FINALLY, the Willamette Valley. The town of Dundee was our fourth stop on the great Pacific Northwest Oregon adventure. I had so many photos from Newport and the coast I wanted to share that it ended up taking a few more posts than I anticipated! But now we're in wine country and I want to relish in her beauty...
The rolling hills of Dayton and Dundee in early October unfold in a patchwork of summer greens and autumn golds. The grapes produce lush, silky Pinot Noirs and crisp, vibrant chardonnays. You'll find a few other varietals here and there, but Pinots and Chards rule Oregon Wine Country. Tasting rooms range from sleek and modern, to richly wooded and cozy, to refined and elegant. At nearly every vineyard our tasting felt personal and memorable, not to mention we tasted many excellent wines.
Flying Alaska Air out of Portland allows you a case of checked wine at no extra charge. We filled a case each (12 bottles) and then some (Rogue Beer purchases included!) Cases were available at a few of the wineries (ask around, some were free), and our B&B had plenty of packing supplies on hand. It could not have been more convenient and hassle free to fly home with our loot.
We arrived in from the coast around 2 pm on a Thursday and had time to visit three wineries in Dayton that afternoon. We would typically share a tasting flight and a lot of the tastings are waived when you purchases a couple bottles. Additionally, our B&B had quite a few vouchers for free or 2 for 1 tastings.
Domaine Drouhin / 6750 Breyman Orchards
Road, Dayton / 11 am to 4 pm daily / $10 for 3-wine tasting / photos of me on the deck are here.
Domaine Serene / 6555 N.E. Hilltop
Lane, Dayton / 11 am to 4 pm Mon-Thurs, 11 am to 5 pm Fri-Sun / $20 tasting flight.
Stoller Family Estate / 16161 NE McDougall
Road, Dayton / 11 am to 5 pm daily / $15 tasting flight - waived with 2 bottle purchase.
The views from and of Stoller (the three above + photos with the tire swing) were incredible. Of our first three wineries, this one was my favorite! The wines were also more affordable here.
The next day was a non-stop, fulfilling, amazing, fun, relaxing time! We visited Lange first beginning at noon, then headed up to Erath. We looped back down to Hyland Estates, which neighbors our B+B. We left the car and continued on foot into town where we paid visits to Argyle Tasting Room, Dobbes Family Estate and Dromaine Trouvere.
Lange Estate Winery / 18380 NE Buena Vista
Drive, Dundee / 11 am to 5 pm / tasting flight of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir, including coveted single vineyard reserve Pinot Noirs.
Erath Winery / 9409 NE Worden Hill
Road, Dundee / 11 am to 5 pm / $10 - $15 flights / favorite views of the day / photos at Erath include the steep, rolling patchwork hills, the grape glamour shots, me among the vines and Bob on the patio.
Hyland Estates / 20980 NE Niederberger Rd, Dundee / 10 am to 5 pm / some of the earliest Pinot Noir plantings in the Willamette Valley / $15 for a 5-wine tasting that features Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, and multiple Pinot Noirs, waived with 3 bottle purchase.
Argyle / 691 Highway 99W, Dundee / 11 am to 5 pm / $15 for 3-wine tasting flights - get the all sparkling flight - bubbly is their specialty. / The photos below were taken at Argyle's brand new facility - quite the opulent tasting room.
Dobbes Family Estate / 240 SE 5th Street, Dundee / 11 am - 6 pm / $10 for 5-wine tasting / plan them or the one below as your last stop due to the 6 pm closing time!
Domaine Trouvère / 155 SW 7th St, Dundee / the tasting room (part of the Lange Family) is located above Red Hills Market / / $10 for 5-wine tasting, waived with $100 purchase / updated to note this tasting room is now closed / Red Hills Market is still open 8 am - 8 pm daily and is a terrific bet for a meal + provisions.
It is SO HARD to choose but I will say that Hyland Estates was one of my overall favorites. It was here where we sampled the most varieties and there were a lot of exceptional wines in the flight - which ended up being more like an 8 wine flight. Our host Brady was great and the tasting room is gorgeous with an expansive marble bar.
We woke up on Saturday and I was ready to do it all over again, but I was also looking forward to spending some of our last hours back in Portland. I had about five more wineries on the list that came highly recommended (Archery Summit, Barrel Fence Cellars, Sokol Blosser, White Rose Estate.) In the end we chose just one before we left. Winderlea was tucked perfectly into the hillside about a two minute drive from our B&B. And the views were some of the best! We left with a bottle of their Rosé Pinot Noir and headed North for Portland.
