Arriving at Domaine Roy & fils. I’m so excited for this visit as I met this team in San Francisco at the Wine of Oregon Wine Tasting and adored their wines and fabulous team member Ashley.

For my visit, I was seated outside (which was perfect during these COVID times as the more fresh air, the better) with these spectacular sweeping views of their vineyard, Iron Filbert Vineyard.

Iron Filbert Vineyard views composed of iron-rich Jory soil which I learned is the typical soil in the Dundee Hills vs. the soils of the Eola-Amity Hills which contain predominantly volcanic basalt (from ancient lava flows) combined with marine sedimentary rocks and/or alluvial deposits, making a generally much rockier and shallower soil producing small grapes with great concentration.

The line up of Chardonnay Wines I tasted from Domaine Roy & fils. Overall these wines are extremely light with very high acidity and freshness. Anyone who doesn’t “like” a typical rich, buttery Chardonnay will adore these wines as they’re quite the opposite of that profile.

Of the 3 wines they each had quite unique profiles and the Iron Filbert (the on-site winery’s vineyard) Chardonnay was my favorite as it was the most approachable and drinkable now. It was also a bit richer and less acidic than the Incline and Quartz Acorn Vineyard Chardonnays.

Shown is Ashley Barg, Director of Hospitality at Domaine Roy & fils. She’s the reason I’m here as after meeting in San Francisco and testing these wines I made sure to visit them during my first (or many) visits to Oregon’s Wine Country. Ashley has the most incredible background having worked at The French Laundry (read about TFL on the blog here) as well as working at other Napa Valley Wineries before moving to Oregon.

All smiles enjoying this amazing visit, the lovely wines, and the stunning views.

The line up I tasted of Domaine Roy & fils Pinot Noir. What an amazing tasting as each one was so different whether it was the vintage or the winery and varying AVAs. Overall, I found these wines a beautiful reflection of each of the locations and terroirs they were sourced from.  Once again, the Iron Filbert Vineyard (the vineyard here at the winery) was my favorite as it was the smoothest with bigger red fruits such as red currant. This was also the easiest to drink alone whereas the others I’d most likely pair with food.

After my tasting, Ashley took me on a tour of the Vineyard and Winemaking facility. This is the Iron Filbert Vineyard that I keep talking about. It’s hard to believe this was originally an orchard and now home to these lovely grapes.

 

After my winery tour, I was greeted by Winemaker Jared Etzel. What a special treat to get to meet the winemaker behind this lovely brand.  Stay tuned as I share an interview with Jared on the blog soon!