wine was their North Valley Willamette AVA Pinot.  It featured just the right combination of fruit and earthiness and at $30 it was a best buy when compared to other wines we tasted.   

In the tier just behind Ayoub and Soter we would include Archery Summit, Ayres, Domaine Drouhin, Roco, and Domain Serene.  They all featured just enough of the earthiness that Oregon is known for but had a hint of the fruitiness that many of us have come to enjoy with Pinot Noir. The Willamette Valley AVA Pinot at Archery Summit was every bit as good as their single vineyard wines at half the price.  Ayres is a unique experience in that the appointment only tasting room is located in what once was the garage that is attached to the lower level of the owners home. (Pictured is me with Brad McLeroy the winemaker at Ayres). 

In the next grouping , I would have  Adelsheim , Penner Ash, Coelho, Left Coast Cellars,  and Winderlea.  All great wines that I enjoyed a great deal but that I felt were not quite as distinctive as the higher tier wines. Coelho is unique in that they produce some wines consistent with the families Portuguese heritage.  You should plan a lunch time visit to Left Coast Cellars as they serve some nice sandwiches and other lunch items. 

At Argyle we found thier sparkling wines to be outstanding but the still wines to be so-so.  For you trivia buffs Rocco was founded Rollin Soles by the former winemaker at Argyle 

If we were disappointed at all it was with Utopia and Sokel Blosser.  The wine at Utopia was good but not great and the wine tasting staff seemed distracted.  The tasting room was crowed and it was all in all our least pleasant experience. Sokel Blosser has an outstanding tasting room that incorporates all sorts of environmentally friendly features.  I don’t know if we were just having a bad day but every wine seemed overly acidic and a bit thin.  We poured a lot of it out. Most folks that I have told this to tell me I was wrong so I plan to go back on our next visit.. 

Our visits only scratched the surface as there are more wineries in the area than we could possibly visit.  No matter the weather (it was pretty bad during our visits) it is an enjoyable experience with outstanding wine, and unique tasting experiences. We hope to return soon.