Argyle Vineyards

Argyle came to the scene quite a bit later than Erath but once they started producing they definitely have made their mark on the Oregon wine scene! 

Argyle was the first producer in the area to make a sparkling wine (at least that I am aware of).  And their sparkling wines, as well as their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have consistently scored highly over the years. 

They are conveniently located right on the highway in the center of "downtown" Dundee.  This has made their tasting room very popular, although this was my first visit.  When I’ve tried to visit in the past the tasting room was not open. 

On Friday they were offering two flights to taste.  The Red, White and Bubbly (four or five wines from all the varieties) was a $5 charge and the other (all sparkling) a $4 charge.  However, there was some construction going on (they are expanding the tasting room) at the time so they were offering all tastes on a complimentary basis as a "thank you" for dealing with the noise.

Again I tried to limit my tasting mostly to the Pinots, although in this case it would include a sparkling Rose!  I’ve enjoyed the Argyle Brut for several years.  I think of it as a crispier, lighter bodied sparkling wine.  Clean and light – not necessarily in flavor but in how it feels in the mouth.  I like that it never overpowers the food, just complements it in an effervescent manner. 

Argyle 1999 Rose (Sparkling):  I really liked this wine!  It’s much more complex than the Bruts I’ve had in the past. It has a solid feel to it, lots of strawberry up front with a little spiciness to it.  I’ll need to drink it to more completely describe it but I think it’s going to work in a number of situations and it’s very pretty.  This may be the wine I use for the next WBW, for the "pink" theme, which Sam has chosen. 

Argyle 2003 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir:  I honestly don’t remember anything specific about this wine.  It was okay, I know that, but not good enough to justify the $20 price, in my opinion. 

Argyle 2002 Nuthouse Pinot Noir:  This is a really lovely wine!  I first tried Nuthouse about five years ago and have had the pleasure of drinking several of the vintages since.  It’s an earthy wine that makes you want to chew it.  There’s quite a lot of tannin and the wine sits in your mouth long after you finish it.  I chose not to buy it this time but only because it’s available in the Seattle market but the next wine is not, so I purchased it instead. 

Argyle 2002 Clubhouse Pinot Noir:  This wine is first available only to the Argyle Club members.  If not all of it is purchased then it is made available to the public at the tasting room.  This wine was not as big or dominant as the Nuthouse but it seemed to be keeping some secrets!  I think that in two or three years it will reveal it’s true complexity.  At least that’s what I hoped when I bought a bottle!

Next stop:  Sokol Blossor Winery