New Year, New Wineries in Washington County!
January 5th, 2009 by Rhiannon
Wine connoisseurs have three new reasons to visit the burgeoning wine country in Washington County, Ore., which is home to 21 of the state’s 300-plus wineries, including the only American-owned saké brewery in the world.
Marking their entry into this wine region are three upstart boutique wineries, including a label originating from Napa, Calif., and a wine crafted by one of Oregon’s most recognizable names in the Willamette Valley.
Tasting room open by appointment only
Ardiri Winery already has made a name in industry circles with its single-varietal vineyards and winery in Napa, Calif. The label’s first wine, the 2006 Ardiri Carneros Pinot Noir, won accolades and awards in several wine competitions throughout California.
In 2008, winemakers John Compagno and Gail Lizak brought the Ardiri name to Oregon when they purchased the vineyards of the now-defunct Gypsy Dancer Estates in Cornelius, Ore. With the established grapes on the vineyard site, Compagno and Lizak have started to produce Oregon pinot noir, a complement to the label’s popular Napa Valley pinot noir.
Tasting room hours vary
Barron-Wahl Vineyards is owned by Gordon Barron and Bill Wahl. The vineyard site, located in Sherwood, Ore., was a former site of a peony farm, operated by Mr. Barron. Today, the farm consists of 10 acres of pinot noir grape vines, which yielded eight tons of grapes in 2007.
Under the direction of winemaker Joe Dobbes, a well-respected Oregon vintner best known for his labels Wine by Joe and Dobbes Family Estate, Barron-Wahl created its first wine, 2006 Barron-Wahl Pinot Noir. The winery’s first effort won a bronze medal at the 2008 Oregon State Fair. This fall, the winery released its 2007 Barron-Wahl Pinot Noir, again with Dobbes as the winemaker.
Tasting room is open daily from 11am to 5 pm
Plum Hill Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery located in a pastoral setting between the cities of Forest Grove and Gaston. The vineyard site, as legend has it, was once owned by Tabitha Moffat Brown, the “Mother of Oregon,” who founded the Tualatin Academy in Forest Grove (which eventually became Pacific University).
In 2004, Plum Hill Vineyards planted the first blocks of vines at the site, and the result of these young vines can be tasted in the label’s 2006 pinot noir, as well as the 2007 vintages of pinot gris, chardonnay and rosé.
By Sylke Neal-Finnegan
This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 1:40 pm and is filed under Wineries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.