Willamette Valley Series: Soter Vineyards, Following My Heirloom Obsession

The Winery

After hearing that the owner of Soter Vineyards (Tony Soter) was the founder of one of my favorite Napa wineries, Etude, it automatically rose to number one on my list of places to visit during our Willamette Valley trip. They have limited group appointments to keep their tastings intimate, but (after a little begging) we were able to join their wine club member tasting on an afternoon during our trip. We arrived at the tasting room and were immediately greeted with a delicious taste of rose and a friendly smile from Mari, our tasting hostess. As soon as I walked into the winery, I immediately noticed the similarities in architecture with Ram's Gate and Kenzo Estate wineries, low and behold, it was the same builder. The inviting structure and assimilation to something familiar in my home (Napa), made me feel immediately relaxed and excited for the afternoon to come.

Tasting with the Wine Club

We sat down at a long community table and began meeting with all of the awesome wine club members. Some of which were originally from the Bay Area. After tasting several of the wines, I could easily tell how Bay Area transplants to Oregon would find themselves at Soter Vineyards. The taste and quality were exactly what you would expect from an amazing winemaker who has made some of the best pinots I have ever tasted. I was in search for my 2007 Etude Heirloom Pinot comparison, and Soter's 2009 Mineral Springs White Label Pinot was its match.

Soter's Current Releases

The relaxing atmosphere, amazing people, and delicious wines made for a great wine tasting experience. Every wine was incredible, and each was one that I would be happy to buy for myself and/or share with others. The winery featured bottles at every price point from $20 to $100+, which made it very approachable to wine lovers at every budget. I loved everything so much that Alex convinced me to join the wine club (just so we wouldn't end up buying all of the wines in one shot). One wine that I couldn't leave behind was the 2009 Brut Rose, Mari offered me a taste and I was hooked! It was by far the best sparkling that I had tasted in Oregon, and definitely one that I needed for a special occasion with my girl friends. We connected with Rob Ortiz, the Trade and Hospitality Specialist, and became fast friends with this fun and extremely welcoming team. We left the winery that evening with new friends, great memories, and a delicious bottle of bubbly! Also, a date for another amazing experience with Associate Winemaker Bryan Weil at Alexana Winery the following day, which will be featured in my next post. I highly recommend planning a reservation at Soter Vineyards during your next Willamette Valley trip. The wines and the experience were equally outstanding, and any wine lover will enjoy their experience here. I can't wait to come back to visit this special place.

Tips - Soter Vineyards:

• The winery offers three tasting experience daily at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm for $20/person by reservation only, call the winery at 503-662-5600 during the week to book your appointment. 
•  Your tasting fee will be waived if you purchase a bottle of wine.
• Finding Soter can be difficult, it is unmarked, so definitely use the winery's directions.
• Expect to spend approximately 1.5 hours at the winery for your tasting.  

Willamette Valley Series: How to Plan Your Oregon Wine Trip

Taking in the Views at Soter Vineyards

 Each year Alex and I try to plan a big trip around new years. This time we were on a slightly tighter budget than our typical new year splurge, so we decided to take a road trip and check out the Willamette Valley. Planning the trip was a big deal. I had never been to Oregon before and was unfamiliar with the wineries. Luckily, I received several amazing referrals from several Napa winemakers and Facebook followers to launch my planning. I will be posting a series of wineries this month that were truly standouts, however I wanted to kick off this series with some of the tips that I have for you when planning your Oregon wine country adventure!
 

Delicious Lunch at Red Hills Market

Red Hills Market

   

1. Splurge at least one night and stay at The Allison Hotel. The rooms are amazing, and they have cocktails that are to die for! Also, the hotel's location is close to many fabulous wineries.
2. Begin your day at Willamette Valley Cheese Company. This free cheese tasting is the perfect way to start your day, and a great snack to purchase and bring to tasting rooms throughout your trip.
3. Stop in at Red Hills Market and Dundee Bistro for delicious meals between tastings. Both of these places had great food! We loved the pizza at Red Hills Market and the burger at Dundee Bistro.
4. Do NOT look for wineries on Yelp in Oregon. Although I often rely on Yelp, especially while in the Bay Area, this was not a very reliable source for this trip. I'll just leave it at that.
5. Visit a mix of appointment only wineries and walk-in tasting rooms. Below is my must-try Willamette Valley recommendations. You can expect to see posts of some of the following wineries over the next few weeks!

• Soter Vineyards, Following My Heirloom Obsession
• Alexana Winery, My Favorite Experience in Oregon
• Brick House Vineyards, The Hidden Gem
• Bergstrom Wines, The Best Tasting Bar
• Archery Summit, The Full On Tour and Tasting
• Argyle Winery, A Bubbly Change of Pace

Cheese Tasting at Willamette Valley Cheese Company

Cocktails at The Allison

Wine Tasting at Soter Vineyards

Porter Family Vineyards: Coombsville Cave Tastings

Inside the Porter Family Vineyards Cave

Personally, I love wine tasting in a cave. Especially when the wines are delicious and there is an intimate setting. As you might have guessed by now, I'm not a huge fan of large group tours! My experience at Porter Family Vineyards was a perfect introduction to Coombsville at an amazing family run winery. We were greeted by Rebecca, our tasting guide for the day, (fun fact: her family runs a vineyard in Coombsville as well). After peeking around the rolling hills of vines, we retreated to the cave for a seated tasting of their current offerings.

View of the Vineyard

Before we began the tasting, I walked around the cave and noticed a very interesting looking bottle labeled "Time".  It was etched with different stages of the moon, and the vintage was not labeled. I asked Rebecca about it, and she explained that "Time" is a bottling of all previous vintages of Porter Family's cabernet sauvignon blended into one wine. There are different percentages of each vintage (the 2010 distribution is significantly higher than the 2005) in the single bottle and it makes a cabernet sauvignon that encompasses a true tasting of the estate-grown grapes over time. I was blown away at this concept and definitely consider this one of the coolest and most cutting edge finds in my wine tasting adventures! The production of Time is extremely limited (only 50 cases total production), so unfortunately it is not included as part of the tasting. It is available for purchase at the winery, and some day I will definitely come back to reward myself with this exclusive bottle.

Time

Now back to the tasting...we tried four delicious reds and learned a lot about the history of the winery, the family, and the high tech wine making processes that make this family owned gem unique. Rebecca has a wonderful personality and is very easy to talk to while you taste your way through the Porter portfolio. We were very impressed with the wines and especially loved the 2009 Cave Dweller, a delicious blend that we will open up in another year or two. The price points of this winery were reasonable as well, with most wines within the $28-$55 range. I would recommend this tour and tasting experience for a red wine lover looking for an intimate tasting experience in a cave setting. We really enjoyed our time here and can't wait to return when we introduce others to Coombsville!

The Delicious Tasting

Tips - Porter Family Vineyards:

• The winery offers a tour and tasting experience between 10am and 4pm for $40/person by reservation only.
• You can book your tasting online here.
• Expect to spend a little over an hour here and plan an extra 10-15 minutes for your drive to the winery. 

Loved These Reds!