August of last year was the first month I decided to transition this newsletter from weekly to monthly to make room for another project. I have been busy at work, making this new project a reality. Time is getting close to the launch of the project. Last month, I finally came up with a name. Giving a name to the project makes it feel so much more real. Today, I am sharing the name of this new project, Block 15. I promise more will come in the next couple of months!

Let's dive into all of the links from the past month.

Dave Phinney has some great ideas for Napa that are worth reading! Speaking of Napa, there is talk 2023 is the vintage of a lifetime.

Jeb Dunnuck's Top 100 wines of 2023 has some great Oregon Mentions!

Jancis Robinson dives into Cristom's Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir​

Some crazy person broke into a winery and let 5,000 gallons of wine let loose.​

Are you curious about Corollary's new tasting room? Rumor on the street is it will be open this Spring!

Nicolas-Jay is the First Winery in Oregon to Receive an Electric Tractor ​

James Suckling's Top 100 list also has many Oregon mentions

Northwest Wine Report has some great mentions of Lytle Barnett and Walnut Ridge

Gina Bianco is the new Executive Director of Oregon's Wine Board

If you know Scott Henry's name, you know what he contributed to the wine world. It's incredibly sad to hear of his passing.

A new head winemaker has been appointed at Stoller.

What makes a great story, and why do I get sucked into all of the beautiful stories throughout Wine Country? Sure, this is a little rhetoric, but I also wonder. I can say without a shadow of a doubt this morning's story sucked me in way back in March of 2021. I was a judge for the McMinnville Wine and Food Competition. Another judge, Ellen Landis, mentioned to me a post she wrote about Dave Jachter and Jachter Family Wines. After reading Ellen's writeup, there was only one thing to do.

After leaving a voicemail for Dave, I was fortunate to receive a callback. Dave and I talked for a solid 30 minutes, and fortunately, I have my wine journals to take notes! One of the things he mentioned was how he interviewed nine winemakers, but Rita Wolf introduced him to Jared Etzel. The story goes something like this. Dave worked with Rita Wolf for two years to find a property to plant a vineyard and build a tasting room and a winery. Rita found the perfect property, and Dave reached out to Jared for his opinion. Jared pulled up to the property in his Ford Ranger, pulled out his shovel, dug some holes here and there for about 30 minutes, and said, "You should buy this property, and I'll be your winemaker."

I am such a sucker for these sorts of stories. Dave offered to meet me at the vineyard and share more stories while sharing wine. I put it on my list, but guess what? It sadly never happened.

You may have heard Dave's name before. He was the person who put "No Bull" into the car buying experience at Wilsonville Toyota over ten years ago. The "No Bull" mentality is still alive today. Dave was nominated for Time Magazine's Dealer of the Year. There might be more stories about bulls later on, but I think you get the idea of "No Bull" Dave.

In March of 2017, Dave opened up Wilsonville Subaru. It ended up being the largest Subaru dealership at the time, with a built-in coffee bar and tons of indoor shopping, all focusing on customer service.

I am not 100% sure about this, but it appears Dave and his wife Karen were wine enthusisants throughout the above timeline. Looks like they enjoyed their time in France on the Bordeaux Grand Cru Tour. All of the 2024 Bordeaux Wine Tours are sold out already. I need to get on the list for 2025.

In 2018, Dave sold Wilsonville Toyota, and so what does one do with extra time on their hands? Buy land for a vineyard and start making wine! 2019 is the first vintage for Jachter Family Wines, with fruit coming from Ken Austin's Raindance Vineyard and also the owner of the Allison. Other fruit was procured from Kathleen Keppinger’s Case Vineyard after Jared looked at the vineyard and said, "Buy fruit from here!"

In late July of 2023, the tasting room was finally open to the public! I wanted to go so bad, but Holy Toledo Batman, my summer was booked. On November 3, I finally got out to visit, and wow, what a visit!

Before my visit that day to the winery, I stopped off at Compris to pick up a few bottles of Dick Erath's Clone 95 Pinot, aka The Myth. I chatted with Dru a little, and he asked me where I was heading next. I mentioned Jachter and his response was, "Tell Amber Hi for me." I told Dru she wouldn't be there because she was under the weather. He was bummed and continued to tell me how wonderful she was. Come to find out, Amber also has quite a story, with amazing attention to detail. She also worked at Domaine Serene, Alexana, and Ponzi.

Walking into the tasting room, the view was beyond breathtaking, even on a semi-rainy cloudy November day. I want to mention Guns N Rose and November Rain here, but I need help to develop a connection. There is something to be said about immediately being poured a 2019 Rose from the Case Vineyard that made the gray clouds magically disappear. Cue in a guitar solo from Slash!

Since Amber was out sick, Greg, who used to be an executive chef at a gold course, went above and beyond to ensure I had an out-of-the-world experience. He had a table all ready for me. Wow, and it was time to dive into some wine!

2019 Rose Case Vineyard

I enjoyed this darker salmon-colored Rose. There wasn't a sharp twinge on the mid-palate for me, and it felt a little heavier-bodied than more Roses.

2019 Chardonnay Raindance Foothills Vineyard

I wished I had been drinking this outside on the deck on a sunny summer day with friends. It was highly pleasurable going down way too easily!

2020 Chardonnay The J Reserve Raindance Foothills Vineyard

Everything you would want in a Chardonnay. It has an unmistakable nose for a Chardonnay, with all the acidity on the mid-palate and everlasting on the finish.

2019 Pinot Noir Case Vineyard

I was surprised that this was 2019. Most 19s are gentle and a little delicate. This was a little grippy with a hint of tannin, perfect for aging. Jared also makes wine for the long haul.

2019 Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge

Compared to another 2019, this wine had next to no tannin or grippiness. It was a beautiful 2019 opening up like a flower with spice and clove on the mid-palate intermingled with brighter red fruits.

2019 Pinot Noir Cuvee Karen Ann Willamette Valley

Getting into the third 2019 Pinot Noir was the most delicate of the three. The entry and mid-palate reminded me of those smooth and gentle strolls down a lazy river in the middle of summer. All of the tannins were nicely integrated and something to check out.

2021 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills

I enjoyed this wine even in its youth. There are a few milliseconds between when a wine comes to you on entry and traversing to your mid-palate. I don't know how to describe it, but wow this blew me away in that space. The color of this wine is almost a deep dark red, which is a signal of tannins. There were some, but nothing overpowering at all. On the mid-palate, it is about all the spice and everything nice.

2022 Pinot Noir Case Vineyard

I did get a sneak peak at this wine. I was told I couldn't say much about it because it is a whee little baby Pinot. I look forward to revisiting this wine in the coming year or so.

As I was tasting the wines, Dave was sitting at a table with a handful of other people. Once they left, he came over, and we chatted for a little bit. He vaguely remembered me and asked if I heard the story about Jared. I reminded him of our phone call a few years back, but I needed a refresher on the story. So, Rita threw a party, where she introduced Jared to Dave. When Jared came out to the property, Dave offered to buy Jared any wine he wanted, but he passed out of the kindness of his heart. Instead, as I mentioned earlier, after digging around, Jared told Dave, "You should buy this property, and I will be your winemaker." I don't know how many times it will take me to get tired of that story.

Circling back around to bulls. Before Dave bought the property, a squatter raised rodeo bulls on site. When the property sold, the neighbors were so happy when the squatter left because he wouldn't feed the bulls, and they would come into their yards looking for food. In getting the property ready for a vineyard, they found 13 dead bulls. It's a sad story, but another story for "No Bull," Dave!

I know it's cloudy and rainy in January, but I guarantee you will have a great time visiting Jachter Family Wines. Amber is amazing. Greg is excellent, and I didn't even get into how other family members help in the tasting room, in the vineyard, and anywhere else they are needed. Jachter Family Wines is genuinely a family ran winery. Visit their website, make a reservation, and please tell them, "A.J. sent me!"

With Heartfelt Gratitude,

A.J.