Memorial Weekend Wine Tasting

Memorial weekend upon us again! This time we did things in bulk: 25 friends in a 30-passenger party bus! She's the crown jewel of the Aspen Limo Tours fleet. Our driver, Kawika, was AWESOME! Ranks as one of the best wine tours I've done, even though we only hit 3 wineries. The first:

Sineann recently relocated to the old Owen Roe Winery out on Champoeg Road near St. Paul. A new facility is being built for Sineann and the resident winery, Lady Hill (more about them below). For a $10 tasting fee, we were able to taste through the entire Lady Hill and Sineann lineups:

• 2013 White Table Wine (mostly NZ Sauvignon Blanc) - $13
• 2013 Columbia Gorge Gruner Veltliner - $18
• 2013 Wyeast Vineyard Pinot Gris - $20
• 2013 Celilo Vineyard Gewurztraminer - $18
• 2012 Oregon Pinot Noir - $30
• 2012 Yates Conwill Vineyard Pinot Noir - $42
• 2012 Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir - $48
• 2012 Red Table Wine - $16
• 2012 Columbia Valley Abondante - $24
• 2012 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - $30
• 2012 Baby Poux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - $42
• 2012 Red Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - $48
• 2013 Sweet Sydney Zinfandel Port - $24

Out of the lineup, the 3 Cabs were my favorite, with RMV topping the list. Well done, Peter!

After co-founder Jerry Owen split from Owen Roe, and that winery moved to Union Gap Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, he went to work with consulting winemaker Erik Brasher to form Lady Hill Winery in the old Owen Roe space on his family's farm property. These wines were a treat! I'm a huge fan of Erik's winemaking style, first experienced during his tenure as Director of Winemaking at Owen Roe. Included in the $10 tasting fee noted above were the following wines:

• 2013 Lady Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Gris - $18
• 2012 Lady Hill Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir - $35
• 2012 Procedo Columbia Valley Proprietary Red: 62% Sangiovese, 15% Cab Franc, 13% Merlot, 10% Cab Sauv. - $20
• 2012 Procedo Columbia Valley "Credente": 50% Sangiovese, 20% Cab Franc, 20% Merlot, 10% Cab Sauv. - $35
• 2012 Ad Lucem Columbia Valley Proprietary Red: 62% Syrah, 17% Mourvedre, 11% Grenache, 10% Durif - $25
• 2012 Ad Lucem Red Willow Vineyard "Daystar" Syrah - $35
• 2012 Ad Lucem Red Heaven Vineyard "Daystar" Blend: 51% Mourvedre, 29% Syrah, 20% Grenache - $40
• 2012 Ad Lucem Red Willow Vineyard "Daystar" Blend: 62% Mourvedre, 38% Syrah - $40
• 2011 Lady Hill Tapteil Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: 79% Cab Sauv., 21% Merlot - $45
• 2012 Lady Hill Tapteil Vineyard "Cuvee Marie Dorion" Blend: 62% Merlot, 38% Cab Sauv. - $35
• BONUS POUR: 2012 Procedo Columbia Valley Cabernet Franc: 76% Cab Franc, 24% Merlot - $N/A
• BONUS POUR: 2012 Columbia Valley Cabernet Franc Barrel Sample (unknown label or blend) - $N/A

The winery also produces a number of other wines that were not open for tasting on this visit. All of these wines were hitting on all cylinders, and at amazingly reasonable price points. My favorites were the Ad Lucem single-vineyard blends, and the Tapteil Vineyard wines from the Lady Hill label. Keep your eyes on this up and coming new winery!

Owen Roe Wine Club Pick-Up Party

Owen Roe Winery in St. Paul, OR is relocating their winery to the Yakima Valley in Washington. A brand new winery facility is being built on their Union Gap Vineyard (estate), and all winemaking will move there after 2013 harvest. Rumor has it Owen Roe will move their Oregon tasting room to an old nut barn in the Newberg area sometime in early 2014 (location to be announced). 

As a side note, the "old" Owen Roe winery has been taken over by Lady Hill Winery, owned by ex-Owen Roe partner Jerry Owen, with ex-Owen Roe director of winemaking Erik Brasher as winemaker. Expect some amazing wines under the Radicle Vine, Procedo, Ad Lucem, Lady Hill and Pinnacle labels coming from them in the very near future. 

The final Owen Roe wine club pickup party at the old winery was Sept. 14, and I attended with several good friends. Free for club members and their guests ($10 for all others), the following wines were offered for tasting (and sale - 15% wine club discount!): 

• 2012 Corvidae "Wise Guy" Sauvignon Blanc ($10)
• 2012 Owen Roe "DuBrul Vineyard" Chardonnay ($48) 
• 2012 Owen Roe "Eola-Amity" Pinot Noir ($42) 
• 2012 Owen Roe "Lenne Vineyard" Pinot Noir ($55) 
• 2012 Owen Roe "Merriman Vineyard - Wadenswil Block" Pinot Noir ($55) 
• 2012 Owen Roe "Sharecropper's" Pinot Noir ($21)
• 2012 Owen Roe "Abbot's Table" Red Blend ($24) - Great blend of 5 varietals 
• 2012 Owen Roe "Sharecropper's" Cabernet Sauvignon ($15) - A great value Cabernet 
• 2011 Owen Roe "Yakima Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) - New offering this year 
• 2011 Owen Roe "Red Willow Vineyard - 1973 Block" Cabernet Sauvignon ($72) - Always a favorite
• 2011 Owen Roe "DuBrul Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon ($72) - Wine of the Tasting for me 

As always, a great event, and amazing red wine line up! I love all of the Owen Roe Cabernets. I look forward to visiting the new winery on my next trip to Yakima.