Domaine Serene

Domaine Serene sits opposite Domaine Drouhin-Oregon.  It was not originally on my list of places to visit, as I didn’t think the tasting room had regular hours but when I drove by I noticed the "Tasting Room Open" sign was out and so I decided to stop in.  It turns out they just opened with regular hours on April 9.  Until November 30, the tasting room is open Thursdays through Sundays from 11am – 4pm

The winery building and grounds are much in the same style as Domaine Drouhin.  The grand building sits on top of a hill in the middle of the vineyard.  A long winding drive takes you from the main road to the winery buildings and parking lot. The tasting room is a bit hidden, although there are signs directing you across the drive, around the building and down some steps to the entry.  The tasting room is large and looks like it could also be used for special events. 

Again, when I entered I was the only person in the room, although about half way through my tasting a couple joined me.  There were two flights available; the Introductory Flight for $10 or the Single-Vineyard Flight for $15, which included the three wines from the Introductory Flight plus two additional Pinot Noir.  Tasting fees would be waived with a $300 purchase!  This seemed ludicrous to me, I understand that many wineries get a lot of tasting traffic that never results in a purchase.  On the other hand tasting is a marketing tool and if this "marketing" works why would you charge the customer for it?  (In my mind it’s sort of like buying logo clothing – I always think those items should cost less, since you are providing advertising for the company!)

And again, since I really only wanted to taste Pinots on this trip I tried to work a little deal with the women staffing the tasting room – trading out the single-vineyard Pinot Noirs for the Chardonnay on the list.  Instead, they made a deal with me!  I could try the single-vineyard Pinots for the $10 fee but I had to try two Chardonnays (only one was on the list!).  I folded knowing I could take small tastes and dump the remainder if I wanted to.  (I generally don’t do the spit thing…) For all you marketing and sales people reading this, this is a great example of how being nice to your customers gets you a lot more than being strict with them!  I ended up buying two bottles of Chardonnay and one of Pinot Noir – not enough to get my tasting fee dropped, however! :-) 

This was a really fun tasting for a couple of reasons.  First, the women working the tasting room were very nice.  One was a new hire, I would guess, and seemed to be in training.  She was very pleasant and was gaining knowledge about the wines she was serving.  The other had been in the business for a number of years and was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects.  Besides the fact that they were pleasant people we discussed all kinds of topics ranging from the wines I was tasting, to trends in naming and labeling wines, to customer confusion about wines and other little tidbits.  We talked about the Seattle market, places and people they’ve worked with and I gave them some suggestions of other places where I thought they might find a good match for their wines.  I spent quite a lot of time at this winery. 

The wines I tasted:

2002 "Clos du Soleil" Chardonnay: This wine had good flavor – lots of citrus but with a bit more mineral overtones than I prefer. 

2001 and 2002 "Etoile Vineyard" Chardonnay:  The 2001 seemed a bit harsh to me but the 2002 was perfect!  Domaine Serene makes this Chardonnay more in the French style with very little oak.  I love that!  These wines are much more about the grape than about what has "enhanced" the wine.  I think of Chardonnays made in this manner as being wines to enjoy on their own as well as with food.  The 2002 was really smooth and a bit nutty.  Light, but not without character.  I don’t often think of Chardonnay as a seafood wine but I could definitely see this wine with shellfish or maybe some of the Alaskan Halibut that’s currently in season!  Yum!

2001 "Evenstad Reserve" Pinot Noir:  This wine surprised me.  The nose was very harsh and I prepared to grimace as I tasted.  Wrong!  this is a beautiful smooth wine!  It may have been the tobacco that hit me in the nose but the taste was all ripe cherry with a hint of cassis. 

2002 "Jerusalem Hill Vineyard" Pinot Noir:  This was the winery’s first release from this vineyard and is very limited.  This is a big wine with lots of berry and, I think, some underlying coffee tastes.  It very pleasantly lingers on the palate. 

2002 "Guadalupe Vineyard" Pinot Noir: I loved this wine.  Big and bold cherry and berry hit the nose, which continues on to the palate.  There’s a hint of spice and an underlying taste that’s very solid – I’m not sure how to describe it.  Again, this wine has a lovely finish that lingers.  Unfortunately, it’s only available at the winery. 

2001 Rockblock "Del Rio Vineyard" Syrah: I don’t have a clear recollection of this wine.  I just remember that it didn’t grab me.  It may have been that it seemed a shock to my mouth after those last couple Pinot Noirs!

Next stop:  Torii Mor