Willamette Valley

Anne Amie Vineyards   Pinot reigns supreme at Anne Amie Vineyards with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc forming the heart of their production. Complimenting the Pinot family, they also produce small selections of Riesling from their Willamette Valley estate vineyard on the hillside directly in front of the winery. As with all great wines, theirs start in the vineyards and they are fortunate to have some of Oregon’s best sites, both those farmed by Anne Amie and those they contract with to purchase. Anne Amie’s vineyards (as do the ones they purchase from) receive only the minimal required treatments and yields are severely reduced to yield fruit with great depth and complexity.

Brooks Wines   The late Jimi Brooks was one of the truly, passionate winemakers beginning to make his mark on the Oregon wine scene. Unfortunately Jimi suffered an untimely death at the young age of 38 and is no longer with us. However, his spirit and his passion for artisan winemaking live on! Jimi began his winemaking career in France tending the vines in Beaujolais for the Deschamps Family. Most of his time was spent in the vineyards building calluses and a greater understanding of the vine. After four years in France, he returned to America and worked as Laurent Montalieu’s assistant at Willakenzie Estate before starting his own label in 1998. Jimi was a practicing advocate of organic farming and worked to “keep the earth alive and the ecosystem intact” while achieving true expression of terroir in his Pinots and Rieslings. His Alsatian-style whites show old-world acidity and balance while his Pinots are probably more Burgundian than most Oregon producers have a right to claim. His legacy and his wines are being carried forth by his sister Janie who has managed to engage many of Jimi’s winemaking comrades throughout the Willamette Valley. Friends like Josh Bergstrom, Sam Tannahill and Cheryl Francis have all joined to help carry the torch and keep Jimi’s spirit and his wine legacy alive! .

Carabella Vineyard   Mike Hallock used to be a geologist in Colorado who had bought vineyard property years ago with the goal of one day moving to Oregon to become a full-time winemaker. For many years, he sold most of his fruit to Rex Hill and Ken Wright Cellars while keeping only small amounts for his own personal production. Mike’s residence in Colorado made it difficult to manage the enormity of a full-scale winery – that was until he finally pulled up his roots and moved to Lake Oswego. Now, considering himself a true Oregonian with a taste of the Colorado Rockies in his blood, Mike focuses on hand-picked, small production farming. He has a very scientific, viticultural grasp on what his vineyard will give him and his beautiful wines are our reward. Carabella and Cascade Trade have grown up together from the start and it’s very exciting to witness the following and see the amazing press that the wines continue to receive. If you still haven’t heard, nor tasted, any of the Carabella flavors, you’re missing out on some of the finest, crafted wines in the entire Willamette Valley. Go on, grab a bottle today!

Carlton Cellars - Roads End   At Roads End, the Pacific Ocean meets the Northwest Oregon coast on a quiet beach of tide pools and coves.  The ocean breezes cross the coastal range and produce cool temperatures in the Willamette Valley to the east, ideal for the slow ripening that gives Pinot Noir its complexity.  Pinot Noir expresses its terroir.  In this case, the distinct layering of flavors is due to both the variable climate and the combination of volcanic and sedimentary soils found in the three vineyards that contribute the grapes for this wine:  Canary Hill, McCrone, and Nysa.  Carlton Cellars is the product of a team of talented wine professionals.

R. Stuart & Co. & Big Fire   Rob Stuart is the fruit-seeker, the winemaker and the keeper of the flame for R. Stuart & Co.  For the past 21 vintages, Rob has made wine for other people up and down the west coast, most recently for Erath Vineyards in Dundee, Oregon.  Located in the heart of downtown McMinnville, Rob and his wife Maria are passionate about making exceptional wines that are true to the fruit each vineyard offers, graceful, honest and warm.