Oregon is renowned as one of the premier pinot noir growing regions of the world. This visit was all about WINE. We flew into Portland and jumped in a rental car to travel the 45 minutes to the Dundee Hills region. Here are the details:
WINERY TASTING ROOMS:
Our first stop was the larger, more commercial Duck Pond Cellars where were convening with my parents. Duck Pond was welcoming but we were wowed by the wines at our next stop: Rex Hill Vineyards. They are a favorite pinot producer of mine and the elegance of the wines was matched by the tasting room. They also sold the A to Z label which might just become the signature wine of this blog. I obviously have some tasting ahead of me.
The next day we had a full slate of wineries on the agenda. We started with Sokol Blosser Winery where were impressed with their dry rose. Erath Winery offered their tasting in fantastic glasses by Riedel designed especially for Oregon Pinot Noir. Just down the hill we stopped in at Maresh Vineyard’s Red Barn Tasting Room. They produced single vineyard wines that are sold exclusively through the winery. We had been wowed by Rex Hill’s Maresh Vineyard Pinot and couldn’t resist a taste of what else the vineyard has to offer.
We wound up the hill on pothole riddled gravel roads to Lange Vineyards. A glimpse at the labels featuring beautiful Atlantic salmon fishing flies had lured us there, where we were charmed by Maggie Lange, the golden retriever, and enjoyed the sweeping views. To cap off our visit we finished at Domaine Drouhin Winery. This grand dame of the area is the Drouhin family’s sole venture aside from their French estate. The winery was gorgeous and we really enjoyed walking through the tanks.
Without exception we were impressed with all the wineries we visited. The region prints an annual map and visitors guide that made it simple to find out way around. I had ordered one ahead of time from www.willamettewines.com/brochure.shtml but we found them readily available at wineries we visited. The tasting rooms were staffed by knowledgeable, friendly people and we felt welcome everywhere. All the wines we sampled were remarkable. In my opinion the outstanding ones were at Rex Hill and Domaine Drouhin but I would proudly serve selections from all the wineries on our agenda. 
ACCOMODATIONS:
We stayed at the Oregon Wine Cottage in McMinnville. This two bedroom, two bath house was comfortably appointed and we were thrilled with the selection. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area.
DINING:
I also highly recommend Bistro Maison in McMinnvile, a French bistro where we had an over-the-top meal. We decadently dove into the fondue with abandon. Ambrosia! The wine list was incredible and accessible and I cannot say enough about the professional service. If I lived in the area I would frequent this place. All I can say is that if you are in McMinnville, GO THERE! McMinnville has a few other intriguing restaurants that we hope to check out next time, if we can tear ourselves away from Bistro Maison. We enjoyed a lunch at the Dundee Bistro. We were told that they change their menu twice a day which might explain the fact that 95% of the dishes were pork that afternoon. Taking advantage of the facilities at our cottage, our final dinner was a smorgasbord of Bistro Maison leftovers and selections from the local Safeway. I suspect there were preferable places to provision than Safeway and do not recommend you visit this particular supermarket but we did put together a great meal.
OTHER SITES
Red Ridge Farms nursery was a must visit for us and we lucked out because they had just opened for the season the day before our visit. Maybe it’s for the best that I couldn’t load up on plants but my Mom was able to get a few. They have an impressive number of lavender varieties and everything looked healthy and thriving. They also have a one bedroom suite available to rent. The location is spectacular and it seems like a great place to stay. We had wanted to start our visit tip toeing through the tulips at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm but we were a little too early in the season for their 40 acres to be in bloom. Next year? Why is it I always come away from a trip with a list for next time?
Also on the next time list is the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville. Home to the Spruce Goose this facility is amazing. In addition to two cavernous museums they have an IMAX theater. We drove up at the end of our tasting and could only stare agape. It was too much for us so late in the day, but we all vowed to return refreshed and ready to take it all in. We were even unable, or I suppose unwilling is more accurate, to sample the wine tasting in the shadow of the wings of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. Let hear it again: next time!
My 50 States in ’08 song pick for Oregon is Loretta Lynn’s Portland, Oregon and my book selection comes from Melanie Jones at the Columbia Spectator via Book Club Classics: Ken Kesey’s Sometimes A Great Notion.
I’ve recently become aware of the Highpointers. This is an organization that focuses on climbing to the highest point of every state. An admirable goal in my estimation. From http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150189/mount-hood.html In case you’re interested…
“Mount Hood, located about 50 miles east of Portland, Oregon, is one of the most climbed glaciated peaks in North America (#2 in the world behind Japan's
The South Side Route, which begins at the 5,800' Timberline Lodge parking area, is the shortest (< 3 miles) and most popular route to the summit. Above the the Palmer ski lift there are 3 variations of this route, the most popular of which is the Hogsback / Pearly Gates route. The Hogsback / Old Crater variation is used when the Pearly Gates are congested while climbers looking for more of a challenge can use the West Crater Rim variation.
CLIMBING CONSIDERATIONS
While Mount Hood has reportedly been summited by a woman in high heels, this does not discount the need for climbing experience on this mountain. An ice axe and crampons should be considered mandatory for most climbers, with climbing helmets being a popular addition, especially higher up.
On warm days it is recommended you get an early start (which is closer to midnight than sunrise), to be out of rockfall areas by 10am.
Due to the loose rock, climbers are urged to tread lightly, staying on the snow and ice while climbing and not dislodging any rock.
Check and be wary of the summit cornice, especially during the winter and early spring.
Do not linger around the fumaroles which create oxygen voids that have asphyxiated (suffocated) unsuspecting climbers.”
You can read about my previous visits to Oregon at http://50statesin08.blogspot.com/2008/03/8-oregon.html and
http://everywherefromatoz.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-osf-opening-weekend-time-again.html. No mountains were climbed.
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