I love Willamette Valley! The wines, the producers, the beautiful vistas and mixed agricultural lands are always a huge treat to witness. July is a beautiful time to visit, as the blueberries and raspberries are ripe, the honey producers put out there local wares (the jars are kept in glass bins on the side of the road, and the prices are labelled. There is a little box for the money. The honey is amazing.) Oregon is one of the largest producers of filberts, or hazelnuts, in the world. The orchards are lovely.

IPNC takes place in mid-July in Willamette Valley, the heart of Oregon's wine growing region and is held on the campus of the lovely, leafy Linfield College. Pinot producers from all over the world participate, pouring and discussing their wines, their climates, their terroirs, their clones. Allan Meadows, of Burghound, a well respected reviewer/chronicler of Burgundy, gave an impassioned lecture one morning on the trials and merits of his favorite Pinot producing region.

The foods are always amazing. On the last evening of the event, the IPNC organizers host a slamon bake. Locally line-caught salmon are filleted, strapped to plank boards, which are then strapped to long stakes. A huge, roaring fire is made and the salmon stakes are set near the flames. Incredible match with Pinot. Bottles are laden on the tables, winemakers pull special wines from their cellars, and collectors bring outrageously incredible wines - DRC, Musigny, Dujac, Y'quem...

One of the more memorable moments for me came off-campus. Tony Soter, wine guru extraordinare, and his lovely wife, Michelle, invited me to their home for lunch. Tony has been making incredible wines at amazing properties for his entire, illustrious career. He is soft-spoken, literate, kind and generous. It is always a huge treat to see him or heaqr him lecture on wines. He is now consulting with Etude in Napa Valley, (the winery that he started and sold), and making his own label, Soter, in Oregon. He makes a great sparkling rose, and Pinot of great finesse and depth. The 2002 had beautiful deep aromas of blue fruit, spice and warm earth. The palate was lush and long-lasting. Tony led the way to his new winery, which was quite literally an old cow barn. He mentioned that it took them quite some time just to dig the cow dung out from the floor. He had a wonderful cave dug into the side of a hill and that is where he tasted us on several different blocks that comprise his 2003 vintage Pinot Noir. Each component was memorable and will bring something unique to the blend.

This gentleman is at the pinnacle of his career, and there is no better place for him to be fulfilling his dreams than the Willamette Valley.