#trisaetum

New favorite pinot!

I'm so ashamed to say that in all my Oregon years, I had never ventured out to wine country. It's so close, so beautiful and so much fun. With my  mom and brother in town for Thanksgiving we decided to head out to the special Thanksgiving weekend festivities in the North Willamette Valley and taste some wine. We got a late start out to the vineyards. We all wanted a chance to taste and there are only so many hours in the day, so we only got to two wineries. Sadly, I didn't make it to the Wine Maker's Studio in Carlton to taste my FAVORITE vintner Andrew Rich, nor did I take notes on all the wines, so I can't give you a run down for each glass. I guess I will just have to make another trip out there soon. Anybody want to join me?

First Stop... 

Brunch. We headed to a restaurant called Farm to Fork in Dundee. The restaurant is tucked into a newer development and hotel called Inn at Red Hills. It was bit like eating in a pottery barn store. I was hoping for a place with a bit more country character, but the food was delicious, so no complaints there. Matt and Brendan ate the Farmers Hash which I eyed with envy as I ate my smoked trout beet salad and eggs. 

Finally, off to the wineries... 

Trisaetum 

Trisaetum is a family run winery whose moniker is a combination of their children's first names. It's located in Ribbon Ridge and boasts a gorgeous wine cave and an art gallery that displays the owner James Frey's paintings and photography. 

We were greeted by the Grandparents and led down the tasting path, starting with a White Pinot. Apparently after a light pressing, the skins of the Pinot are removed resulting in a rose colored wine that lightens to white after aging. 

Next we headed into the wine cave to sample the best blend of their coast vineyard Pinot barrels and the best blend of their Ribbon Ridge Pinot barrels. 

Then we headed upstairs to the gallery to sip the Artist Series which is a single clone Pinot chosen for its earthy notes. 

Lastly, we sampled the Estates Reserve Pinot which combines the best barrels from both the Coast and Ribbon Ridge Vineyards to create a super Pinot. It was good! 

Last, but definitely not least, Solena and Grand Cru Estates...

This place is beautiful! Oddly enough, it's another family run winery named after their daughter. This may be a trend that I am just not familiar with, or I need to do some more tasting to find out that it's a coincidence.

My understanding is that Solena is a biodynamic winery. As a practical method of farming, biodynamics embodies the ideal of ever-increasing ecological self-sufficiency just as with modern agro-ecology, but includes ethical-spiritual considerations. This type of viticulture views the farm as a cohesive, interconnected living system.

This is apparent in the architecture of their Winery/Tasting Room, outfitted with solar panels and an open air tank room. 

We began the tour in the cellar barrel room with a really tasty Chardonnay (which I normally don't like). 

Then we headed up through the open air tank room to the tasting room upstairs where we tasted 8 (yeah, 8! I stopped because I was driving) Pinots.  Unfortunately I couldn't tell you which were the best, or what their qualities were. But, I can tell you they were yummy and well worth the trip. Brendan gave mom a bottle of the Chardonnay for her 65th birthday, which Matt and I helped her with. One of the best Chardonnays I've had.