Address: 23924 territorial Highway, Monroe, OR 97456, tel. 541 847 5792.
We definitely saved the best for last. Completely out of the way and in the South Willammette Valley, it took us an hour plus to arrive here from the other wineries in the North Willamette Valley, driving pellmell through backroads flanked by truly golden fields, which were a lovely change from the leafy views of the Red Hills. Rick and I had drank an excellent bottle of Benton Lane Pinot Noir while in Chicago a few months earlier, and we can sincerely say that one bottle of wine was our inspiration for the whole day of tastingin Oregon. When we began our journey, we couldn't even remember the name of the winery, but we knew the label -- a distinctive and whimsical red and white postage stamp, with their vineyards as the centerpiece. This winery produces only Pinot noir, and boy do they do it well (we left with four bottles). I believe the owners of the vineyard had been involved with Napa Valley's Stag's Leap. We arrived a bit bedraggled from the drive, but the pourer, Sharon Whitney, poured us a few tastes of their current vintages and gently started up a conversation about wine, asking us, "When did you start thinking about and enjoying wine?" It didn't hurt that we were the only tasters in there the whole time -- we slipped in a half hour before closing. While there are not as many wineries in this part of the Valley, it is worth it to include a few in a trip, as they should always be a bit quieter than those in the North Valley.