Erath Winery

Pioneers in Oregon Pinot

Dundee, Oregon, USA

Tasting in August 2015

By Sean Overpeck

Two days before my fiancé and I walked through the front door of the tasting room at Erath Winery, I was in Iraq, awaiting a much needed vacation away from the 145 degree (f) heat that had plagued us the entire summer. The funny thing was I enjoy the extremes in weather, because five months before I had left Antarctica where the summer high was 34 degrees (f). My fiancé and I were on a road trip and had one day to tour some vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Planned out, we each chose a few, and Erath was on my list along with Dobbes Family Estate, and Bergström Wines. In all we would hit six wineries on this day to include Penner-Ash and Archery Summit to name a few others. Erath was a wine name that I was familiar with from restaurants I worked at in Georgia and new they were a nationally distributed wine, as I had seen the label in several other states as well.  

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From vineyards home page:

Erath wines are an expression of the land that the winery has cultivated for more than 40 years, longer than any other winery in the Dundee Hills of Oregon. The red, iron-rich Jory soils, combined with gentle breezes and warming sunshine of a marine climate, have bestowed upon Dundee a terroir of note. It has given rise to the handcrafting phenomenon, and the art of Pinot.

As one of Oregon’s wine pioneers, Dick Erath had always been as tenacious in his approach to Pinot as the Pinot grape is stubborn. The engineer-turned-viticulturist was first inspired to pursue winemaking in 1965 after an early garage experiment. After completing coursework at UC-Davis in 1968, Erath relocated his family from California to the untamed red hills of Dundee. An unheated logger’s cabin on 49 acres would serve as home – and ad hoc winery – for several years. The following spring, he planted the Dundee Hill’s first wine grapes – 23 varieties. Pinot Noir flourished.

Main review:

There are two definitions of the word pioneer, and Dick Erath fits both of those descriptions. Those definitions are a person who helps create or develop new ideas, or someone who is one of the first people to move to and live in a new area. Dick was a wine pioneer for pinot noir in this area, like the pioneers before him on the Oregon trail risking it all for a new and better way of life. Some were successful and through them Oregon and later generations flourished, and others like the Donner party were not so lucky. Though it did introduce americans to beef tartar!!!

For my fiancé and I, Erath was the third vineyard tasting of the day. We were both hungry and had ordered some artisan sandwiches from the Red Hills Market before arriving, and as we did the tasting, the manager was kind enough to let use eat while we did the flight of five wines. 

The Erath estate is very large and seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, with grapevines grown over rolling hills, with a tasting room that was the exact opposite. A small bar, and about 6-8 high top tables, with the rest being a small store for purchases. As we arrived, there were several people enjoying their tastings as well. 

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	87
Robert Parker The Wine Advocate	92 points on the 2009 Leland Pinot Noir and 93 points on the La Nuit Magique Pinot Noir
Wine Speculator	91 points on the 2009 Estate Selection Pinot Noir and the Prince Hill Pinot noir
All Accolades	Erath Accolades
Wines Produced	Red:  Pinot Noir White:  Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris Rose Rosé, White Pinot Noir Dessert:  Sweet Harvest Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir
Regulatory	AVA: American viticulture Association

Cases Produced:

Per Year:

Pinot Blanc	2,200
Pinot Gris	55,600
Pinot Noir	107,998

These wines remind me of:

I don’t remember when I first tasted Erath wines, but do know that it was early on back in the days when I didn’t really drink any whites wines, so it was a pinot. As far as the tasting experience and the quality of the wines, I would compare the tasting to a few others in the past from vineyards such as La Motte in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and Cosentino Winery in Napa, California. Though these wineries were known for their red blends and did not produce pinot noir, the experience, atmosphere and customer service to Erath reminded me of these two places.

The pinot blanc tasting was similar to the tasting profiles of the 2011 FMC Chenin Blanc tasting from Ken Forrester winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa as well, and with its aroma of pure Hawaii in every swirl, I would easily pair the wine with dishes such as Lomi Lomi Salmon, or Hawaiian Luau Meatballs. Both pinots that were tasted were lite and spicy in aroma and taste and to me would pair perfect with señora cauliflower, or a temper to a chicken tagine dish. 

Bouquet & Palette Notes:

Wine & Grape:	Nose (Bouquet):	Palette Experience:
2014 Oregon Pinot Blanc $14.00 per bottle	Winemaker:   A tropical paradise, this Pinot Blanc is bursting with sun-drenched aromas of banana, papaya, kiwi and juicy honeydew melon	Winemaker: An opulent mouthful of peach, guava and rich apricot nectar lingers on the palate like a warm summer day.”
2014 Pinot Gris	Winemaker:   Luscious and fruit-forward, aromas of ripe pear, key lime, fragrant gardenia and a hint of golden fig offer an enticing sensory experience. Cantaloupe, pineapple, kumquat and honey embrace	Winemaker: The palate in soft silkiness, melding into a lengthy, satisfying finish
2014 Shafner Pinot Gris Rosé	Winemaker:   Mixing bowl aromas of strawberry, juicy cherries, cinnamon, vanilla, anise and bread dough rise up from this beautifully-hued dry rosé. My Tasting:   Cheery, black plum, and a yeast aroma like that of fermenting dough in a bakery with light nutmeg and allspice	Winemaker: A summery mouthful of strawberry, rhubarb, red plum and tart baking apple cleanses the palate with bright acidity while subtle tannins lengthen the experience My Tasting:  Soft pallet, very lite and hardly noticeable with a smooth finish
2013 Oregon Pinot Noir	Winemaker:   Deliciously affable, start to finish! Bursting-with-berries aromas mingle with plum, fragrant violet and an alluring hint of caramel	Winemaker: A silky mouthful of bing cherry and pomegranate are woven together with a persistence of smooth caramel
2013 Estate Selection Pinot Noir	Winemaker:   Bursting with mixed red berries, fragrant gardenia, caramel laced chocolate and a late hint of bramble.	Winemaker: Subtle in initial approach, this charmer offers cranberry and tart cherry on the palate

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 :
2013 Quail Run Pinot Blanc (750 ml)
$22.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
$29.00	Australian Dollar (AUS)	$
$29.00	Canadian Dollar (CAN)	$
¥143.00	Chinese Yuan (CNY)	¥¥¥
£16.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
20.00	European Union (EUR)	€
$33.00	New Zealand Dollar (NZD)	$
R340.00	South African Rand (ZAR)	R
2014 Pinot Gris (750 ml)
$14.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
€13.00	European Union (EUR)	€
£10.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
2013 Oregon Pinot Noir (750 ml)
$19.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
€17.00	European Union (EUR)	€
£13.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
2013 Estate Selection Pinot Noir (750 ml)
$34.00	United States Dollar (USD)	$
€30.00	European Union (EUR)	€
£24.00	Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£

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

Pioneer Wine Flight:	$10.00
Reserve Wine Flight:	$15.00
Art of Pinot Tasting Experience:	$30.00

Château or Vineyard Owner:

Dick Erath

Winemaker:

Gary Horner

Vineyard &Tasting Room Address:

9409 NE Worden Hill Road

Dundee, Oregon 97115 

GPS Coordinates: 

45.285164

-123.060196

Tasting Room Information:

Hours:	Monday - Sunday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8:00)
Tasting room:	503-538-3318
Fax:	503-538-1074
Website:	Erath Vineyards
Email:	Contact Winery
Social Media:	Facebook Link
	Twitter @erathwinery
	YouTube

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