IPNC Vineyard Tour and Winery Lunch

What a terrific first day at IPNC.

I got started at 8 am joining Craig Camp of the Wine Camp Blog for breakfast. Craig is clearly the man when it comes to blogging about the Oregon wine scene. It was a lot of fun meeting him, chatting about wine and the Web, as well as being introduced to some folks he knows.

After breakfast, several hundred attendees gathered on Linfield's commencement green for the opening ceremonies. After a welcome from the president of Linfield College and comments from special guests, each of the featured winemakers introduced themselves. It was pretty cool seeing the representation from Australia, Austria, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United States (CA and OR).

After the presentation, we split up with half going on vineyard tours/lunches while the other half stayed on campus for seminars. I ended up spending most of the day at Domaine Drouhin Oregon (DDO), which I had never visited before.

Domaine Drouhin is located in the Dundee Hills area and offers sweeping views of the valley below it. We started our visit inside the tasting room with a glass of chardonnay, then went outside for a presentation on sustainability in the vineyard. David Millman (managing director) and Aaron Bell (cellarmaster) of DDO offered an informal, yet insightful, overview of vineyard practices.

This was followed by a panel discussion of winemakers from various regions around the world. It included Adam Lee of Siduri Wines (CA), Matt Mavety of Blue Mountain Vineyard (BC), Danielle Andrus-Montalieu of Solena Cellars (OR), Matthew Donaldson of Pegasus Bay Winery (NZ), and Aaron of DDO. Both sessions were informative, but at times a bit too technical for my taste.

Afterward, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with each winemaker. It was a lot of fun talking to these folks and learning more about the wines they craft. They all shared equally in a passion for pinot noir, but also a respect for what each other was doing in their respective regions. Even worlds apart, there seemed to be a strong sense of community amongst these winemakers.

The lunch that followed was clearly a highlight, as once again the food prepared and wines poured were very well done. Chef Jack Yoss and his team from Ten 01 restaurant in Portland, Oregon crafted the following courses:

Reception
Hamachi tartare, preserved lemon, pine nuts, sesame oil
2006 Maison Joseph Drouhin Domaine du Vaudon Chablis

First Course
Jamon de Serrano, shaved apples, Parmigiano, picked herb salad
Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2006 Chardonnay Arthur Dundee Hills

Second Course
Seared Alaskan king salmon, confit porcini, roasted garlic, Nicoise olive salsa verde
Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2006 Pinot noir, Willamette Valley

Third Course
Pan roasted duck breast, warm farro salad, Viridian Farms cherries, toasted pistachios
Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2005 Pinot noir Laurène Dundee Hills

Overall, it was a delicious lunch complemented by some really good wines. And the volunteer staff of servers provided great attention throughout our meal.

After lunch, we boarded the bus and made our way back to Linfield College, where a few more seminars were taking place. I briefly checked out a couple, but realized it was time to rest and recharge for the second half of the day, the al fresco tasting and dinner which starts in just a few minutes.

Time to go get a glass of pinot noir..

Pre-IPNC Winery Dinner
IPNC: Day One, Part Two
IPNC: Day Two, Part One
IPNC: Day Two, Part Two