Argyle Winery

Sparkling in the Willamette 

Dundee, Oregon, USA

Tasted in August 2015

By Sean Overpeck

Take an old fashioned paper world map, or for those too young to remember what those are, just go onto google maps and find the Willamette Valley in Oregon just south of Portland. Then if you have the old paper map lay down a ruler and draw a line straight across the map. If using google it can get tricky but try to hold your mouse steady and follow a straight line heading east. You will pass north of Yellowstone, Wyoming, over Minneapolis, Nova Scotia, and into the Atlantic. Next land mass is Europe, and you will end very close to the Burgundy Wine Region south of the city of Dijon. You can practically draw a straight line. Burgundy of course is known for its chardonnay’s and pinot noir wines. The most expensive wines in the world are grown in this region from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, with the Romanee-Conti Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, which sells for around $12,000 American Dollars (£8,320.00) per bottle. 

The point of this story is that this area of France for thousands of years has been producing the best chardonnay’s and pinot noir’s out there, and the Willamette Valley in Oregon is at the same latitude of Burgundy. It just so happens, not just in my opinion, but many wine critics as well is that the best chardonnay and pinot’s in America are produced in the Willamette. Now what happens when you add Sparkling Wines to that mixture and they receive 92, 93, or higher points from the professional tasters like Robert Parker? Well, you have a recipe for Argyle Winery. Since 1987 Argyle has been producing some of the top wines in the region, and in August of 2015 my fiancé and I stopped by on a wine tasting tour, where argyle was number two on the list of visits that day. Two days before, I was in Iraq, so it was a pleasure to drink some great wine.

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From vineyards home page:

Prospecting the New World's coolest latitudes, Brian Croser and Rollin Soles staked a claim in Oregon's Willamette Valley, a place ideal for late season ripened Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit. 

Since 1987, Argyle Winery has produced world-class methode champenoise Sparkling wine, barrel fermented Chardonnay and 'silky' textured Pinot Noir from low yielding vines on winery farmed hillside slopes. Argyle was named "OREGON'S PREMIER WINERY" by Wine Spectator in 2000.

Argyle farms three vineyards: Knudsen Vineyard, Lone Star Vineyard and Spirit Hill Vineyard. The 120 acre Knudsen Vineyard was first planted between 1972 & 1974. The high elevation blocks of this landmark Dundee Hills site are key components in Argyle's sparkling wines. Knudsen provides Argyle a mix of old vine blocks and new high density blocks planted with "Old World" Dijon clones.

In 1996 Argyle purchased a spectacular 160 acre vineyard site in the east slopes of Eola Hills, known as Lone Star Vineyard. Located 15 miles south of Argyle's winery in Dundee, this warm site is planted primarily to Dijon clones of Pinot Noir. This vineyard has the potential to be one of Oregon's best Pinot Noir vineyards.

Our newest and largest vineyard, Spirit Hill was purchased in 2007 and has 135 acres planted. This high-elevation site in the gusty Van Duzer corridor of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA is ideal for our sparkling wine varietals.

Main review:

Argyle had just renovated and reintroduced there new tasting room a short while before we had arrived, maybe a few months before. A lot of money went into the design of the building, with the old Nut House tasting room still located on the property near the new parking lot. A large open area with a metal canopy covered a square of land filled in with a cement floor and a center brick open fire place was perfect for wine tasting and food gatherings, or wedding receptions. Outside this canopy area were more wood picnic tables with umbrella to protect you from the son. 

The main tasting room building was made from strong light and dark brown colored wood, similar to a newer style cabin in the woods. On the inside the open space was massive and full of natural light from the windows. Across from that the main bar. There were several tables, able to sit four or more, inside picnic tables for party’s of six or more, and some comfortable chairs where my fiancé and I sat, which had a small wood table next to it, where we would do our tastings.

For the tasting we were presented with a champaign style slim glass that could double as a regular white wine tasting glass, a chardonnay/riesling glass and a large format pinot noir Burgundy glass.

Our three tasting flight for the day for $15.00 consisted of the 2011 conducere Brut, the 2013 Nuthouse Chardonnay and 2013 pinot noir. All these wines ranged from $40.00 to $60.00 per bottle. The wine tasting notes from the winemaker and my notes are located below. Argyle’s focus is on the old-world varietals of chardonnay, pinot noir, riesling and pinot meunier and their chardonnay portfolio is uniquely as diverse. The Spirithouse label has won several awards and has the eye of the critics. We unfortunately did not taste this wine while there.

Now lets see how I and the critics rate the wines, plus give you some tasting, cost, and general winery information….

96 - 100	is Extraordinary
90 - 95	is Outstanding
80 -89	is Above the Average
70 - 79	is Below the Average
60 - 69	poor / appalling /  “Cac”

Review basics:

Wine, Dine, & Play’s Rating	91
Wine Speculator	91 Points on the 2012 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
Wine Enthusiast	92 Points on the 2012 Spirithouse Pinot Noir
All Accolades	Argyle Wines
Wines Produced	Red:  Pinot Noir White: Chardonnay, Riesling, Rose
Regulatory	AVA: American viticulture Association

Cases Produced:

Per Year:

2011 Conducere Brut	425
2013 Nuthouse Chardonnay	1596
2013 Nuthouse Pinot Noir	2000

These wines remind me of:

I haven’t visited a lot of wineries that focus on pinot noir or chardonnay, but feel comfortable in saying that to start with as far as the tasting room and the customer service of argyle, I give top marks and compare it to the tasting rooms of Yarra Yering in the Yarra Wine Valley of Australia, or the tasting room at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville, California. So very impressive and receives top marks. The bar tender was extremely friendly and as you can tell from the pictures above, very photogenic.  Their chardonnay I would compare to some tastings that I did at the William Fevre Estate or the AOC Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur, where they had a 1st Cru with similar profiles to the Nuthouse chardonnay. Both of these wineries were in the heart of Burgundy. 

The wines are very approachable, even the sparkling which I’m not really a huge fan of in general no matter where it comes from. The Conducere and chardonnay would go well with a wonderful cheese and charcuterie like local Oregon favorites on Juniper Grove Farm, or Rogue Creamery, both of which you can purchase from across the street at the Red Hills Market. These wines can also stand up to a nice plate of chicken alfredo, or go into the red wine territory of foods with a duck dish or sirloin. The pinot noir with lite tannins and smoky flavor pair perfect with a grill chicken, or even a nice wild caught salmon, and a New York strip steak as well. 

Cost of wine tasting in USD (p/p):

The House Flight:	$15.00
The Red Diamond Flight:	$15.00
The Pop Flight:	$15.00

Bouquet & Palette Notes: 

Wine & Grape:	Nose (Bouquet):	Palette Experience:
2011 Conducere Brut	Winemaker:   Fruit forward, showing hints of nectarine and lychee. My Tasting:   I got a lot of forward aromas of peach and pear along with a gravel earthy smell, most likely as a result of the grape being a Dijon clone.	Winemaker: Subtle acidity balances with slate minerality and backed with lightly toasted pistachio and honeydew melon. My Tasting:  Well Balanced, lite fruit, with subtle hints of butter from their barrel malolactic fermentation process.
2013 Nuthouse Chardonnay	Winemaker:   91 Points, Wine Spectator, White peach, baking spice, and roasted hazelnut is framed around supple, textural delicacy. Entirely barrel fermented, the wine was allowed to age gracefully on full lees for 12 months in French oak, of which 20% were new. My Tasting:   I got hints of spice and nutmeg with walnuts, flowers, and pineapple	Winemaker: The creaminess and juicy mid-palate is enhanced through its long, mineral finish. My Tasting:  Mild fruit with a hint honey, yet watery as it went down with no lasting finish.
2013 Nuthouse Pinot Noir	Winemaker:   93 Points, International Wine Report, with bright raspberry, spicy floral and black tea flavors, all woven into a rich, yet energetic frame. My Tasting:   I got a smoky spice and flowers on the nose	Winemaker: A mild grip of tannins is carried through a long, savory finish. My Tasting:  Very lite tannins, but nice forward fruit. The wine needs to open up for a good while before you drink it. Very young, can age 10-15 years and be perfect.

Bottle Prices 

(excluding taxes)

$£€¥ -                Under 50.00 

$£€¥ x 2 -          51.00- 99.00 

$£€¥ x 3 -          Over 100.00 

$£€¥ x 4 -          Over 200.00 

$£€¥ x 5 -          Over 400.00 

**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s** 

Wine Selction:	Currency in the top wine producing countries:	Price Chart :
2011 Conducere Brut (750 ml)
$60.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$$
$81.00	Australian Dollar (AUS)	$$
£42.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
$80.00	Canadian Dollar (CAN)	$$
¥391.00	Chinese Yuan (CNY)	¥¥¥¥
€55.00	European Union (EUR)	€€
$88.00	New Zealand Dollar (NZD)	$$
R920.00	South African Rand (ZAR)	R
2013 Nuthouse Chardonnay (750 ml)
$40.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
£28.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
€36.00	European Union (EUR)	€
2013 Nuthouse Pinot Noir (750 ml)
$50.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$$
£35.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
€46.00	European Union (EUR)	€

Vineyard Owner:

Brian Croser and Rollin Soles

Winemaker:

Nate

Vineyard &Tasting Room Address:

691 Highway 99W 

Dundee, Oregon

97115

GPS Coordinates: 

45.278021

-123.010016

Contact Information: 

Tasting room:	503-538-8520
Website:	Argyle Winery
Email:	Contact the Tasting House Customer Service Wine Club
Social Media:	Facebook Link
	Twitter @ArgyleWinery
	Pinterest
	Instagram

Tasting Room Information:

Monday - Sunday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Pacific Standard Time (GMT -8:00)

Review by:

Sean Overpeck (CFE)

I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for the past twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, Dubai, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army food service program. The idea for the Wine, Dine, and Play Blog started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by others to write down the experiences from a few Jordanian restaurants, plus the wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra, and the culture. Since that time, nearly 200 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide; exotic world locations such as Dubai, Petra, and African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; country cuisines such as Afghan and Peruvian; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia 

Who is John Galt?

“I like cooking with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.”

TTFN

Dobbes Family Estate

 Dundee, Oregon, USA

It’s Willamette Damn It 

Tasting in August 2015

By Sean Overpeck

When most people who are not familiar with the wine world think about wines from the United States, the first place that comes to mind is California, with Napa Valley or Sonoma. In 2002 this was me as well. I new very little, and thought that wines came from either France, Germany, Italy, Australia, or California. As the years have progressed I have learned a great deal, not just in education, but in tastings, and visits to wineries all over the world from France, Australia, South Africa, and the USA. Going back to 2002 I tasted my first wine from Oregon in a place called as I pronounced it “Will-o-mitt” Valley with a pinot noir from Dobbes Family Winery. I pronounced the valley incorrectly for a few more years until a sommelier friend made it easy for me from that day forward by saying that it is “Will-am-it” damn it.  Dobbes was the first stop of six wineries that my fiancé and I stopped at on our Willamette tour, and it was only befitting to stop here first since this was the first wine I had ever tasted from Oregon.  

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From vineyards home page:

Dobbes Family Estate is the realization of Joe Dobbes’ dream of a family wine business and over 3 decades of winemaking. Joe began his career apprenticing at Weingut Erbhof Tesch in Germany’s Nahe region and at Domaine G. Roumier and Domaine des Comtes Lafon in Burgundy with wine legends Christophe Roumier and Dominique Lafon. He further honed his skills working in Alsace with Domaine Ostertag. Stateside, Joe has produced wine for Elk Cove Vineyards, Eola Hills, Hinman/Sylvan Ridge, Paschal Winery, and Willamette Valley Vineyards, including the Griffin Creek and Tualatin Estate labels.

In 2002, Joe created Wine By Joe, LLC, a custom winemaking company. He crafts wine for several clients within his two dedicated red and white facilities. Joe owns and produces three of his own labels: Dobbes Family Estate, a luxury label dedicated to Willamette Valley Pinot noir, Rogue Valley Syrah, Viognier and Grenache Blanc; Wine By Joe, a value-price Oregon appellation label; and Jovino, Joe’s third label, dedicated to producing Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris for on-premise accounts.

Main review:

The tasting room property was tucked in off the highway with a few parking spaces next to a a wood exterior warehouse with a cargo garage door for wine transport. The tasting room building sat next to a great piece of land with beautiful trees and rock placements, and the Oregon green grass, brighter than any grass you see on the East Coast. Before entering the tasting room you walk over a small bridge with a tiny water bed creek below flowing through. The building was built from the cedar wood trees that grow in the area with the same design as the warehouse. 

We arrived maybe a half an hour after opening, and were the only ones there for a tasting, however there were a few other people walking the grounds, and most likely they had just finished their tastings. The Cellar operator and bar manager was very friendly and knowledgable about the Dobbes line, and my fiancé being part of the wine industry from Texas gave us a few extra tastings on the house beyond the items offered.

The tasting flight represents five wines, and we had a total of eight. On the tasting menu was a white, a rosé of Pinot Noir, two estate Pinot Noir’s and a Syrah. Of course Oregon is mainly known for their Pinot Noir’s as the New World of Burgundy wines. When I was in Burgundy in 2010 tasting their Pinot selections, I found them to be good, but Willamette’s being much better. The Chardonnay on the other had I did prefer from Burgundy and Chablis. As our bonus to the tasting we had a Viognier and two more Pinot Noir’s. All of these wines tasting notes from the wine maker and my notes are listed under in the price sections further below this article.

From all these tastings my personal favorites were the  2012 Single Vineyard Momtazi Pinot Noir and the Patricia’s Cuvée Pinot Noir of the same growing year. Since I first had a tasting of Dobbes back in 2002, and through the years ordering it at restaurants or for home purchase it has never disappointed me, and after this tasting the review and higher marks continue to roll in.

The Dobbes winery is celebrating it’s 30th year in 2016 with the three labels of the Family Estate, Wines by Joe, and Jovino excluding any private labels as well. After these thirty years and labels he has come along way since apprenticing in Germany and france in the early 1980’s. Joe also donates to hundreds of charities annually to include Salud!, Family Building Blocks, Classic Wine Auction, American Suicide Prevention, Humane Society, SMART, and the Randall Children’s Hospital to name a few. Here is the full philanthropy list. In honor of the 30th anniversary celebrations in August, Joe will be a sponsor at the Street of Dreams and in September at the Bounty of Yamhill County and FEAST. 

96 - 100	is Extraordinary
90 - 95	is Outstanding
80 -89	is Above the Average
70 - 79	is Below the Average
60 - 69	poor / appalling /  “Cac”

Review basics:

Wine, Dine, & Play’s Rating	93 points
Robert Parker The Wine Advocate	90 points on the 2008 Grand Assemblage Pinot Noir and the 2008 Youngberg Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
Wine Speculator	92 points on the 2009 Youngberg Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
Wine Enthusiast	90 and 91 points on the 2012 Fortmiller Vineyard Syrah and the Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir
All Accolades	See all of Dobbes Accolades
Wines Produced	Red:  Pinot Noir, Syrah,  Rosé White:  Chardonnay, Viognier, Grenache Blanc,  Dessert:  Port Style Syrah and Late Harvest Viognier
Regulatory	AVA: American viticulture Association

Cases Produced:

Per Year:

Pinot Noir	6,500 - 7,000
Syrah	6,500 - 7,000
Chardonnay	6,500 - 7,000
Viognier	6,500 - 7,000

This or these wines remind me of:

I have had some great Pinot Noir’s in the past, most of them from Willamette, Oregon, and a few here and there from California like Row 11 Santa Maria Pinot, from Santa Maria California, or a few others that I have tasted from Burgundy or The High Note Pinot from Misha Vineyard in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. 

The wines tasted at Dobbes are all medium to heavier in tannins with longer finishes as you will see in the tasting notes below, making them friendly to many types of dishes. Their white wines like the Viognier not only would pare perfectly with a spiced Asian duck, but a nice seared flank steak. The Pinot Noir’s and Syrah also can hit both ends of the spectrum holding up to a ribeye, tenderloin, and lechon Cuban pork, but also a baked herbed chicken, and a pasta. I see no limits in cuisine that a Dobbes wine cannot go with in your culinary experience from a finer dining establishment to you're dining room table at home. Try the Syrah with a nice piece of cheesecake desert in the later evening as you watch a show, yummy.

Bottle Prices 

(excluding taxes)

$£€¥ -                Under 50.00 

$£€¥ x 2 -          51.00- 99.00 

$£€¥ x 3 -          Over 100.00 

$£€¥ x 4 -          Over 200.00 

$£€¥ x 5 -          Over 400.00 

**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s** 

Wine Selction:	Currency in the top wine producing countries:	Price Chart :
2011 Meyer Vineyard Pinot Noir  (750 ml)
$65.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$$
$87.00	Australian Dollar (AUS)	$$
$86.00	Canadian Dollar (CAN)	$$
¥424.00	Chinese Yuan (CNY)	¥¥¥¥¥
€58.00	European Union (EUR)	€€
£46.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
$97.00	New Zealand Dollar (NZD)	$
R1003.00	South African Rand (ZAR)	R
2013 Grenache Blanc (750 ml)
$26.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
€23.00	European Union (EUR)	€
£18.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
2012 Amelia Rosé Cuvée Pinot Noir (750 ml)
$45.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
€40.00	European Union (EUR)	€
£32.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
2012 Patricia’s Cuvée Pinot Noir (750 ml)
$55.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$$
€49.00	European Union (EUR)	€
£39.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
2011 Grand Assemblage Syrah (750 ml)
$28.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
€25.00	European Union (EUR)	€
£20.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£

Cost of wine tasting in USD (p/p):

Flight:

$15.00

Bouquet & Palette Notes:

Wine & Grape:	Nose (Bouquet):	Palette Experience:
2013 Grenache Blanc	Winemaker:   White peach, apricot, almond, honeysuckle, hints of bread yeast, subtle vanilla and varied tropical accents build the bouquet.	Winemaker: The flavors are as varied as the aroma; with floral blossom and stone fruit leading, supported by pineapple, grapefruit and golden raspberry. Mouth-watering acid defines the mouthfeel built on silky smooth body built from barrel fermentation. A long finish leaves a lasting impression from a rare and unique wine.
2011 Meyer Vineyard Pinot Noir  (SOLD OUT)	Winemaker:   Complex aromas of floral rose, black currant and cherry intermingle with integrated toasted oak.	Winemaker: On the palate, tart acid leads the entry and lengthens the finish filled in with medium body and moderate structured tannins. Flavors of juicy raspberry, mouth-watering cranberry and oaky vanilla transition into black fruited accents.
2012 Amelia Rosé Cuvée Pinot Noir	Winemaker:   2013: A young wine at the time of review; the aroma became more fruit driven with air; leading with ripe strawberry, spicy oak and Bing cherry.	Winemaker: The palate has fresh, racy acid with medium body and moderate young tannins. Fruit flavors are a shade darker with boysenberry, wild blackberry and dark cherry accented by light pomegranate and intriguing oak complexity.
2012 Patricia’s Cuvée Pinot Noir	Winemaker:   Lucious, red fruit aromas redolent of cherry and strawberry, toasted oak characters of cedar, vanilla and tobacco with an underlying wet soil complexity.	Winemaker: The palate opens to full body, fine grained tannins and ends with a long balanced finish. Opulent flavors of ripe strawberry, bing cherry and black currant wrap around complex oak characteristics of cocoa and vanilla.
2011 Grand Assemblage Syrah	Winemaker:   A complex aroma of this red wine pours over the glass edge laden with ripe fruit characters of marionberry and blueberry preserves.	Winemaker: Sweet dried fig transitions into complex oak spice, leather, vanilla and hints of clove. Structured tannins frame a full body filled with flavors of ripe plum, berry pie, graham/pie crust accents and tobacco leaf. A long acid finish is a pleasant conclusion to this weighty, ripe Syrah.
2014 Viognier	Winemaker:   Stone fruit aromas of ripe peach and apricot mingle with candied orange and floral complexity found in honeysuckle and Daphne blossom.	Winemaker: A woven thread of vanilla and nutmeg from 20% new oak carries from the aroma into the palate. Tart green apple and pear flavors are balanced with medium full body, juicy acid and ripe apricot. This complex wine finishes with medium length balanced with bright acidity.
2012 Griffin’s Cuvée Pinot Noir	Winemaker:   Complex, spicy oak, marion and boysenberry, dried cherry, floral rose and Italian plum	Winemaker: Full bodied, structured tannins, fresh acid.  Flavor: Strawberry, raspberry and red licorice, oak driven spice, cola, earthy undertones. Finish: Long with tannins and acid
2012 Single Vineyard Momtazi Pinot Noir	Winemaker:   Dark, ripe fruits lead the aroma with marionberry and cherry pie accented with brambly spice, chocolate, subtle ginger and nutmeg.	Winemaker: A bright acid entry is countered by assertive fine grained tannins and full mid-palate body. Flavors lead with Bing cherry supported by pipe tobacco, bittersweet cocoa and hints of vanilla.

Vineyard Owner:

Joe Dobbes

Production Winemaker:

Travis Proctor

Assistant Winemakers:

Griffin Brown and Andy McVay

Vineyard &Tasting Room Address:

240 SE 5th Street 

Dundee, Oregon 97115

GPS Coordinates: 

45.279530

-123.007842

Contact Information: 

Tasting room:	503-538-1141 x 118
Fax:	503-538-1244
Website:	Dobbes Family Wines
Email:	Contact Winery
Social Media:	Facebook Link
	Twitter @DobbesWinery
	Pinterest
	YouTube
	Instagram

Tasting Room Information:

Monday - Sunday: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8:00)

Review by:

Sean Overpeck (CFE)

I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for the past twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, Dubai, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army food service program. The idea for the Wine, Dine, and Play Blog started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by others to write down the experiences from a few Jordanian restaurants, plus the wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra, and the culture. Since that time, nearly 200 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide; exotic world locations such as Dubai, Petra, and African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; country cuisines such as Afghan and Peruvian; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia

Who is John Galt?

“I like cooking with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.”

TTFN