Eugene's Well Hidden Gem

For those of you who do not frequently visit the Whitaker District, Neighborhood, area, etc. you are missing a diamond in the rough. Whitaker is a last mecca for Eugene's urban hipsters, gentrifiers, and retired hippies. there are a few anarchists thrown in to the mix for good measure but mostly the place is happy, laid back, and down toward Blair, contains a great mix of new stores, galleries, and restaurants.
(click here for map). On third street, on the corner at Adams Street,
Territorial Vineyards and Wine Company sits in an old warehouse with a tasting room, a huge wine storage area, and all the equipment needed to produce some very fine wines.
(click here for map).

In an old 12,000 square foot coffee warehouse they put together a fully functional wine making facility complete with crush pad and climate control.

In their own words:

With relatively small production levels, an efficient floor plan and plenty of room, wine maker John Jarboe is able to closely monitor and intimately 'know' every lot and every barrel from crush through bottling. Pinot Noir lots, for example, are fermented, vinified and aged separately by vineyard, by clone and further by free-run and hardpress. With this high degree of specificity John is able to experiment with a wide range of French oak barrels taking the best from a range of coopers and forests. While this makes for a grueling regimen of tasting and selection at blending time we accept this burden as all part of a day's work. (more)

I stopped by today to give them the photo-etching I made for them and to pick up a bottle of their wonderful '08 Stone's Throw Pinot Noir This wine has a huge amount of nose with black-caps and warm toasted bread followed by blueberry, spice, and black current and cherry.

They are well known in Lane County to be generous and caring about the arts and other non-profit enterprises so please do all you can to make it down on a Friday or Saturday for a taste and some music.