Dominio IV – Our first wine tasting of the trip. Jose did a great job taking care of us and we enjoyed sitting at the high top outside on the patio. We even had a mini tour after the tasting was done – the gardens were blooming, and we saw our first blue blossom bush of the trip.
Argyle – For this tasting we decided to sit inside. Eric and I both opted for the “Pop Flight” (sparkling) while Sandie and James both got the “Rainbow Flight” (still). Each glass came out via a wooden carrier, and the wine tasting was reasonably paced. However, the host we had didn’t really explain the wines much.
At this point we had about 45 minutes before Wolves and People opened, so we decided to get a bottle of wine to share and hang out for a little longer… except they don’t do that?! Our host said we could get wines by the glass but no bottles. Very strange. Eric was pretty annoyed so we left and had a bottle of Dominio IV’s Inverse at the B&B while playing a Food Fight trivia card game.
Varnum Vintners – We arrived early to our scheduled appointment. Luckily Cyler (the owner and winemaker) was ready for us and once again we had a lovely tasting. Just like our previous visit we sat outside under their covered patio. About two wines into our tasting, another couple from NC arrived. Small world! We decided to get a few small and large bottles to bring home.
Brooks Wines – Our final tasting in the Willamette Valley. We sat outside on the covered patio and the heaters added a nice extra layer of coziness. The views were a bit obstructed by the mist but it was still a gorgeous setting and one of our favorite views in the valley. I got the red flight while everyone else opted for the white flight. I really liked all of my pours but the Terue Petite Syrah and #5 red were the standouts. Eric’s favorite was the 2018 Orchard Fold which had a nice medium bodied stonefruit quality. The additional cheese plate made a nice light dinner for us.
