Oregon Wine Country: Day Three

Alison Sokol Blosser

Today was a “play day”.  My first stop was a visit to Sokol Blosser Winery.  The lovely drive up to the winery was flanked by Pinot Noir on the left and Pinot Gris on the right.  Alison took me on a tour that included nearby vineyards and the winery. Sokol Blosser is in the heart of the Dundee Hills, famous for its red volcanic soils (“jory”).  Sokol Blosser is an organic vineyard with 85 acres in vine, 72 of which are Pinot Noir.  SB Pinot Noir ages in oak barrels for 16 months and then remains in bottle for several months before release. Their Dundee Hills Pinot Noirs are wonderful and reasonably priced for the area.

Pinot Gris Grapes at Sokol Blosser

My next stop was a winery I had never heard of  that came highly recommended called Winderlea Vineyard and Winery.  The view from the tasting room is spectacular.  Winderlea is a boutique winery with very limited production (400-600 cases per label).  I was impressed by their gorgeous wines and purchased several.  I don’t know if you will ever find these wines outside OR, but if you are visiting the area, Winderlea is a must.

Excavation Showing Layers of Soil

Last stop for the day was Alexana Vineyards and Winery which I would never have found if fellow tasters at Winderlea had not mentioned it.  Reid, the tasting room manager at Winderlea confirmed that it was well worth the visit.  The tasting room at Alexana is still in the process of being completed and their wines are currently being produced by Lynn Penner- Ash, a renowned wine maker.  Ground has been broken for the new Alexana Winery (see photo on the left) and Lynn will continue to be a consultant to the winery when it is up and running.  The wines were impressive, particularly the 2007 Ravana Vineyard Pinot Noir.

To cap off my day, Ken and Karen invited me to their youngest daughter’s soccer match and then we all went on to a delightful local restaurant for sushi.  But we still drank Oregon Pinot Noir!!