At first I was pretty certain I was not going to be able to attend this year. As the weekend got closer I was able to move a few things around and was able to get out to the Classic for a few hours on Sunday. While looking over the list of wineries attending I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of wineries from the southern part of the state. So I was able to add a few more wineries to the tasted list from the Umpqua area (www.umpquawines.com).  
 
 
HillCrest  
 
The first winery was HillCrest (www.hillcrestvineyard.com) and, depending upon whom you talk to, this is the either the oldest or second oldest winery site in the state. While tasting some great wines I was able to talk to the owner and winemaker Dyson. I was very surprised and impressed with the wines I was able to taste, including a Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.  
 
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon  
Year: 1990  
Price: 24  
Aroma: dark, pleasant, cherry  
Taste: peppery kick, tannins, cherry  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: medium body, medium finish, still has about three years left of age. I was truly surprised and shocked to see a true Oregon-grown and -made Cab and, to top it off, it was great wine that has been aged. I am not sure how easily you could find this wine but if you are looking for a nice soft Cab completely Oregon-based this is it.  
 
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon  
Year: 1989  
Price: 24  
Aroma: tinny  
Taste: acid, raisin, plum, tannins, drying mouth effect, tobacco,  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/7  
My Comments: medium body, long finish. This is what I love about wine tasting -- this wine is only one year older but to me tastes so different you think it has be from a different winery. This wine is starting to show its age and I don’t think it has much time left but still a nice wine right now  
 
Wine: Zinfandel  
Year: 2003  
Price: 24  
Aroma: cherry, semi-sweet  
Taste: cherry, acid, some tannins  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/9  
My Comments: big bold body, long finish. As Oregon-grown and -made Zins go, this has to be my current favorite I have tasted and, therefore, I bought some. I see this as a wine I can enjoy over the next four years easily. This is another wine I really recommend you go out and buy to see what an Oregon winery can do with home-grown Zin.  
 
Wine: Riesling  
Year: 2003  
Price: 18  
Aroma: sweet, melon, fieldish  
Taste: semi syrupy, hints of citrus  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/7  
My Comments: medium body, long finish. This is a great wine to sit on the porch and enjoy during a summer’s day.  
 
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
I was able to sneak a taste on a wine not yet released  
 
A Riesling done in a German style, this was a great wine that was less sweet than most Oregon-styled Rieslings and has a bit of a mineral taste and aroma to it. If you are looking for a nice change of pace Riesling look for this one.  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
 
Wine: Viogner Ice Wine  
Year: 2003  
Price: 35  
Aroma: sweet, tropical, great  
Taste: not syrupy, tropical,  
Wine level/Wine Value: 9/8  
My Comments: This is a true ice wine for the grapes were frozen on the vine and then picked by hand shortly after complete freezing. Hearing Dyson tell this story is worth the trip to the winery. As most dessert/late harvest wines go, this is in the top group for there is no hint of the tinny or metal taste some end up having after the wine-making process.  
 
I am not sure how I have gone this long with out hearing about HillCrest but after this tasting event I am sure to have some of their wine in my cellar for years to come. This just goes to show there are great wines in the southern Oregon regions and they are starting to make themselves known. This is what makes wine tasting so much fun, finding these hidden gems but after this article I am sure this winery will not be a hidden gem for long.  
 
 
Spangler  
 
Spangler (541 679 9654) is not really a new winery as much as new ownership that took over an existing winery (La Garza). The new owners seem to have a great plan and the wines we tasted showed a great future for them.  
 
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon  
Year: 2000  
Price: 29  
Aroma: raisin, plum  
Taste: cherry, vanilla, smoky, berry, tannins  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: full body, long finish, could be cellared for three years  
 
Wine: Merlot  
Year: 2000  
 
 
Price: 29  
Aroma: raisin, chocolate  
Taste: black pepper, fruit bomb, blackberry, tobacco, leather, hints of strawberry  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: big body, long finish, could be aged for five years  
 
 
Wild Rose  
 
Now I was on to what I think is a new small winery trying to make a name for itself, Wild Rose. This is where having small plastic cups really hurts a taster. The cups at this winery were the small communion-style cups that held maybe 0.5 ounces. This makes it really hard to get a good feel of the wines.  
 
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon  
Year: 2002  
Price: 15  
Aroma: was not able to get one  
Taste: raspberry, big fruit  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/7  
My Comments: should be able to age this wine for about three years  
 
 
 
MarshAnne Landing  
 
MarshAnne Landing (www.marshannelanding.com) is the last winery for this day. I like the play on the name (Martian Landing) and the wine selection was great. While talking to Greg and Fran, owners and winemakers, it was nice to hear of a winery trying to keep the prices of their wines in the affordable range, under $25 per bottle. Now a lot of wineries say they want to stay in the affordable range and they do by producing less than stellar wines. MarshAnne Landing is not one of those, they actually make great wines for their price.  
 
Wine: Chardonnay  
Year: 2003  
Price: 16  
Aroma: green field  
Taste: little or no oak on the taste, nice fruit, acid, hint of almond and butter  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: I know I was told this wine was done in oak but it has more of a steel barrel fruitiness with the softness of oak. I was really impressed with this wine.  
 
Wine: Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc)  
Year: 2002  
Price: 18  
Aroma: licorice, red fruit  
Taste: big red fruit, tannins, semi-soft on edges, cherry finish  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7/8  
My Comments: medium body, long finish, has a good four years left in it, this is a Bordeaux- style wine and a great one at that  
 
Wine: Cote Du Umpqua  
Year: 2002  
Price: 20  
Aroma: wax, violets, beef  
Taste: dusty, cherry, marionberry  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/8  
My Comments: medium body, long finish, has about five years left in it, this wine I think is one of the best blends I have had made from Oregon fruit. This wine is mostly Syrah and Grenache  
 
Wine: Merlot  
Year: 2002  
Price: 18  
Aroma: black cherry, hint of wax  
Taste: raspberry, black pepper, cherry  
Wine level/Wine Value: 7/8  
My Comments: medium body, long finish, has about 3 years left in it  
 
Wine: Syrah  
Year: 2003  
Price: 20  
Aroma: violets, beef, strawberry  
Taste: velvety, cranberry, blackberry, soft on edges, has some tannins  
Wine level/Wine Value: 9/9  
My Comments: medium body, medium finish, has about five left in it, one of the top wines of the day and I think the best wine from this winery. This is another wine I will look forward to enjoying over the next few years.  
 
Wine: Syrah-Grenache  
Year: 2001  
Price: 12  
Aroma: light rose  
Taste: cherry, pepper  
Wine level/Wine Value: 8/9  
My Comments: medium body, medium finish, could be cellared for two more years. Another great wine, the Grenache gives it some taste and aromas not usually found in local wines and to me makes this wine stand out.  
 
I was impressed by these four Umpqua Valley wineries. I expect the region to slowly gather the attention of the wine drinkers up north as they slowly realize that there is more out there than just Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. These wines from this region will start getting more media and consumers attention. I just hope I can help get it started but not before I have found all the great ones and filled my cellar.  
 
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.