Winderlea Vineyard

Winderlea Vineyards is located at the heart of what we call Oregon's "Gold Coast" of wine, along Worden Hill Road west of the town of Dundee. First planted in 1980, Winderlea Vineyard was purchased in 2007 by Bill Smart and Donna Morris.

The Winderlea Vineyards estate wines are famous for their layers and layers of fruit - black raspberry, black cherry, and dried cherry flavors. A touch of cocoa and cream typically show in the midpalate. Fleshy and elegant, a lilt of acidity and just discernable balanced tannins provide a sensuous finish in every vintage. The dried cherry character is a particular hallmark of the Winderlea Vineyard.

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More About Winderlea Vineyard

Winderlea Vineyard's consulting winemaker Robert Brittan oversees their Pinot noir and Chardonnay production. Brittan made wine for California's Far Niente and was winemaker and estate manager at Stags Leap Winery in California for 18 years before moving to Oregon in 2001. He owns his own vineyard, Brittan Vineyards, and makes wine under the Brittan label.

Winderlea Vineyard Owners Bill and Donna are dedicated to producing Pinot noirs reflecting the terroir of the vineyard and the unique character of the grape. Management of the Winderlea Vineyard prioritizes ecologically sound agricultural practices. In 2012, the Winderlea Vineyard and winery will both be run with biodynamic certification.

The Wines

Sensuous, Feminine, mmmmm - adjectives Bill and Donna use to describe their wines. The Winderlea Pinot style hearkens more to Burgundy than California. These are wines for those who appreciate subtlty and are prepared to drink wine with attention to more than immediate and overwhelming impressiveness.

Like great Burgundy, the Winderlea wines strive for a layered complexity, a large number of varied flavor sensations, and a long finish that continues to exhibit many different qualities in the mouth. Winderlea Pinots are at their best when carefully paired with food.

Highly extracted Pinots impress one with immediate hedonistic overwhelm in the mouth, but leave the palate numb and unable to process new sensations as the meal continues. In contrast, Winderlea Pinots reveal their character over repeated tastes, expanding the list of different flavors present as they are consumed during a meal. One chooses to go back to the wine again and again, finding new, fascinating qualities that refresh the palate and enhance the experience.