In the Land of Baco Noir and Tempranillo

The road to Roseburg was longer than usual this morning.  A few quick stops to talk about auction items, first at Territorial Seed Company where Julie is putting together a summer basket for the auction, and then at Wildlife Safari, where they are letting us auction off a close up experience with the painting elephant. I had stopped at most of the wineries that were donating bottles this year but had not made it south past Winston to visit an old friend, Philip, at Girardet Winery. We have been members of their wine club since the year we got married and receive a 6 pack of the Baco Noir Reserve every year so I saved shipping, picked up our wine, and was given a spectacular '08 Barrel Select Pinot Noir. This wine is full of brown spices with notes of vanilla over a base of dark cherry. I recommend you wait for a few more years before diving in to this deep pool.

Coming back down the road on the way to Abacela I stopped for a taste at HV Winery. They have already given a bottle so I wanted to do a little sample of the wines. The sweet girl who was helping out that day was a bit of a novice so I got to show her how to get the foil off a bottle. The Baco Noir wine was great! Heady wine with leather and spice over lots of dark berry and a little mocha latte' to finish.When I dropped off my paperwork at Abacela with Duke and while there I tasted a really choice Viognier, their '09. It has mellowed and has this big full mouthfeel with rich fruit and soft spices. It was good when I tasted it last year but now it is absolutely a must have. It garnered 91 points from Wine Enthusiast.

As I left I took a shot of the vineyards and of an old oak that I may have to turn in to a etching.

I had time for one more stop so I turned left out of Southerlin and headed up the hill to Misty Oaks. People think that it is a long way to drive for some reason but it is .5 miles from the sign. The view from up there is inspiring and they call it Misty Oaks for a reason. The vineyards are high up and get cooled in the hot climate of summer and therefore produce a Pinot Noir with complexity and depth. Read on their site how they name the blocks. Christy tasted me through the whites (Gewurztraminer was my favorite but they are all just amazing) and the reds. There Gobblers Knob Red Blend is a great table wine with all sorts of over laying flavors. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, and has a warmth that you will enjoy with any roasted meats and vegetables. Last year we had it at one of our barbecues and it was a big hit.

The dogs were there to great me and make sure everything was OK. 

A great day for a quick trip.

The evening was spent at the Hult Center enjoying the Eugene Ballet. Another reason to love Oregon.