The Willamette Valley in Oregon is incredible country. Unlike some other North American wine growing areas, it is a varied agricultural community. Sure, there are carefully manicured vineyards sloping the hills, but there are also, fruit and nut orchards everywhere, Christmas tree farms, and perennial nurseries. This variety gives the area an awesome beauty and the handsome old barns as well as the swank new wineries add to the appeal.

I recently visited and tasted at some very exciting wineries. Not entirely new to me, and totally impressive, are the wines of Scott Paul. With his penchant for great Burgundy (in addition to crafting superb wines, Scott imports high-quality, small producers from Burgundy, and he worked for many years at the lauded Domaine Drouhin in Oregon). Scott produces elegant pinot noirs of finesse and complexity. Scott Paul has a new winery in Carlton and a beautiful tasting room across the street where one can taste his Scott Paul Oregon Wines, as well as some of his selections from Burgundy.

One producer that was entirely new to me is Stoller. The Stoller families are long-time Willamette Valley residents, and the current spot of the vineyards and winery in Dundee was once one of the largest turkey farms in the region. Today, the Stollers grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They have their own brand, Stoller, and they also sell grapes to some of the best wineries in the area. The Stoller's have wisely employed Melissa Burr as their winemaker, a bright, young woman with a great palate and a passion for the Willamette Valley terroir. Stoller is one of the swank, new wineries in the region- it is constructed of nearly all recycled materials and is run with solar power. They have a great tasting room, delicious wines, and are well worth a visit for anyone interested in winery design.

Jim Prosser, the affable proprietor and winemaker of J.K Carriere Wines near Newberg, did not, I suspect, want to build a swank, new winery. His style is much more Old Oregon, as he put it. Jim makes his wines in a beautiful, old barn, where old beams and old barrels harmonize with the aromas of the highest quality pinot noirs.
The J.K Carriere wines are exquisite- they have sibling-like similarities of concentration, depth, and complexity. J.K Carriere also produces a special white pinot noir (rose) called GLASS, and if you can find it, I suggest you get it. And drink it.

All three of these outstanding wineries are small production operations, although Stoller seems capable of significant growth. It is for this reason that I did not list the specific bottlings- these wines are simply hard to find. But they are so fine and worth seeking out. If all else fails, take a trip to the Willamette Valley- you will not be disappointed. Beautiful scenery, world-class wines, fresh produce, and nice people-
What more could one want in life?