The Mysterious Little Black Purse
2011 Adentro Cabernet Sauvignon
Castillo de Feliciana, Milton-Freewater, Oregon

Of all the senses, it’s the sense of smell that can have the most powerful effect on memory.
For Deborah Castillo, it was the smell of leather, roses, fruit, and tobacco – the smell of “an old lady’s purse”.  Those were the smells in red wine that brought back the memories of her great-aunt Feliciana.  

So, when it came time to Deborah and Sam to name their winery, it made sense to honor Feliciana. They’d make the dark, rich wines in a Spanish style that evoked the memories of that little black purse in the back bedroom.

Today, Castillo de Feliciana – the castle of happiness – is home to a family-run Oregon winery. Sam and Deborah own it, daughter Kara leads sales and marketing, and son Christopher is the winemaker.

The Adentro Cabernet Sauvignon is a great example.  Unlike the big jammy Cabs you often find in Walla Walla, this powerful wine brings strong tannins balanced nicely with earthy flavors  and vibrant fruit.  You’ll get aromatic hints of strawberry, red currant, clay and eucalyptus along with vanilla and herbal notes on the palate.  With a dry, lingering finish and toasty oak undertones, you’re going to love this one.

Paul O’Brien? He doesn’t exist.
2013 Charlemagne
Paul O’Brien Winery, Roseburg, Oregon

Spend some time hanging with wine nerds in Southern Oregon, and you’ll hear over and over, “You’ve got to try Paul O’Brien’s wines.”  

But don’t try to track down the famous winemaker Paul O’Brien.  He doesn’t exist.  Rather, Paul O’Brien wines are the result of two decades of friendship and collaboration between two winemakers – Dyson Paul DeMara and Scott O’Brien Kelley.  

They met working in for some of California’s most prominent wineries, but when Dyson (Paul) moved back to his home state of Oregon to take over Oregon’s oldest winery, Roseburg’s Hillcrest Winery, he encouraged his friend Scott (O’Brien) to do the same.  

Scott had always had a real affection for the Umpqua Valley where he spent vacations with his family growing up, and it wasn’t long before his family made Roseburg home.  

The 2013 Charlemagne is a Burgundian style blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Blanc, pressed together prior to fermentation. Bright acidity alongside complex pear and stone fruit flavors blend with sweet vanilla oak to round out the wine.

A Little Bit of Italy, Here in Oregon
2014 Barbera d’Alder
Viola Wine Cellars, Portland, Oregon

Assagio. Portlanders remember it as a cozy neighborhood trattoria with a fantastic wine list.  And no wonder, given the commitment to great wine that owner/chef Darryl Joannides brought to the task. 
His love of Italian food was matched only by his love of Italian wine. 

Fast forward a few years:  After putting Assagio in the rear view mirror, Darryl dedicated himself to wine.  He interned at a Sonoma winery, and later, with celebrated Oregon winemaker Andrew Rich at the birth of the Carlton Winemakers Studio.  After discovering the great diversity of Oregon wine, he opened the Cork Bottle Shop in northeast Portland.

But the winemaking bug had bit, and Darryl combined his two loves – Italy and Oregon.  
Inspired by Italy, his latest venture – Viola Wine Cellars – is about wine crafted in the Italian style using Northwest ingredients.  
For winemaker Darryl Joannides, Barbera is the wine that inspired the launch of Viola Wine Cellars.  His approach is the same as the one pursued by the northern Piedmontese winemakers — using stainless steel (not oak) to produce a bright, cherry, high-acid wine.  

Three Families with a Love of the Land.
2013 Pinot Gris
Treos Winery, Monmouth, Oregon

The story of wine is often the story of family. Wineries big and small that are built on grap-growing and winemaking knowledge handed down through the generations.  

But at Treos, you'll find a family by choice – three couples bonded by their love of land, family and wine.  Three families who worked together in previous lives who decided that it had come time to stop the corporate rat-race and do what they were passionate about.  

But this is no idle pastime. These are some serious scientists and engineers.  They used their extensive experience to find exactly the right spot in the Willamette Valley, just outside Monmouth.  And they spent years experimenting with every part of the winemaking process to find the unique expression of wine that they wanted to produce.  

Like most of the Treos white wines, the 2013 Pinot Gris is produced in somewhat of an Old World style.  Aromas of ruby grapefruit and light melon are immediately present, followed by flavors of lemongrass, honeydew, and hints of red and green apples.  Just 230 cases produced.