David Hill Winery (Willamette Valley, OR)

While in Longview, WA this past weekend with Joy, my parents came down from Seattle to see her newly remodeled home and to join us for a day of wine tasting. We visited three wineries and ate at two fantastic restaruants, all of which I will discuss, but this posting is primarily concerned with David Hill Winery, located in Forest Grove, OR, just outside of Portland. I had yet to discover this winery, but upon the recommendation of our family friends who own a vineyard in Forest Grove, we made it a point to check it out. And it was certainly worth it!

First of all, the scenery doesn't get much better than the beautiful vineyards tucked amongst the hills outside of Portland. That said, it was no surprise to find them preparing for a wedding later that day at the winery. If you get a chance to visit them, make sure to follow NW David Hill Rd above the winery because there is a great pull-off where you can overlook the vineyards.

Now on to the wines! David Hill is no miser when it comes to wine. Rarely have I found a winery with 18 wines to taste that are all so delicious. And the cover the spectrum, so no matter what your personal preferences are, you're likely to find something to enjoy. Where do their grapes come from? Well, with the exception of their table white wine, all of their whites are estate grown, along with their Pinot Noir (since Pinot Noir, to my knowledge, is the only major red varietal that can tolerate the cold weather west of the Cascades). Currently their Tempranillo and reserve Merlot are sourced from southern OR, the table red from eastern WA, and the table white from the pacific NW.

WHITES
*2007 Estate Pinot Blanc ($15): beautiful floral and citrus nose, med/full body with a crisp finish. enjoyed the nose more than the taste.
*2007 Estate Gewürztraminer ($16): strong honeysuckle, very nice smooth finish
*2007 Estate Pinot Gris ($15): peach and citrus nose, nice acidity
*2007 Estate Semillon ($15): nutty and nice
*2006 Estate Reserve Chardonnay ($18): vanilla and butterscotch aromas come through, creamy, but not too heavy, quite tasty indeed!
*2008 Estate Riesling ($16): describing its nose, I wrote "oh my gosh!" just delicious smelling, the palate is complex and rather tart, personally I would prefer to smell this wine instead of drinking it
*2007 Estate Muscat ($15): an off-day muscat with a very floral nose, sweet and finish just falls off (in a way that I enjoyed), great wine ***Troy, make sure to try this and their muscat port***
*Farm House White ($10): a blend of Semillon, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Viognier, very tropical, hard to pass up a great wine at a great value

REDS
*2007 Estate Pinot Noir ($20): coffee and toast on nose, lots of tannin and acidity, little fruit, meh
*2006 Estate Barrel Select Pinot Noir ($28): better fruit, okay, but $28 okay, not so sure
*2006 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir ($38): great nose! wonderful fruit, complex, incredibly drinkable
*2006 Estate BlackJack Pinot Noir ($45): vines where planted in '65, nose has very nice cherry, vanilla, and earth, absolutely delicious!
*2006 Tempranillo ($24): plum and pepper on the nose with a smooth vanilla finish, nicely balanced tannin, sourced from southern OR
*2006 Reserve Merlot ($30): cherry and chocolate aromas, also from southern OR, love it!
*Farm House Red ($10): a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Barbera, Merlot and a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah sourced from eastern WA, very tasty and a great value, brought some back to NY

DESSERTS
*2006 Sweet Simplicity ($10/375ml): 68% Semillon & 32% Sylvaner, not too sweet with a light finish for a dessert wine, great wine for its price
*Estate Solera Tawny Port ($35/500ml): 100% Pinot Noir, palate is dominated by berries, vanilla, and wood, an absolutely great wine (Joy got a bottle and hopefully there will be some left when I come back!)
*2005 Estate Muscat Port ($21/375ml): a rare white port, apricots and cloves, very sugary, and delicious

SUMMARY: First off, David Hill makes great table wines that should not be passed over. While I enjoyed all of their whites, the Gewurt and Chardonnay really stood out. And when it comes to Pinot Noirs, I would strongly suggest either spending the money on the 2006 Reserve and/or the BlackJack, or looking elsewhere. At this point, I'm not convinced the other two are worth the price. It's also hard to beat $10 for a tasty desert wine. And don't forget to try both the ports!