laurel ridge winery

Laurel Ridge is a great place to visit on one of our beautiful Willamette Valley summer days. there is a great selection of wines so you won't have any trouble finding your perfect wine to take home. the facilities are fabulous for parties, weddings, or just some friend getting together for a catered lunch. The servers are the friendliest you will find anywhere. You'll want to spend the afternoon in this lovely setting...just sipping wine..

My trip to the Laurel Ridge winery did not start out well. Although the posted hours are noon - 5:00, the tasting room was closed as the employees were on their way to lunch. I was invited to return. Not such a big deal since there are myriad other wineries around to visit, I agreed & returned a couple hours later. I'm glad I did. I spent a delightful hour with Chris Berg, the winemaker, and learned about his winemaking beyond pinot noir. He poured me a Gewurztraminer, which I usually find way too sweet. This was one was quite dry and very tasty. It didn't quite win me over to this grape but it showed how different winemakers can get diverse results from the same grape. Next up was a Riesling. It was also very dry and quite delightful. Riesling's can also be sweet but this one was light and refreshing. It would be perfect on a hot summer day in the backyard with some light food. For the reds, I tried his Tinto Roiz, the Zinfindel, and Tempranillo. I like Zins & was pleased with this one. It would probably so well with a bit of cellaring but was certainly drinkable. Of the other two, I preferred the Tinto Roiz. All in all, a great visit with Chris and his two dogs.

My party was gravely disappointed at Laurel Ridge. Here's why:*While not wine snobs, we expect the white wines to at least be chilled. The white wines, which were overall mediocre, were warm. When expressing this to the pourer...she replied, "Oh, you know with the crowds, it is so hard to keep the white wine chilled." They knew they weren't sharing an exemplar experience with us...and still persisted to serve us warm white wine. It was sub-par.* I felt pressured to leave, pressure to buy, and was chased down for my glass. I bet this seems petty--but at other wineries in Carlton, OR, I did not feel this pressure to compensate the winery beyond my entrance fee. A pour girl actually did chase me down for my glass. Ridiculous. I will not return to Laurel Ridge, and suggest other tourists just not bother visiting.

My grandfather grew up knowing this beautiful location outside of McMinville, Oregon. His family owned this property at the turn of the 20th Century. Now, a perfect place for wine in the Willamette Valley, we held a family reunion in 2001 on the location of what is now Laurel Ridge Winery. They boast a very delicious Pinot Noir Reserve, which I highly recommend to any wine enthusiast or the occassional wine tourist.Enjoy!Jason WalshPasco, WA