Having explored hundreds of wineries in every wine region in California (109 in the Napa Valley alone) and posted videos, pictures and reviews for several years on California Wine Tasting Adventures I decided it was time to venture outside of my home state to my neighbors in the north. So this past week I visited six wineries in two Southern Oregon AVAs – three in the Rogue Valley and three in the Umpqua Valley.
As far as wine country photography goes I probably didn’t choose the best time of year to begin exploring Oregon as most of the vineyards are dormant and have naked vines and bare canes. What few leaves remain are withered and dried out.
But the wine country is still very beautiful in the late Fall season and the geography and topography of Southern Oregon is really impressive so I look forward to returning again soon in the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons of 2012.
I was also blessed to have intermittent sunshine in between the morning and late afternoon fog with no rain and brisk temperatures as low as 27 degrees in the morning and 45 degrees in the afternoon, a bit chilly but fair enough to enjoy the day.
My very first winery stop was at Roxyann Winery in the Rogue Valley AVA. RoxyAnn Winery was founded in 2002 at the historic Hillcrest Orchard in east Medford. One of Southern Oregon’s oldest orchards, Hillcrest Orchard has been directed by members of the Parsons family since 1908.
The winery name RoxyAnn comes from the earliest settlers of the Rogue Valley in the 1850’s and named the tallest mountain peak after a pioneer woman named Roxy Ann Bowen. Roxy Ann Peak’s summit rises 2,000 feet from the valley floor and is the northernmost peak in a twenty-mile long, northwest/southwest trending ridge system that parallels the contact between the older sedimentary rocks of the valley floor and the younger volcanic deposits.
Jack Day, grandson of Hillcrest founder Reginald Parsons, oversaw the planting of the original 20 acres on the southwest slopes of Roxy Ann Peak in 1997; where the property's shallow, limestone-clay soils and southern solar exposure seemed ideally suited to producing Bordeaux style varietals.
In 2001, the first harvest of grapes at RoxyAnn produced only 150 cases of a proprietary red “Claret” that was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; with the entire production selling out in two weeks. Today, RoxyAnn Winery produces nearly 15,000 cases of Claret, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Viognier.
There are some challenges that need to be kept in mind when tasting wine this time of year. Subjectively, the cooler season can lead one to prefer certain wines over others. A rose for example might not be as appealing as it might during the summer. And, even if a tasting room is heated the wines tend to be too cold and consequently may seem muted. So, I spent a lot of time cupping the wine glass in my hands to coax the aromas from the wine.
While visiting the winery I sampled the following wines:
My first sample was the 2009 RoxyAnn Pinot Gris. On the nose I picked up stone fruit, apricot, lemon zest and a chalky minerality. On the palate the wine is medium bodied, crisp and has a lingering pear/apple finish. A nice wine for $16.50 a bottle.
My second wine was the 2009 RoxyAnn Viognier. This was my favorite wine in the line up. Fermented in neutral oak, this wine has a rich buttery nose with a floral background of honeysuckle and white flowers followed by orange peel, canned pears and tropical notes. On the palate it has a full mouth feel and a medium length hazelnut finish. It sells for $20 a bottle and I brought one back to California.
My third wine and first red was the 2008 Claret which is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. On the nose I picked up red currants, ripe plums and cherry cola. On the palate this wine is extremely soft, seeming lacking in tannin, it has a hollow mid palate and an extremely short finish. A major disappointment for $26 a bottle.
My fourth sample was the 2008 Tempranillo which was a new release and not on the menu. This wine as a huge contrast from the previous, it has a seductive nose and is a real pleasure on the palate. I picked up aromas of blueberries, chocolate covered cherries, and bacon fat. It has a great development from the initial sip through the mid palate and finish with a lot of fruit, good acid and lengthy finish. A great wine for $30 a bottle so I brought one home.
My fifth taste of wine was the 2008 Syrah. An inky wine with a dense and concentrated nose of blackberries, plum and just a hint of pepper. On the palate the tannins are expressive but not overwhelming and the weight and mouth feel are well balanced. A really nice wine for $30 a bottle.
My sixth and final wine sample (keep in mind that I ALWAYS spit!) was the 2009 Founder’s Reserve Petit Syrah Desert Wine. When it comes to port-style wines I tend to prefer ones made with a blend of the traditional Portuguese grapes as they provide more complexity. Many that I have taste in California over the years made from Zinfandel, Syrah or other grapes tend to be simply sweet with a single fruit characteristic. This wine however was a pleasant surprise as it provide an array of aromas and flavors of dried fruits, figs, caramel, vanilla and even a touch of spice and at $24 a bottle it doesn’t break the bank.
The tasting room was pleasant, the server was informative and hospitable and there was a host of other fruit products (jams, jellies, pear wines) from the orchard available for sale. I wish they had been available to sample as I might have taken some of them home too! But as my first introduction to an Oregon winery, I didn’t leave disappointed as I took two bottles home.
To visit or for more information:
Roxyann Winery
3285 Hillcrest Road
Medford, Oregon 97504
Phone: 1-541-776-2315
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