Domaine Drouhin – Oregon

Domaine Drouhin – Oregon was created in 1988 by the Drouhin family of Maison Joseph Drouhin, a well established wine company located in France. The Oregon winery is run by two members of the Drouhin family, among others. Véronique Drouhin-Boss is the winemaker and her brother, Philippe Drouhin, is in charge of all Drouhin estate vineyards in Oregon and in Burgundy. They both split their time between Oregon and their home in France.

The winery sits on top of a hill surrounded by the vineyards. The building is a very impressive looking structure. As you approach the tasting room you pass through a small garden. The day I visited it was very quiet and peaceful on top of that hill. The view is stunning.

I was the only one at the tasting room. And had a chance to talk a bit about the winery and wines. Although Veronique comes and goes, they are quick to show you a picture of her children whom the wines are all named after.

The fee to taste is $10 which they will wave with a $120 purchase, which wouldn’t take long to meet, considering how the wine is priced!  Their Chardonnay and three Pinot Noirs are included in the tasting.  I passed on the Chardonnay (I still had three wineries I planned to visit before driving home!) but tried each of the Pinot Noirs; the Willamette Valley, the Louise and the Laurene.  These were all 2001 vintage.

The Willamette Valley was rich, full-bodied and heavy on the cassis.  It is a nice wine but after drinking the other two releases not much comes to mind about it. 

Both the Laurene and the Louise were amazingly rich and complex with layer upon layer of flavor.  Lots of good aftertaste.  Heavy on the berry flavors, quite a lot of tannin yet smooth.  Laurene is their reserve wine and Louise is the best of the reserve wine.  It is very limited.  It was available at the winery but I notice that it is not listed online.  I didn’t realize this at the time, however, I preferred the Laurene to the Louise.  Although I would be more than happy to receive Louise as a gift! :-) 

According to the winemaker’s recommendation both should be drinkable through 2020.  I will be planning to hold onto this bottle and drink  it for a special occasion. 

These really are beautiful wines and have scored very well since their early releases.  But, due to their high cost, they aren’t wines I’ll purchase on a regular basis. 

Next stop:  Domaine Serene