Penner Ash Winery
Penner-Ash WineryShark sighting at Penner-Ash Winery! February 2006- It's been a record year for rain in Oregon, and you know what that means- a usually winter-rainy state has been awash in water, with creeks and fields flooding, and any low-lying land turning into ponds and lakes. When I asked Ron about flooding at Penner-Ash, I'd heard that he and Lynn were using a canoe to get to the winery these days. That's not super unusual out here, but worth a comment. Little did I know that, when Ron sent me a photo, he'd add a bonus feature- a SHARK that showed up in the water on their land. Penner-Ash is not that far from the Pacific, but for a shark to make it up the creeks to Ribbon Ridge- well, it's pretty incredible. Of course, perhaps someone had an aquarium accident (do fish people keep 3 foot long sharks in aquariums?) Or maybe the Oregon Aquarium had a mishap- although that's many miles north. No, most likely, the shark either swam inland or was washed in. Any way you look at it, not many wineries can boast deep sea fishing from a canoe in their driveway!
Ok, if you've read this far, I can tell you- it's a joke. Ron and Lynn told me it was a real shark, but I heard from Dick Shea that it is rubber. Thanks Dick- sorry Ron- the jig, so to speak, is up. And wasn't I an idiot to think it was real! Call me gullible. Penner Ash is a family winery, the dream of long time Rex Hill winemaker Lynn Penner Ash and her husband, Ron Penner Ash. They founded the winery in 2000, made their first wines for the 2000 vintage, and planted eight acres of their estate vineyard in April of 2003. They made their wine at the Carlton Winemakers Studio, a cooperative winery facility, for two years until their own winery was built. The mission at Penner-Ash Wine Cellars is to produce limited quantities of carefully crafted Pinot Noir and Syrah. Lynn and Ron work in partnership with their growers, who share their commitment to optimal viticulture using such methods as timely shoot positioning, leaf removal and early crop thinning. Lynn and Ron's 80 acres of land on Ribbon Road are across the valley and above Beaux Freres and Patty Green Cellars. The Penner-Ashes have planted about 20 acres to Pinot noir at the winery. Their wines are currently made from grapes sourced from Seven Springs, Palmer Creek, Shea, La Colina and Momtazi Vineyards, and Syrah (the new darling of the Willamette Valley producers) from the Del Rio and Lewis Vineyards in warmer Southern Oregon.
Penner-Ash Pinot noir 03 $40/$36 received 93 points from Wine Spectator in 2005! Here's what they said: "Packs an amazing amount of dense flavor into a lithe, elegant package, layering cherry, boysenberry and exotic spice character, which extends into a long, long finish. Has all it needs to develop beautifully. Drink now through 2015. —H.S."
This is the highest score ever from Wine Spectator for the Willamtee Valley Pinot noir from Penner Ash! The Penner-Ash's are known for their Pinot noirs. but don't miss their Syrah! Blended from fruit sourced from both Southern Oregon and the Columbia Gorge, their Syrah isa big, juicy, textured Big Red. For a bargain red wine from a top-flight winemaker, you can't beat Lynn's irreverent blend, "Rubeo". Who thought that Pinot noir blended with Syrah could be so much fun. No illusions to intellectual wine analysis here, just snappy, quaffable ready to drink red wine, impeccably created by a master winemaker.
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