Have you ever tasted wine that seems to have its own personality? The Columbia Gorge wine region is home to boutique wineries that capture the incredible stories behind their wines in each and every glass. Learning the personality of the wine inside your glass makes the Gorge wine region feel personal, approachable, and down-to-earth. It’s exactly what the wine industry needs if you ask me!
This is part three of my story of visiting the Columbia Gorge AVA. If you’re tuning in for the first time, you should know that the Columbia Gorge AVA is a relatively undiscovered wine region that spans 40-miles along the Hood River in northern Oregon. Known for its boutique winery culture and diverse offering of wine varietals, this region has a personality of its own. The 50+ wineries in the region have a talent for capturing the personalities of their own wines in each bottle they produce. Click here to read more about the region, and be sure to check out my post about Oregon sparkling wine, too!
After touring the Timberline Lodge, enjoying a homemade lunch by Bob Morus of Phelps Creek Vineyards, and sipping through a lineup of some fabulous Oregon sparkling wines, we drove to Stave and Stone Wine Estates for our next tasting.
A beautifully presented tasting at the Stave and Stone property featured wines from Stave and Stone Wine Estates, Wy’east Vineyards, and Peter Cushman Wines.
We wove through acres of pear orchards before laying our sights on this beautiful property. The Hood River Lavender Farm lawn, which is adjacent to the Stave and Stone tasting room, was our gathering spot for the afternoon. Jill House, owner of Stave and Stone Wine Estates, and Keely Reed, General Manager of Wy’East Vineyards, greeted us with big smiles and a beautiful spread of charcuterie. Rich Cushman of Viento Wines, and winemaker for Mt. Hood Winery and Stave and Stone Wine Estates, joined us for the tasting as well. His son, Peter Cushman, is the winemaker for Wy’east Vineyards and also has a wine label of his own. If you haven’t noticed, it’s a bit of a family-and-friend affair in the Columbia Gorge AVA! The small-town atmosphere of this quiet little wine region makes it feel homey, welcoming, approachable, and all the more special as a wine destination. Not to mention the views…Mt. Adams was on full display as we enjoyed our tasting in the vineyard.
Our first pours were of the Wy’East Chardonnay and the Stave and Stone White Pinot Noir (I ended up purchasing a bottle of this to bring home!).
The Chardonnay had a buttery quality with balanced fruit and acid. The White Pinot Noir was rich in flavor yet muted in color, having only spend 70-90 minutes on the skins during the beginning of the fermentation process. I could immediately sense the quality and attention to detail in these wines, all thanks to the winemakers Rich Cushman (for Stave and Stone Wine Estates) and Peter Cushman, Rich Cushman’s son, (for Wy’East Vineyards).
Before moving on to the red wines, we sampled the Stave and Stone Dorothy Rosé of Pinot Noir.
The wine is named after the matriarch of the family, Dorothy, and tradition has it that only the women from Dorothy’s family line get to stomp the grapes each year. As Jill shared this story with us, the warm, family atmosphere of the Gorge region made us all feel right at home.
Next, we tasted a 2016 100% Pommard Pinot Noir from Peter Cushman’s wine label.
This wine reflected everything that I love about Oregon Pinot Noir. Smelling this wine was like smelling an elegant perfume. It continued to open in the glass and was a pure expression of both the varietal and terroir. When people say that wine can communicate a “sense of place”, this is what they mean. This Pinot Noir will certainly age well and would be a great addition to any cellar. Amazingly, it retails for only $45 per bottle.
We then moved on to the Pinot Noirs from Stave and Stone and Wy’East: wines with personality! The first splash of Pinot Noir from Stave and Stone was one that came with quite a story.
We started with the 2017 Broken Boulder Pinot Noir from Stave and Stone. In 2017, the Broken Boulder vineyard was severely impacted by smoke from a nearby wildfire. The Pinot Noir grapes used to make this wine reflected what is known as “smoke taint”. When grapes suffer from smoke taint, it means that they absorb some smoke into their skins (and sometimes pulp). This impacts the flavor of the grape by masking the fruitiness with flavors reminiscent of ash. This is especially true for thin-skinned grapes like Pinot Noir. Many winemakers will repurpose tainted fruit by making rosé wines or other wines with limited skin contact to avoid having smoky flavors interfere with the wine.
Despite smoke taint impacting the 2017 Broken Boulder Pinot Noir, Stave and Stone made a deliberate decision to produce their Pinot Noir as originally intended. I appreciated the opportunity to try this wine and understand how smoke can impact the flavor of the wine. The fruit from the Pinot Noir is still the star of the show, but there is a slight ashy flavor on the palate with each sip. Once again, the sense of time and place is apparent within this glass. The 2017 vintage will forever reflect the multitude of emotions and experiences that surrounded that wildfire.
The Pinot Noirs from Wy’East were next on the list and were standouts among the lineup.
The first Pinot Noir we tried was the Vinette Whole Cluster. It was aged in 30% new oak and was bold, smooth, and showcased flavors of chocolate on the palate. The 2018 Vinette Cuvée was next in the lineup and was one of my favorite wines of the tasting. The aroma had a mix of floral notes with red fruit and was complex in both aroma and flavor. This Cuvée was 30% whole cluster, giving the wine good structure and body. Sadly, this wine wasn’t available for purchase yet, but I have my eye on it for when it goes on sale! It retails for only $37 which is a steal for the quality of the wine.
Last but certainly not least we sampled the Artur Legacy Pinot Noir from Stave and Stone.
This was the most full-bodied, intense Pinot Noir of the lineup. It offered more tannins than expected from a Pinot Noir, and could pair well with food or could be enjoyed on its own. I bought a bottle to bring home and I plan to age it for a few years before enjoying it. I’m looking forward to seeing how the wine evolves with some age!
We spent the remainder of our time chatting with Jill and Keely and enjoying some delicious meats, cheeses, and spreads with our wines. Jill surprised the group with some lavender sea salt chocolate truffles which were outstanding! They are made in-house and were a perfect treat to end the afternoon.
While the Columbia Gorge AVA is relatively unknown, the quality of wines produced in this region are nothing short of outstanding. For anyone looking to taste or learn about wine in a relaxed, unpretentious environment, the Columbia Gorge AVA is a perfect destination. Stave and Stone Wine Estates and Wy’East Vineyards both offer great examples of wines from the region, and their hospitality is unmatched.
Both Stave and Stone and Wy’East are family-owned and operated businesses. They ship direct to consumer and offer a wide range of wines beyond Pinot Noirs! Consider ordering some wine from them for your next family gathering (Thanksgiving is right around the corner!). Better yet, plan a visit to the Columbia Gorge AVA and stop in to taste their wines for yourself. Check out my list of Columbia Gorge AVA recommendations below. Cheers!
Accommodations: Best Western Plus Hood River Inn
Transportation: Martin’s Gorge Tours
Tasting Rooms:
- Phelps Creek Vineyards: Estate grown, high quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, & Pinot Gris
- Cathedral Ridge Winery: Home to big, bold Oregon red wines, signature blends, and delicious whites
- Viento Wines: A pioneer of the Gorge wine region known for Pinot Noir, Riesling, and sparkling wines
- Mt. Hood Winery: Featuring a broad selection of wines, including an award-winning sparkling wine
- Stave & Stone Wine Estates: “Wines with Personality”, accompanied by spectacular views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams from the tasting room
- Wy’East Vineyards: Estate-grown wines for every palate, from single varietals to blends
- Peter Cushman Wines: Third-generation wine maker whose passion exudes from his top-quality, small production wines
