7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon’s Willamette Valley for Summer 2024
7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Atticus Wine's Intimate Pinot Noir Tastings
Atticus Vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton sub-AVA of Oregon's Willamette Valley offers unique and intimate Pinot Noir tasting experiences led by winemaker Ximena Orrego and her husband Guy.
The Willamette Valley is known for its world-class Pinot Noir, and while the region is popular, there are still many hidden gem wineries worth visiting, such as Atticus Vineyard.
Atticus Vineyards employs a unique fermentation technique that involves using wooden vats instead of the more common stainless steel tanks, imparting distinctive flavors to their Pinot Noir.
The winery's Pinot Noir is a blend of two distinct Burgundian clones - Dijon and Pommard - which contribute different aromatic profiles and tannin structures to the final wine.
Atticus sources its grapes from multiple microclimates within the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, allowing them to create a complex and nuanced Pinot Noir that reflects the diverse terroir of the region.
Winemaker Ximena Orrego holds a degree in enology from the University of California, Davis, and has honed her craft working at prestigious wineries in both Oregon and California.
The winery's tasting room is housed in a historic barn that dates back to the early 1900s, providing a rustic and intimate setting for visitors to savor Atticus' Pinot Noir.
Atticus Vineyards is one of the few wineries in the Willamette Valley that offers a vertical tasting of their Pinot Noir, allowing guests to explore the evolution of the wine over multiple vintage years.
What else is in this post?
- 7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Atticus Wine's Intimate Pinot Noir Tastings
- 7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Arterberry Maresh's Historic Barn Tasting Room
- 7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Trisaetum's Art Gallery and Riesling Flights
- 7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Brick House Vineyards' Organic Wine Experience
- 7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Antica Terra's Culinary Pairings with Rare Vintages
- 7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Beckham Estate Vineyard's Amphora-Aged Wines
- 7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Montinore Estate's Biodynamic Wine Tours
7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Arterberry Maresh's Historic Barn Tasting Room
Arterberry Maresh's Historic Barn Tasting Room offers a unique and personal wine tasting experience in the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley.
Visitors can sample the winery's flagship Pinot Noir, made exclusively from the historic Maresh Vineyard, as well as other varietals produced by the third-generation winemaker.
The tasting room's setting in a remodeled barn among the vines adds to the authentic, old-world charm of this hidden gem in the Willamette Valley.
The Maresh Vineyard, which supplies the fruit for Arterberry Maresh's wines, was first planted in 1970, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Willamette Valley.
Winemaker Jim Maresh uses a minimalist, natural approach in the cellar, allowing the unique terroir of the Maresh Vineyard to shine through in the wines.
Arterberry Maresh's "Martha's White" is a blend of whole cluster pressed grapes, a technique that adds texture and complexity to the wine.
The historic red barn that houses the Arterberry Maresh tasting room was originally built in the 1930s and has been meticulously restored to preserve its authentic charm.
Visitors to the tasting room can meet three generations of the Maresh family, who have been stewards of the vineyards for over 50 years.
The Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir is fermented using only native yeasts, allowing for a more expressive representation of the Maresh Vineyard terroir.
Despite its "hidden gem" status, the Arterberry Maresh tasting room consistently receives high praise from wine critics for the quality and authenticity of its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay offerings.
7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Trisaetum's Art Gallery and Riesling Flights
Trisaetum Winery's art gallery and Riesling flights offer a unique blend of visual and gustatory experiences in the Willamette Valley.
Visitors can choose from four distinct wine flights, including a whites-only option that highlights Trisaetum's exceptional Riesling, known for its spice, floral fragrances, and fruit complexity that truly reflect the potential of this grape variety in the region.
Trisaetum's art gallery showcases over 100 original paintings and photographs by winemaker James Frey, creating a unique fusion of wine and visual art.
The winery's Riesling flight includes wines from three distinct estate vineyards, each with different soil types, allowing tasters to experience the impact of terroir on flavor profiles.
Trisaetum produces a rare ice wine Riesling, harvested when temperatures drop below freezing, resulting in concentrated sugars and flavors.
The winery's tasting room features a custom-designed bar made from reclaimed Oregon oak, paying homage to the region's logging history.
Trisaetum's Ribbon Ridge vineyard sits at an elevation of 500 feet, benefiting from cooler temperatures that contribute to the wine's acidity and aromatics.
The winery employs a unique fermentation technique for some of its Rieslings, using concrete eggs that allow for micro-oxygenation and enhanced texture.
Trisaetum's sparkling Riesling, a relatively uncommon style, undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle for 18 months before release.
The winery's art gallery hosts quarterly rotating exhibitions, featuring both local and international artists, adding a dynamic element to the tasting experience.
7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Brick House Vineyards' Organic Wine Experience
The winery's 40-acre estate produces estate-grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay Noir, known for their fruit-driven profiles and food-friendly acidity.
Brick House Vineyards offers a unique tasting experience at the vineyard's edge, welcoming visitors twice a year during Thanksgiving and Memorial Day weekends.
Brick House Vineyards is one of the few certified biodynamic wineries in the Willamette Valley, a farming practice that treats the entire vineyard as a self-sustaining ecosystem.
The winery's 40-acre estate is planted with a unique mix of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the lesser-known Gamay Noir grape variety, which is typically associated with France's Beaujolais region.
Brick House Vineyards uses a gravity-flow winemaking process, which avoids the need for mechanical pumping and helps preserve the delicate aromas and flavors of the grapes.
The winery's Pinot Noir undergoes extended maceration, a technique where the wine is left in contact with the grape skins for several weeks, resulting in more complex tannins and a richer mouthfeel.
Brick House Vineyards is one of the few wineries in the Willamette Valley that produces a limited-edition Chardonnay made entirely from grapes harvested at night to preserve their natural acidity.
The winery's Gamay Noir, a rare varietal in the region, is known for its bright fruit flavors, vibrant acidity, and smooth, approachable tannins, making it an excellent pairing for a wide range of foods.
Brick House Vineyards has been recognized by several prestigious wine publications, including Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, for consistently producing some of the highest-scoring Pinot Noir wines in the Willamette Valley.
The winery's tasting room, located in a historic 19th-century farmhouse, offers visitors a unique opportunity to taste their wines while taking in panoramic views of the surrounding Ribbon Ridge AVA.
Brick House Vineyards is one of the few wineries in the region that offers a vertical tasting of its Pinot Noir, allowing guests to explore the evolution of the wine over multiple vintage years.
7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Antica Terra's Culinary Pairings with Rare Vintages
Antica Terra's culinary pairings with rare vintages promise a sensory journey through the Willamette Valley's terroir.
Winemaker Maggie Harrison's exceptional bottlings will be thoughtfully matched with dishes created by talented local chefs, showcasing the region's vibrant food scene.
These events offer a unique opportunity to experience the harmony between Antica Terra's sought-after wines and innovative cuisine, highlighting the depth and complexity of Oregon's wine country.
Antica Terra's culinary pairings feature rare vintages from their library collection, including a 2010 Pinot Noir that was aged in French oak barrels for 36 months, resulting in exceptionally complex flavors.
The winery employs a custom-built argon gas preservation system to keep opened rare vintage bottles fresh for up to 30 days, allowing for extended tasting experiences.
Antica Terra's culinary team uses a sous-vide cooking technique for certain dishes, precisely controlling temperature to enhance flavor pairings with their wines.
The winery's rare vintage pairings include a vertical tasting of their Botanica Pinot Noir, showcasing the evolution of the wine across five consecutive vintages.
Antica Terra's culinary program incorporates molecular gastronomy techniques, such as spherification, to create unique textures that complement their wines.
The winery's rare vintage collection includes a limited production of late-harvest Riesling, with only 50 cases produced annually.
Antica Terra's culinary pairings feature locally foraged ingredients, including rare wild mushrooms found exclusively in the Willamette Valley region.
The winery utilizes a Coravin wine preservation system, allowing guests to sample extremely rare vintages without compromising the entire bottle.
Antica Terra's culinary team employs a custom-built wood-fired oven, reaching temperatures of up to 900°F, to create dishes that pair exceptionally well with their bold red wines.
The winery offers a unique sensory experience, pairing their rarest vintages with specifically composed music to enhance flavor perception.
7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Beckham Estate Vineyard's Amphora-Aged Wines
Beckham Estate Vineyard offers a unique wine experience in the Chehalem Mountains of Oregon's Willamette Valley.
Winemaker Andrew Beckham, a skilled ceramicist, handcrafts traditional amphorae used to age the wines for his AD Beckham label.
Visitors can enjoy an intimate tasting experience that combines Beckham's passions for ceramics and winemaking, sampling distinctive amphora-aged varieties like Pinot Gris and Trousseau.
Andrew Beckham, the winemaker, handcrafts each amphora using clay sourced from the vineyard property, creating a unique terroir-driven aging vessel for the wines.
The amphorae used at Beckham Estate range in size from 60 to 500 liters, allowing for precise control over the wine's exposure to oxygen during fermentation and aging.
The porous nature of the terra cotta amphorae allows for micro-oxygenation of the wine, resulting in softer tannins and more integrated flavors compared to traditional oak barrel aging.
Beckham Estate's amphora-aged Pinot Gris undergoes extended skin contact for up to 10 months, producing an orange wine with complex aromatics and a tannic structure unusual for white wines.
The winery's amphora-aged Trousseau, a rare grape variety in Oregon, exhibits unique characteristics due to the interaction between the wine and the clay vessel during fermentation.
Each amphora at Beckham Estate is lined with beeswax sourced from local beekeepers, a technique that helps prevent excessive oxidation while allowing controlled micro-oxygenation.
The temperature control of the amphorae during fermentation is achieved through a custom-built water jacket system, ensuring optimal conditions for the native yeast fermentation process.
Beckham Estate's amphora-aged wines typically contain less than 10 parts per million of added sulfites, significantly lower than conventional wines, due to the natural preservative qualities of the clay vessels.
The winery employs a unique amphora cleaning process using high-pressure steam and natural citrus-based cleaners, avoiding the need for harsh chemicals that could affect the wine's flavor profile.
Beckham Estate's amphora-aged Grenache exhibits a distinctively mineral character, attributed to the interaction between the wine and the clay minerals present in the handcrafted vessels.
The winery has experimented with aging Chardonnay in amphorae, resulting in a wine with enhanced textural complexity and a unique aromatic profile compared to traditional oak-aged versions.
7 Hidden Gem Wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley for Summer 2024 - Montinore Estate's Biodynamic Wine Tours
Visitors can explore the 200-acre Demeter Certified Biodynamic and CCOF Certified Organic vineyard, learning about the holistic approach that sets Montinore apart.
The tour highlights their focus on superior Pinot Noirs, cool climate whites, and Italian varietals, showcasing how biodynamic principles contribute to the distinctive character of their wines.
Montinore Estate's 200-acre vineyard is divided into 60 distinct microclimates, each contributing unique characteristics to the wines produced.
The estate uses over 500 pounds of chamomile flowers annually in their biodynamic preparations, which are believed to enhance the vines' immune systems.
Montinore's biodynamic practices include burying cow horns filled with quartz crystals in the vineyard, a technique said to improve soil vitality.
The winery's fermentation tanks are equipped with ultrasonic devices that create sound waves, believed to stimulate yeast activity during fermentation.
Montinore Estate employs falconry as a natural pest control method, with trained birds of prey patrolling the vineyards to deter grape-eating birds.
The estate's irrigation system uses a cutting-edge sensor network that measures vine stress levels, allowing for precise water management across the vineyard.
Montinore's wine cellar is built into a hillside, utilizing geothermal cooling to maintain optimal temperature and humidity levels without artificial climate control.
The winery's bottling line incorporates a unique gas flushing system that reduces oxygen exposure, potentially extending the wine's shelf life.
Montinore Estate uses a custom-designed optical sorting system that can process up to 10 tons of grapes per hour, ensuring only the highest quality fruit is used.
The winery's lab is equipped with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, allowing for detailed analysis of wine compounds and aroma profiles.
Montinore's biodynamic compost piles are monitored by thermal imaging cameras, optimizing the decomposition process for maximum nutrient content.
The estate utilizes drones equipped with multispectral cameras to monitor vine health and ripeness levels across the extensive vineyard.