Mellon Meyer does things a little differently than most wineries in Willamette Valley—they only do sparkling wines. It was a nice break from all the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that we had tasted over the weekend.
Our next tasting was with Bobby Rowett, owner of Mellon Meyer. Bobby was working with the Goodfellow crew that day, so we just had the tasting there at Goodfellow. https://www.mellenmeyer.com
It was fascinating hearing Marcus talk about his goals for his wine, future plans, and how global warming might impact “dry farming” of grapes (with no irrigation) in Oregon.
The Goodfellow tasting was a highlight of the trip. The wine was outstanding, and we were able to try 10 different wines ranging from current vintages to a 2011. But Marcus and Megan were also really interesting to talk to.
Our 2nd tasting of the day was Goodfellow Family Cellars. We were hosted in the Goodfellow production facility by winemaker Marcus Goodfellow and his wife and partner Megan, surrounded by barrels racked to the ceiling. https://goodfellowfamilycellars.com (McMinnville, OR)
Since Violin had to make wine (so they could pay their bills), he chose to blend the 2020 wine with 2019 to minimize any off flavors. Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely successful. When I tasted the multi-vintage wine, I tasted distinct flavors of bacon, caused by smoke taint.
The most interesting thing about our Violin tasting, was that he’s still dealing with smoke taint from the forest fires in 2020 (which should be the current vintage). Many winemakers chose to not make wine in 2020, but as a small producer, Violin didn’t have that luxury.
Yesterday we stayed in McMinnville for our tastings. First stop: Violin Wine, run by Will Hamilton. Will hosted us for a tasting in his home. https://violinwine.com
