It's hard not to miss the Scott Paul Wines facility, regardless of which route you take into Carlton. The winery and tasting room are housed in two circa-1915 granary buildings on Pine Street, one block south of Main. The photo above is the winery, which is located across the street from the tasting room. The smaller building housing the tasting room and offices has tremendous character inside and out, incorporating a variety of elements from the old granary, which offers a delightful setting to enjoy Scott Paul Wines.

One of the first things you notice upon entering the tasting room is this huge painting of a rabbit standing up looking skyward. It is a truly intriguing piece of art with a fascinating story to go with it. After greeting Kelly at the bar, I immediately felt drawn to the painting. Sensing my curiosity, Kelly started sharing a wonderful story about the painting that serves to explain who Scott Paul (Wright) is and how he got his start in winemaking.

I knew I was going to like this place when my first introduction to Scott Paul Wines included a great story concerning a painting of a 6 foot tall rabbit. I won't even attempt to share the story here, as it is best told in Scott's own words, which he crafted in a "philosophy" statement found on his web site.

I had not read this until after my visit to their winery, whereupon I felt even more connected to Scott Paul and his wines. In fact, this statement about who Scott Wright is, his history with wine, his approach to winemaking, and the role this rabbit played in his decision to make wine is one of the more revealing "about us" pieces I have read to date. It's incredibly informative, deeply personal, and best of all, inspiring. Just reading this would prompt me to buy a bottle of Scott's wine, if not compel me to visit his winery.

The stories and information Kelly shared were very much consistent with that found on their web site. But hearing it firsthand while enjoying a glass of Scott Paul Wines in this old granary building was a lot of fun. I learned from Kelly that Scott is a practitioner of bio-dynamic and organic farming when it comes to cultivating the grapes that go into his wines. She also shared how he practices minimal intervention, depending on wild, indigenous yeasts, using gravity flow, and bottling unfined and unfiltered to produce Scott Paul Wines.

Another unique aspect to Scott Paul Wines is the inclusion of various Burgundy wines in their tasting room. These folks aren't just selling bottles, they are pouring white and red Burgundy alongside their Oregon pinot noir as part of their tasting flight. Some folks might find this a bit odd, but I think it's an absolutely brilliant idea. What better way to celebrate the connection between Oregon pinot noir and their Old World cousins than pouring them side-by-side for comparison.

The inclusion of Burgundian wine in the line up made for a fun experience. For a refundable $5 fee, they were pouring four wines on the day I visited, starting with a white and then a red Burgundy. What made this flight interesting was tasting the next two wines: an '04 Domaine Aleth Girardin Pommard, Rugiens, Premier Cru followed by the '05 Scott Paul La Paulée Pinot Noir.

I really enjoyed tasting a French pinot noir from 100 year old vines next to the same varietal originating from much younger vineyards in Oregon. It was a unique experience to be in a winery tasting Old and New World wines together, as if it were intended to be that way. In fact, isn't that what wine is all about? Something that connects us to the larger world around us?

After hearing the stories and tasting the wines, it was no-brainer to buy two bottles of the '05 Scott Paul La Paulée Pinot Noir, which is comprised of grapes from the Shea, Ribbon Ridge, and Stoller vineyards. I am looking forward to sharing these bottles and the connections I made with Scott Paul Wines at my table this holiday season. A truly extraordinary experience in the winery and on their web site. I highly recommend you visit both soon.

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