In 1965 David Lett planted the first Pinot Noir vines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Fifty years later the region is home to more the 400 wineries producing some of the best of this varietal worldwide along with other cool climate wines such as Chardonnay, sparkling and Syrah. But while Pinot Noir is certainly what put Willamette Valley on the wine map, it is their experimentation with some surprising ones that makes visiting this area truly intriguing for wine lovers.
Leading the charge in bringing innovative and unpredictable wines to the region is Remy Drabkin owner and winemaker at Remy Wines, a limited production urban winery based in McMinnville. The results are impressive and her following is loyal, due largely to her unique wines combined with her approachable personality.
Remy’s tasting room “baR” (pronounced ‘R-bar’) sits in a warehouse with a garage door serving as the front entrance, resembling more of a neighbourhood public house than a tasting room which transforms into a popular local hangout Thursdays through Sundays and features guest Italian wineries Thursdays between 4pm and 6pm.
Her small production winery specializes in 100% single vineyard Dolcetto (USD$24), Nebbiolo (USD$28), Sangiovese (USD$30 / Kiona Riserva USD$45), Barbera (USD$43 / Superiore USD$50) and Lagrien (USD$40). If you’re scratching your head wondering what Lagrien is you’re not alone! It is a red grape varietal that has been grown for centuries in northern Italy in the Trentino Alto Aldige region, and at Remy’s tasting room was the first time Advinetures had been introduced to it. Commonly used to blend with Pinot Noir grapes in Italy, it produces a full bodied wine that also has high acidity and tannins.
The winery also produces a second label called “Three Wives”. According to Drabkin these are the ones she blends and experiments with so they often vary depending on the vintage. Joel at the tasting room explained the origin of the name coming from a story of mistaken identity on an Alaskan fishing trip that was made into a 1949 Academy Award winning movie, “A Letter to Three Wives”.
Three Wives produces very good table wines at more moderate prices providing excellent value for wine drinkers eager to explore Italian varietals such as The Fisherman’s Pinot Gris (USD$17), Remy’s Red blend (USD$19), and the Guilio Pinot Noir (USD$28). In a touching tribute, Drabkin named her Germaine Gabrielle Rosé after her grandmother with all proceeds benefitting breast cancer research at the Oregon Health Sciences University Knight Cancer Research Institute.
There is no question Remy Drabkin is one of the rising stars of the region. Young and talented, her originality and passion is just one of the many reasons Oregon’s winemaking future is in good hands.
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