2016 Bangsund Pinot Noir Reserve
Our Bangsund Reserve Pinot is truly something special. From the warm weather Bangsund Vineyard in The Dalles, a climate emulating the French Left Bank style of Pinot Noirs.
Alluring aromas of dark rose, moss and chocolate covered cherry lead into a bright and smooth palate featuring hints of plum, leather and dried cranberry. A touch of minerality lends an earthy and slightly effervescent quality to this stunning vintage.
The Bangsund Reserve Pinot Noir derives its excellence from several factors. First, the vines are over 40 years old and grown by the vineyard owner John Bangsund. To say that he knows his vineyard well is a gross understatement. We often pick the regular Bangsund Pinot Noir grapes just a little before full ripe in order to guard against the huge heat waves that can hit this site during harvest. In the instance of the Reserve however, there is one portion of the Pinot Noir Vineyard that is shaded for about 2 ½ hours a day relative to the rest of the vineyard thanks to some well-placed trees. We take advantage of the lower heat in the shade by picking that little section of Pinot Noir well after the rest because we don't have to worry about ripening running away from us. This offers fair testimony to the quality of Bangsund Vineyard in The Dalles, Oregon and the unique flavors of the wines of the Columbia Gorge region.
Silver Medal Winner! 2019 SIP McMinnville Food & Wine Classic
2015 Syrah
Sourced from Moody Vineyard at the mouth of the Deschutes River and Reid Vineyard 10 miles further east, comes this unsuspecting, somewhat non-traditional Syrah. Aged for 24 months in neutral oak to soften the tannins and exude the flavors of the Columbia Gorge region, this delicate vintage boasts of deep blackberry and boysenberry with a soft subtle spice.
A perfect wine for an array of cuisines and charcuterie favorites, our 2015 Syrah is best enjoyed among family and friends.
Pairs well with: chili, pork, ribs, bacon, gorgonzola
Silver Medal Winner! 2019 First Taste of Oregon
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cathedral Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon is the definition of a Northwest Cabernet. Wholly unlike the more famous Napa Cabs and proudly so, our Cabernet Sauvignon boasts and intoxicating pepper and smoke nose, rounded out with plum fruit leather and tea leaves on the finish. The body is full and smooth with gentle tannins that linger with every sip. Our Cabs pair beautifully with roasted and seared meats, hearty pastas, and mushrooms – especially the Pacific Northwest Morels and Chanterelles. A favorite pairing here is simple Seared Steak with sautéed Morel mushrooms or Slow Cooker French Dip Sliders with Rosemary Au Jus, the recipe included with purchase of the wine. Alcohol of 14.2% [show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”]Our 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a delightful blend of the Echo Vineyard Cabernet and Bangsund Vineyard Cabernet. Echo Vineyard, now known as Firethorn Vineyard, is located in Echo, Oregon. Owned and managed by Jay Bales and his wife Donna; it was originally started by Drew Bledsoe. The 2014 fruit was picked in early October, run through the stemmer-crusher and fermented in 3 ½ ton fermenting bins. The Cabernet grapes came in at 24 Brix (a measure of sugar in grapes) and fermented with no drama. The Bangsund Cabernet was picked early and was a relatively low alcohol wine coming in at 24 ½ Brix. Each wine stayed in the barrel for 24 months, and was then blended and bottled in 300 cases. With wines from these vineyards in our library dating back to 2002, we know these wines cellar very well with no oxidation and spectacular flavor concentration appeal.[/show_more]
Pairs well with: game, mushrooms, macaroni and cheese, filet mignon
2015 Rhett's Red Reserve
Rhett's Red is an exuberant and bold blend in honor of our winery dog. Bright and boisterous, the first vintage of this remarkable blend showcases fresh orchard and berry aromas with a hint of green tomato vine. The mouth-feel of this newcomer is unassuming yet layered with textural tannin, followed by toasted oak and vanilla rounding out the finish. Pair this Reserve blend with Primavera or a Feta Margherita Pizza. [show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”] To know Rhett is to understand why dogs are a [hu]man's best friend. Here's to Rhett: He is sharp, yet playful; bouncy and sweet, and like this wine, he is one of the best. Cheers![/show_more]
Pairs well with: Aged meats, hard cheeses, mushrooms and red meats.
2015 Dampier Pinot Noir
"Best of Category" Award winner! - 2018 NorthWest Wine Summit
Our Dampier Pinot is a deliciously distinct example of vineyard specific nuances. A beautiful, bright wine with late harvest cherries and earth characteristics on the nose and a full palate of Rainer cherry, and lingering baking spice. We age the wine in neutral oak barrels for a minimum of 16 months. While considered a long time for Pinot Noir, we believe this makes a smoother, more developed Pinot than one that is bottled in under than a year. At the cool end of the Columbia Gorge region, Dampier Pinot Noir is a true cool weather Pinot with mouthwatering acidity (pH) of 3.5, perfect for food. It pairs well with a whole range of foods from seafood to salami - we particularly love Grandma Bell’s 5-spice Glazed Yams – a custom recipe provided with every sale of the wine! Limited bottling of 125 cases.[show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”]Dampier Vineyard is a gorgeous vineyard estate owned by Paul and Pier Huber that sits across the Columbia River on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge as part of the illustrious Underwood Mountain grape growing district. Some of the most famous Columbia Gorge AVA grapes and wines come from this area such as Celilo Vineyards legendary chardonnay. Underwood Mountain is a bit of a phenomenon, even for the Gorge – with southern facing walls dramatically reaching from river to a peak over 1400 feet and gets the last tickles of moisture coming from the west. The mountain was formed when the Missoula Floods washed through the area creating the Columbia River and depositing sediment from volcanic ash along with soil muddled with minerals of all descriptions.
This combination of factors creates a very distinct wetter and cooler meso-climate at Dampier Vineyards, different from even our winery’s climate at only a stone’s throw across the river, 1 1/2 miles away. As one example, Underwood typically receives up to 58 inches of rain a year (similar to the Willamette Valley) while our House Vineyard gets an average of 38 inches of rain a year – Wow! That’s a mind-blowing difference in landscape for such a short distance. There is no irrigation on Underwood – it is all dry-farmed. From the Hood River winery, we look directly at Underwood and Dampier Vineyards and can witness the changes throughout the year – a rare treat! The fruit is thinned to a single cluster per shoot to and the mineral-rich soil delivers fabulous grapes that are lighter in body, elegant and exude less tannins – Perfect for Pinot Noir.[/show_more]
Pairs well with: Grilled Salmon, Salami, Yams/Squash, Goat Cheese