Happy 2012! On the eve of New Year's Eve, we decided a winery tour along
Highway 47 sounded like fun. We packed up my mom and some cheeses, and headed out early. After all, it was 5 o'clock somewhere.
Our first stop was
Montinore Estate on Dilley Road. The house up the hill was a stunner. I thought we might be in for a pretentious sip, but we were in for a fine start to our tour. You can either choose your own tasting of five wines or take their pre-selected flight of six. I chose the latter. Mom picked her own. Our designated driver (the hubs) was offered anything from the soda & water fridge for free.
The 2009 Pinot Gris was aromatic and crisp. The 2009 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir was bright and fruity.
The 2008 Parson's Ridge Pinot Noir was more full bodied, with berry and cedar notes.
Not part of my flight (but sampled thanks to Mom sharing), the 2008 Graham's Block 7 Pinot Noir had a cherry scent, with bolder flavor (blackberry, nuts, woodsy) than the Estate Reserve. We ordered 2 bottles.
On the sweeter side, the 2010 Borealis (a white blend) was fruity and sweet, but still bright. The 2010 Riesling Sweet Reserve had honey and citrus notes. A very sweet one. Finally, there was a port-style wine: the 2005 Ruby made from their estate Pinot Noir. Super tasty with hints of fig. We ordered one bottle of this lovely port.
Our next stop was the very unpretentious new winery called
Plum Hill. We knew they were good people when we saw the doggy play area and whimsical fountain. Inside, we were greeted by a friendly yellow lab and warm, low-key service. They also had a nice gift shop with a variety of items, including the wafers and chocolates that were sampled during the tasting. I didn't keep notes for this tasting, but we did get several bottles here, too, including:
2009 Pinot Noir
2010 Riesling
2010 Pinot Gris
Next stop:
Kramer Vineyards. They had an intimate tasting room, and were clearly a popular stop. This was the only tasting room where we didn't have it to ourselves. The hubs wanted to stop here on the hopes of finding a local source for sparkling wines. This was our most extensive tasting, and one I'd recommend if you like whites.
The 2009 Brut was nice and dry with a hint of lemon. Very crisp. We bought 2 bottles. The Celebrate Muller-Thurgau was ok, but the non-sparkling version was better in my opinion, and at only $10 a bottle, hard to beat. The 2009 Pinot Gris was ok, not very complex, but drinkable. The 2007 Chard Barrel Select was good for a chardonnay (I'm not normally a fan). The 2007 Estate Pinot Noir was very light, drinkable, not at all complex. We like ours to have more body. The 2007 Cardiac Hill Pinot Noir was a bit of a disappointment after learning about how and where it's planted (the steepest block in the vineyard). Perhaps with a few more years of vine development, this one will show better. The 2009 Barberra Walla Walla (locally produced in an Italian style with grapes from central Washington) was very nice, with hints of smoke. We bought a bottle of this. The 2008 Pinot Noir Port was very good, and would really highlight a rich, chocolate dessert. We bought a bottle of this. At $12/bottle, I also had to inquire about the Quad Rose. As a good brunch wine offering, we bought one bottle.
Our final stop of the day was
Patton Valley Vineyard. We had been here before ~ in 2009. One new feature to the tasting room since then, and much appreciated, was the barrel at the back covered in wine glasses with sealed scents for the sniffing and/or guessing. We were the only ones there, so it was great fun to scoot back and forth between each tasting and the scents it supposedly contained. Our server (Danielle, I think) was super-nice and engaging. The real standout in the tasting was the 2009 Red Mountain Syrah. (The pinots were a bit light for us). The syrah was rich, had beautiful inky color, a nice jammy flavor and full mouth feel. Yum. We bought several bottles.
All in all, a great day. No rain, no crowds, great wines. Each stop was worthwhile!
