On this day, which has become a new "unofficial" holiday, I decided to take a day and drink some wine and toast a glass or two with others in honor of those who are no longer here, and for those who are protecting us from having it happen again.  
 
This trip started out with me picking up some wine I bought recently and then just seeing what was open and where the road took me. The first tasting stop was Panther Creek. Some of you may be saying they are only open the two holiday weekends. Till recently that is true but I think in June Panther Creek started opening up the 2nd Saturday of each month for tastings.  
 
I decided that, since I have not been there in over two years, now was a good time to see what was going on. I am happy to say they are still making some great Pinot Noirs and, even better news, you can buy bottles. The last two times I have visited, remember the last was the 2001 Thanksgiving weekend, I could only buy bottles of white wine or futures of Pinot Noir.  
 
The people there taking care of the tasting room were great and very talkative and were happy to answer questions and talk about the local wine scene. I don’t know about the rest of you but I am not fond of the person who just pours the wine for you and then goes back to their book or whatever they were doing when I show up.  
 
The only complaint I had about the stop was the last pour was very small. I am talking two tablespoons small. Now, I must defend Panther Creek for I expect this was partly due to the fact we stopped by about 30 minutes before closing and they did not want to open new bottle just for us. I can understand that, but I wish they would have come out and said it rather then give the impression of being skimpy with the pour. The other pours were of normal tasting size and allowed you to get a really good feel for the wines, so I was saddened that I did not get a really good feel on the last wine we tasted.  
 
Wine: Chardonnay, Celilo  
Year: 2002  
Price: 18  
Aroma: Warm Oak, Toast  
Taste: Nice full mouth feel, Soft  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8 / 7  
My Comments: A very good Chardonnay that was not overly oaked  
 
Wine: Pinot Gris  
Year: 2002  
Price: 16  
Aroma: Soft, Good fruit aromas, Pear, Green Apples  
Taste: Soft, Green Apples, Weak Acid  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8 / 8  
My Comments: Was told by pourer this wine should have had a stronger acid component in the wine.  
 
Wine: Winemaker Cuvee Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 25  
Aroma: Violets, Smokey  
Taste: Full, Bright, Medium Body, Medium Finish  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8 / 8  
My Comments: A great value wine and hits all the right spots in the mouth.  
 
Wine: Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 40  
Aroma: Rose, Beef  
Taste: Bright Fruit, Raspberry, Cranberry, Medium Body, Long Finish  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8 / 6  
My Comments: A great wine -- I just think the price is a tad high for a wine that does not show enough tannins to age long  
 
Wine: Anden Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 40  
Aroma: Strong Violet aromas  
Taste: Tannins, Cherry, Medium Body, Long Finish  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8 / 7  
My Comments: This is a wine you can buy a case of and cellar for a time and enjoy it as it slowly changes from a tannic wine to a nice balanced fruit-forward wine.  
 
After Panther Creek we decided to walk over to Anthony Dell Cellars (503) 910-8874. I have seen the sign in the Wine Quarter of McMinnville before but never stopped or ran out of time. Today, I had no reasons not to finally visit. I am glad I did. A few tasters at Panther Creek also went over to Anthony Dell Cellars. It is nice to have a few other people in the tasting room to encourage discussions and increase the enjoyment of the time at the tasting room.  
 
 
 
Anthony Dell Cellars is a small operation at this time and, based on the wines we were able to taste, should not have a problem getting a good following and allowing them to slowly increase size and production. I was also impressed when talking to them that they want to keep their wines priced so most people will be able to afford them. I am not sure if you have noticed but many wineries are starting to slowly increase the price on their wines as more and more wineries are starting to appear on the Oregon wine scene.  
 
Wine: Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 25  
Aroma: Musty, Plum  
Taste: Light Tannins, Raspberry, Strawberry, Dusty, Medium Body, Medium Finish  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8 / 8  
My Comments: A great wine and this one got me excited to try the other two offerings. I could see you cellaring this for about 18 months will no concerns. If you are keeping this one for two years or more I think you will need a well controlled cellar.  
 
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon  
Year: 2001  
Price: 18  
Aroma: Musty, Blackberry, Strong  
Taste: Dusty, Raspberry, Blackberry, Cherry, Spicy and Tangy effect, Medium Body, Long Finish  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8 / 9  
My Comments: I have not seen a cab this good priced under $30 since I found a hole in wall place in California a while back.  
 
Wine: Zinfandel  
Year: 2001  
Price: 16  
Aroma: Green Vines, Raspberry, Plum  
Taste: Cranberry, Raspberry, Plum, Medium Body, Long Finish  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7 / 8  
My Comments: After tasting the Cab, I was really looking forward to the Zin. I think that is part of the reason I did not find this wine as great as it probably is. I think next time I will taste the Zin before the Cab to reduce my anticipation and expectations. I think if I could have tasted the Zin before the Cab this one might have come out closer to an 8/9.  
 
 
Finishing comments:  
 
I learned today that a large group of good social people can make a tasting tour a lot of fun and I encourage getting four or more people together and going out and seeing what happens on your trip.  
 
Also if you are poured an amount that does not allow you to get a good feel for the wines please ask for a bit more to ensure you got a good taste of it, especially if you are interested in buying some or find it very bad. If you take the time to get out and taste, make sure you get a good understanding of the wines you got to taste.  
 
 
Wine Level and Wine Value rankings defined:  
 
The Wine Level/Wine Value numbers are on a ten point scale, 10 being the best possible score.  
 
- Wine Level is the rank of wine with no regard to price.  
 
- The Wine Value number is the ranking taking price into consideration. If the Wine Value is lower then Wine Level it usually means I feel the price is high; if the Wine Value is higher then I feel the wine is a great deal. If they are the same then it is priced where it should be.