This day was a lightly planned day for I was going to get a late start and not getting out TIL about 1 o’clock. I started the day at Holloran Vineyards and J. Christopher. They were pouring together at Holloran’s winery in West Linn. The tasting was set up to taste both wineries' wines in tasting order but I am going to list them in order per winery to reduce confusion.  
 
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J. Christopher  
 
Wine: Chehalem Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay  
Year: 2003  
Price: 18  
Aroma: Crisp, field-like aroma, mineral  
Taste: Pear, crisp  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7/7  
My Comments: I like this wine and after my first taste I was able to figure out why. This wine was fermented in steel and probably saw very little oak if any. If you are looking for a Chardonnay with more fruit and less oak, this is the one.  
 
Wine: Le Pavillon Blanc  
Year: 2003  
Price: 22.50  
Aroma: Crisp, oak, pleasant  
Taste: Crisp, green wood  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/6  
My Comments: This is a Pinot Gris and Chardonnay blend also done in steel. I found the wine itself a great wine for a late summer evening but the price is a tad high for a nice blend  
 
Wine: Sandra Adele Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 25  
Aroma: Wet newspaper, wool, earth  
Taste: Cherry, cranberry,  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7/6  
My Comments: A good Pinot Noir and one that will get better with age.  
 
Wine: Le Pavillon Vineyard Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 30  
Aroma: Cranberry, plum, wax  
Taste: Smooth, cherry, thin body  
Wine level/Wine Value: 6/6  
My Comments: Not much to say about this one. IT was a good wine BUT I just did not seem to enjoy it as much as others I have tasted.  
 
I have tasted J. Christopher wines in the past. I don’t recall what I thought of the whites but I was impressed with the Pinot Noirs. After this tasting, I left with the idea of great whites and good Pinot Noirs.  
 
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Holloran Vineyard Wines  
 
Wine: Chehalem Mountain Vineyard Riesling  
Year: 2003  
Price: 20  
Aroma: Honey, floral  
Taste: Apricot, pear, apple  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/7  
My Comments: I really like everything about this Riesling but the price. I am sorry, I can’t seem to justify $20 for a white wine unless it is a late harvest or dessert styled.  
 
Wine: Le Pavillon Vineyard Riesling  
Year: 2003  
Price: 20  
Aroma: Wool  
Taste: Metallic, apple, and tangy citrus  
Wine level/Wine Value: 4/3  
My Comments: This wine surprised me. After the first Riesling, I expected a Riesling grown on the estate to be great. This wine to me seemed to have a lot of characteristics you usually don’t see in wine and also don’t want to see. I keep coming back to the idea it might have been a corked wine and I should have asked for a sample from another bottle to be sure.  
 
Wine: Stafford Hill Pinot Noir Cuvee LP  
Year: 2002  
Price: 17  
Aroma: Licorice, beef, and violets  
Taste: Pepper, plum, raisin  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/9  
My Comments: After the last wine, I was a little wine shy but this wine was by far the best wine tasted at this stop. I was truly surprised at the price also for the greatness of this wine I expected a $30 price tag. A very age-worthy wine to be enjoyed over the next four years  
 
Wine: Le Pavillon Vineyard Pinot Noir  
Year: 2001  
Price: 30  
Aroma: Black currants, earthy, licorice  
Taste: Berry, plum, raisin, and pepper  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: This wine was is a bad spot after the Stafford Hill Pinot Noir and luckily for me, it was up to the challenge. I found it to be just as good as the Stafford and would feel very safe in recommending either to anyone looking for a good full-body Pinot Noir to have with dinner.  
 
Wine: Late Harvest Riesling  
Year: 2002  
Price: $20 for 375 ml or $35 for 750 ml  
Aroma: Honey  
Taste: No metallic taste, honey, apricot, peaches  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/9  
My Comments: A great wine and this was well worth the price and would be great with some nice sautéed fruit for after dinner  
 
I was very impressed with Holloran Vineyard overall and I will expect to see them around a long time and expect to see them grow into a larger winery and slowly become more well know for their quality wines.  
 
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Now off to Deponte, one of the newer wineries open this weekend and one I have heard good things about so I was looking forward to this stop.  
 
Wine: Melon  
Year: 2003  
Price: 24  
Aroma: Wood, field, pear, apple  
Taste: Pear, apple, nut, vanilla, warming  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7/6  
My Comments: A good flavorful Melon and I really enjoyed it but just can’t see paying $24 a bottle for it. I know Melon is an expensive grape in this region and understand most Melons will go for about $20 but to me this one was not worth it.  
 
Wine: Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 28  
Aroma: Black cherry, raisin, licorice  
Taste: Strawberry, spicy  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/7  
My Comments: A nice Pinot Noir but to me just like about every other out there. Nothing about this one really stood out. Would I drink it? Yes. Would I buy it? Maybe. Would I feel comfortable ordering it at a restaurant with friends? Yes, but those restaurant mark-ups would probably make me think twice, but that is a topic for a different time.  
 
 
 
I was a tad disappointed in this stop, with only two wines. I was surprised they did not try to get another winery to join them for the day to make it a bigger event. However, the place was packed and all the people seemed to be enjoying themselves and buying wine by the case.  
 
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Domaine Coteau and Elemental Cellars are next on this day. I had not heard of either of these wineries before this weekend. These two were similar to the first stop. They combined their wines to order them together to ensure a proper tasting order.  
 
Domaine Coteau  
 
Wine: Pinot Noir  
Year: 2001  
Price: 15  
Aroma: Strong bright cherry  
Taste: Full mouth effect, cranberry  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/7  
My Comments: I really like this wine and the only reason I gave it lower wine value then a wine level was it was showing its age and I don’t think it has much life left in it. But if you buy it to drink in the next two or three months I would give it a 8/8.  
 
Wine: Walnut Hill  
Year: 2002  
Price: 18  
Aroma: Cranberry, wax  
Taste: Black cherry, raisin, plum  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7/7  
My Comments: Good well-balanced wine with some age-worthiness.  
 
Wine: Pinot Noir  
Year: 2002  
Price: 28  
Aroma: Raisin, cranberry  
Taste: Leather, raisin, and tannins  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: Some wines just hit your mouth in all the right places and are hard to explain, and this was one of those wines. This wine would be a good one to add to your cellar and enjoy over the next three years.  
 
Wine: Pinot Noir  
Year: 2003  
Price: Not Yet Released but Guessing 28  
Aroma: Raisin, cranberry, musty  
Taste: Raspberry, cranberry  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8 (guessing on price)  
My Comments: Getting a sneak peak at this wine makes me pretty excited about the future of Domain Coteau  
 
Now this is a winery that I think understands the current wine scene in Oregon. They are making good wines at prices most of us will purchase them at. I have not noticed the wines in any retail stores I visit but I will make an effort to look closer for them in the future when buying wines and I would recommend you do the same.  
 
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Elemental Cellars  
 
Wine: Pinot Blanc  
Year: 2003  
Price: 12  
Aroma: Hay, sweet,  
Taste: Lemon, crisp, little oak, acid  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: Good wine, Well-balanced and priced perfectly  
 
Wine: Pinot Gris  
Year: 2002  
Price: 12  
Aroma: Sweet, sugar candy-like aroma  
Taste: Lemon, crisp, light acid, pineapple, tropical  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: I have never seen an aroma like this wine had. There was a sugary, candy-like smell in the aroma. I not sure how exactly to describe it besides saying it was like what a Sugary candy smells like. Another great white wine.  
 
Wine: Melon  
Year: 2002  
Price: 14  
Aroma: Musty, earthy, strong, acidic  
Taste: Lemon, lime, crisp, smooth  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7/8  
My Comments: Funny, I was just mentioning earlier that most Melons run about $20, and here is a really good one at $14. Not sure how they can afford this price but I am not going to worry about -- I am just going to sit back and enjoy it.  
 
Wine: Viognier  
Year: 2002  
Price: 18  
Aroma: Floral, field, and acidic  
Taste: Tropical, soft, acid  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: I am starting to see a pattern here; Elemental Cellars is making a lot of white wines and making them very good. This wine follows that theory and supports it very well.  
 
Wine: Syrah  
Year: 2002  
Price: 20  
Aroma: Spice, leather, violets  
Taste: Complex fruit, spice, soft  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: After all those whites here comes a red wine that just impresses you greatly.  
 
I was truly impressed with Elemental Cellars and this is a winery I will have a lot of in my cellar based on quality and price. I can’t stress enough if you are looking for some of the non-mainstream whites, start here. I was impressed greatly BY this winery and recommend you get out and try these if you can.  
 
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This was a great start to a three-day wine tasting weekend. I was able to get out and visit four new wineries and one I have not tasted in some time. I was impressed by most of the wineries and wines. The crowds were not too bad at most stops and I was able to speak to some of the workers at each stop when I wanted to and was able to get answers to many questions. The best red wine has to be Holloran Vineyard’s Stafford Hill Pinot Noir and the best white wine was any by Elemental Cellars. I really can’t pick just one white from Elemental Cellars but if pressed I think I would select the Viognier.  
 
 
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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, and 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.