You know how every now and the, something just jumps out at you as being satisfying in a way you never imagined? Well, that happened to me and Mallory at The Four Graces Winery.
A little bit of background may be needed here, as it's been awhile since I have posted. Soon after my last entry, Mallory and I took a trip out to Oregon to visit Portland and the Willamette Valley. Time and life got away from me, and I'm just now getting back into posting. But I digress. We had three days of winery visits scheduled and The Four Graces wasn't on any of our lists as having to visit. However, thanks to the magic that is Airbnb, we rented a house that sat on a vineyard in the Dundee Hills. That vineyard happens to hold the estate fruit that belongs to The Four Graces.
Having some extra time before we had to leave for the airport, we decided to check out the tasting room of the winery whose Pinot Noir fruit we'd been eating directly off the vine for the last three days (mind you, we weren't trespassing - we were told we were free to wander the vineyards and sample what was still hanging on the vines, as harvest had just wrapped up a few days earlier). I couldn't have been more pleased at our experience there.
Pulling into the small parking lot right off of Highway 99W in Dundee, we came across the historic white farmhouse that serves as The Four Graces' tasting room. Stepping inside, we were immediately greeted by the jovial Francois and his partner in crime, Paul, along with a raucous crowd of older gentleman who were there picking up their wine club shipments. It was quite a warm, inviting atmosphere to step in to on a rainy Tuesday morning on our way to the airport! Francois proceeded to direct us to the nearest tasting bar, where he poured us a healthy taste of 2013 Pinot Gris while telling us about the property and the history of the winery.
The Four Graces Winery was founded in 2003 by Paula and Steven Black with the purchase of their now-eponymous vineyard in the Dundee Hills, and was promptly named in honor of their four daughters. Two years later, they expanded the winery's holdings by taking over the operation of the Doe Ridge Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton in order to diversify their offerings and create wine from a different area of the Willamette. Now, The Four Graces produces single varietal bottlings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc under the steady hand of renowned winemaker Laurent Montalieu. The Black family has experimented with Low Impact Viticulture and Oenology at the Doe Ridge Vineyard, farming 20 acres of their holdings there sustainably, and 20 acres biodynamically.
While listening to all of this, I was quite enjoying the Pinot Gris in my glass. A wonderful entry level white wine offering from the Willamette, I was quite enamored with the mineral aspects that shone through. Moving on the the 2013 Willamette Pinot Blanc, we were able to contrast the styles of the two grapes, with the Pinot Blanc coming across with a bit more fruit and brightness from what I can remember.
From here, Francois took us on to the reds and the Pinot Noir. This is where the tasting really took off. As part of your tasting, you are only meant to have two Pinot Noirs, the 2012 Yamhill Carlton and the 2012 Dundee Hills. But Francois snuck in our first extra pour, one of their entry level 2012 Willamette Pinot Noir. At $32 retail, it may be a bit pricy to consider entry level, and I would probably compare this one more to a California style Pinot than an Oregonian as the fruit shines through moreso than the terroir. Tasty and well balanced nonetheless, it's a very nice wine. But my favorites were yet to come.
What I would say are the showcase wines of The Four Graces, their higher end Pinot Noirs are actually single vineyard Pinots from either the Doe Ridge Estate Vineyard or the Black Family Estate Vineyard. There are two wines solely sourced from each of those vineyards, with different characteristics reticent of the terroir that simply shines in these beautiful expressions of the fickle Pinot Noir grape.
First, we were poured the 2012 Yamhill Carlton Pinot Noir. Nine months in French oak contribute a fantastic softness to this wine that really pulls in the earthiness of the sedimentary soils known as Willakenzie. $45 for a wine of this caliber was a steal.
Next, Francois took us on to the 2012 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, made from the vineyard in which the Tasting Room was essentially standing. Also aged for nine months, this gem has the terroir of the jory-soiled Dundee Hills screaming from the glass. As Mallory and I found out, we thoroughly enjoyed Dundee Hills wines above those from other AVA's, and the two offerings from The Four Graces that were made with Black Family Vineyard-sourced fruit were quintessential examples (more on the other one in a moment!). The typical Oregon Pinot quality of cherry and a bit of cola was evident, but so was the extreme level of earthiness that comes from the iron rich soil in the Hills. Again, for $45, buy cases if you can find it!
At that point, we were finished with what was on the tasting sheet. But Francois had other plans for us, and into our glass he poured us a 2011 Black Family Estate Pinot Noir. Walking us out into the vineyard, he proceeded to show us the exact area within the vineyard that housed the blocks used in this wine. To us, not much is better than standing in a vineyard, sampling the result of thousands of hours of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. But when you do that while staring at the exact blocks that contributed to the wine in your hand? It's a transcendental experience. I felt as if I was truly a part of The Four Graces at that point; drinking a spectacular wine with a finish that lingered forever, getting lovely dark fruit on the palate and recognizing the backbone that will keep this wine drinking well for years. I still can't get over it. The best part of it all? It still wasn't over.
 |
| Not much left after harvest! |
Francois took us back inside where he took us back to Yamhill Carlton, in the form of the 2011 Doe Ridge Estate Pinot Noir. Here, the dark cherry lept out, as did something that reminded me of my grandparent's house (spices? leather? maybe a hint of tobacco or something like that?) that rounded everything out and brought it together at the same time. Another spectacular bottling that truly is a wonderful example of Oregon Pinot Noir.
Our tasting finally finished, Francois offered to allow us to revisit anything that we had tasted and obliged us with a mini horizontal of the Doe Ridge and Black Family side by side, as well as a horizontal of the Yamhill Carlton and Dundee Hills Pinots. Through all of this, while comparing and contrasting and deciding what we were to take home with us, Francois indulged us in tales of his time living and cooking in France (he was a chef in Burgundy, and Mallory and I were engaged in the city of Beaune), even giving us restaurant recommendations for when we return. It was during this conversation that we realized we had to get moving to the airport, and after one last taste of the Black Family Estate Pinot Noir - and after signing up for the Four Graces Wine Club - we were on our way back to Baltimore.
I must say, our hour and a half at The Four Graces was some of the best time we spent in the Willamette. Francois and Paul made us feel 100% at home and part of the family. Never were we pushed to buy wine or join the club, even though we had every intention of doing so. The Black Family and Lauren Montalieu have done a superior job in crafting wines for every palate and wallet, while still doing what they want to do. From top to bottom, you cannot go wrong with a visit to The Four Graces. Just ask questions, be engaged, and be interested - your curiosity will be rewarded tenfold with knowledge, conversation, and enchanting wine.
Author's Note: In the Spring of 2014, Foley Family Wines purchased The Four Graces from the Black Family. Discussing this with Francois and Paul, they are convinced this is a good thing for the future of The Four Graces. Bill Foley is apparently a hands-off owner, and the changes he has instituted have so far only benefited the consumer. For example, Foley uses the power of volume from his various holdings to keep shipping costs exceptionally low - $15 per shipment to the east coast. While more change will surely be in store (already, the nod to the Black Family in the Four Graces crest has become a nod to the Foley Family in the most recent club shipments), hopefully Mr. Foley will continue his trend of staying out of the winemaking side of things while only improving the business aspects. So far, so good, as Laurent Montalieu has been retained as winemaker!
