Edible
Skinny’s Girls Getaway Trip to the Willamette Valley
By
Kat Thomas
Editor
in Chief, Edible Skinny
The
second part of Edible Skinny’s Girls Getaway trip brought us to the
Willamette Valley for a day of whimsy, wine and waxing poetic of the
expanding state of Oregon vineyards.
A
few years ago was the 50th anniversary of the first planing of grapes
in the Willamette Valley by Eyrie Vineyards David-Lett. Today this
wine region is home to 530 wineries and almost 20.000 acres of
planted vineyards. It’s been quite the evolution, leading to Wine
Enthusiast naming Oregon’s Willamette Valley as its “Wine Region
of the Year” in 2016.
Hey,
Locally Produced, Hey! If you’re looking wine snobbery don’t
stop here! Pretentiousness is out the door in the WIllamette Valley.
The soul of the area is really a farming community, according to
Dave Specter, owner of Bells Up Winery, a community that embraces the
soil, weather, and people to create wine full of craft!
All
the wineries Edible Skinny visited were in the Chehalem (pronounced
“Sha-HAY-lum”) Mountains AVA. Located between Oregon’s
Cascade Mountains and the Coast Range, this AVA is more than 100
miles long and spanning 60 miles at its widest point. This area is
defined by Laurelwood soil, a basalt base covered with ice age
windblown sedimentary soils. It is superb for the cultivation of
Pinot Noir, contributing rich and intense flavors to the wine.
Our
first stop was the micro-boutique estate winery Bells Up. Making
just 400 cases annually, Dave Specter left his Cincinnati legal
career in the Midwest to put down winemaking/growing in the Valley in
2012. Bells Up composes handcrafted, classically styled Oregon Pinot
Noir with grapes sourced primarily from the northern Willamette
Valley. Dave, a former french horn player, names all their wines
after french horn dominant musical pieces. The winery name
references the music term of lifting up of the french horns, a bells
up movement.
Bells
Up is 100% self funded with Dave and his wife Sarah running all the
tastings. Dave quickly notes, “it’s not about volume; it’s
about creating an experience. Tiny producers are the soul of the
Willamette Valley.” Their slogan: micro-boutique un-domain. Bells
Up focuses on versatile wines that are food friendly. “The best
compliment I can get is that it’s really yummy. We have one
customer who’s favorite food pairing with our Rosé is Doritos.”
Our
Favorite Recommendations:
- Seyval Blanc (Not Available Online) - The only varietal planting in the Willamette Valley and only the second planting in all of Oregon this wine was developed in New York for cold tolerant climates. A teeny tiny harvest, “I created one jug,” exclaims Dave, the flavor is bright earthiness. As if you played in mud, and then took a shower.
- 2017 Prelude Rosé ($22) - Sourced from the first-ever harvest of Bells Up's estate vineyard, this fuller-bodied rosé is named for Franz Liszt’s “Symphonic Poem No. 3: Les Preludes.” With a nose of fresh strawberry, “bada-bing” cherry, and sunshine, it’s the perfect late afternoon patio wine. A white eyelet dress with silver bangles catching the low sun over Aix-en-Provence.
2015
Titan ($40) -
Named for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Titan tastes
of bebop jazz and a brown leather couch. Created during the hottest
year in the Valley in decades, the taste is a juicy winner. Oh and
it received a Wine Enthusiast score of 90.
More
Info at:
Our
next stop was a stone’s throw away from Bells Up Winery (literally
up the hill) at Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast for a scrumptious
lunch. Set on a hill overlooking the Willamette Valley, this upscale
10 year old bed-and-breakfast is within 10 miles of a dozen or more
wineries. With decks overlooking the stunning mountainside and a view
that’s the ultimate Selfie backdrop, Kelly and I thought we might
never want to leave.
Owner
Kristen only uses handmade and local ingredients, down to special
jams and jellies you won’t find anywhere else. The day we dined
there our two spread options were Pear Cranberry jam and Grape Jelly
made from Pinot Noir grapes from Bells Up Winery. Kristin, a Cordon
Bleu school trained chef, usually offers up a fruit dish, bread dish,
and an entrée to her guests everyday, with dishes that are familiar
but, “tweaked a bit.” She even won a Bed & Breakfast award
for being the most accommodating B&B-er to food allergies. First
of the menu was hearty Pumpkin Scones with the aforementioned jams
and jellies. Then onto Kiwi Parfait with Vanilla Yogurt and Homemade
Hazelnut Granola, naturally made with local Oregon hazelnuts. This
was followed by a Cheese Souffle with Tillamook Cheddar and Thyme
from the garden, paired with a Fennel Orange Salad. Can we say
Yumm!!!
Afterwards
we got a tour of the 5-bedroom property. Staying in a B&B is
slightly adventurous in nature, and with that in mind Chehalem Ridge
Bed & Breakfast inspires its guests to explore, both the local
area and the other guests that are residing inside its walls.
There’s a common area to meet people and no TVs in any of the
rooms. The cozy rooms have themes inspired by the state itself from
the Oregon Coast to Oregon Wine Country. Go green, there’s a 20,000
kilowatt array, that creates 80% of electricity. Oh and did we
mention there are fresh baked cookies everyday? This is a the B&B
you want to retire to!
To Book a Room:
Our
next winery to experience was Alloro, which set it sights on bringing
Old World allure to Oregon. Alloro’s 80-acre estate is an
homage to Italian tradition, from its Tuscan farmhouse and culinary
gardens to the heirloom sheep that graze the vineyard. The word
Allor is Italian for Laurel Leaf, a reference to the Laurelwood
filled soil upon the winery resides. This winery sides on the
boutiquey side of producing around 3,000 cases a year of Pinot Noir
and Chardonnay. Alloro’s wines are 100% Estate Grown from one
vineyard site.
Our
Favorite Recommendations:
- 2013 Pinot Noir ($35) - This wine tastes like an Ivy League college interview with a black headband and string pearls. This wine has what is considered a classic Oregon profile with expressive aromas, elegance, and great balance. It’s a blend of the most important blocks from the Alloro Estate, showcasing their site’s distinctive personality including flavorings of Black Cherries, Oregano, and Rose Petal Aromas.
2014
Pinot Noir ($35) - This was a warmer and earlier harvest than the
2013, making it riper in style. The result was a more masculine
wine with a velvety savory palate profile.
- 2014 Reservata ($45) - A special barrel-selection that delivers darker fruit, more mid-palate weight, and finer texture—with persistence on the palate and a classic take on the flavors of their site. It tastes like a leather booth lean-in on a captivating conversation.
Along
with their wines Alloro is also known for their Whole Farm Dinners.
Open to the public, this intimate 40 person event pairs delicious
food with Alloro wines at their long farmhouse table in the
fermentation cellar. 95% of this 5-course dinner is sourced on
Alloro property. The winery works with a particular chef in the
Spring, planting what they will serve in September.
More
Info at:
Our
final stop was Ponzi Vineyards. This founding Oregon Winery has been
a leading producer of benchmark American Wine for nearly 50 years,
crafting some of the world’s finest cool climate expressions of
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. In the late 1960’s, Disney
Imagineer Dick Ponzi, along with his wife Nancy, uprooted their young
family from their home in California to pursue their dream of
producing world class Pinot Noir. After many research trips to
Burgundy and an extensive search for the ideal location, they
purchased 20 acres on small farms southwest of Portland, Oregon.
Contrary to the existing school of though, the Ponzis believed the
climate, soils, and vineyard site met every need of noble cool
climate grape varietals. The Ponzi family planted their first Pinot
Noir cuttings, and in 1970 Ponzi Vineyards was founded.
Today
the winery makes 55,000 cases a year. The Ponzi sisters (who were
some of the first females educated on wine in France) continue a
half-century legacy of winemaking excellence, innovation and
community. In 2013 Ponzi’s 30,000 square foot tasting room
opened. Set atop a Northwest facing Chehalem Mountains slope,
surrounded by the majestic Avellana Vineyard, the faculty houses a
state-of-the-art winery and modern tasting rooms. Designed by Dick
Ponzi himself, this facility is the realization of a
40-year-old-vision with fireside seating, covered terraces and bocce
ball courts.
Our
Favorite Recommendations:
- 2014 Tavola ($27) - Ponzi’s everyday table wine is made entirely from Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, aged in French oak barrels and blended for a delicious early release. A blend of younger vineyards, this cuvée present a nose of graham cracker and lavender and a palate of salted caramel, black tea, and strawberry balsamic.
- 2015 Pinot Noir Reserve ($65) - Created to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Ponzi Vineyards. This cuvée showcases the finest fruit from Laurelwood soils in the Chehalem Mountains AVA. With aromas of cinnamon bark, chai tea, maple syrup, and baked apple with a palate of light tannins and notes of black licorice and vanilla powder.
More
Info at:
Kat
Thomas is the Editor in Chief of Edible Skinny, a site dedicated to
making your life postcard worthy. She is also the CEO of the creative
media company This Way Adventures. You can find more about both
brands at http://www.thiswayadventures.com
