| Northwest Wine Fan visits St. Innocent Winery |
| Talk To The Cellarmasters: Tim & Carolyn Sinniger northwestwinefan@msn.com |
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| St. Innocent produces world class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a Alsatian styled Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris to die for! Just north of Salem you turn left off of Wallace Road onto Zena Road. Another 3 miles and you arrive at St. Innocent Winery, home of world class Pinot Noir sourced from their estate vineyard Zenith as well as some of the best sites in the Willamette Valley including Shea, Freedom Hill, Momtazi and White Rose to name just a few. On our way to Portland we took a chance and called ahead to see if we could stop by for a tasting. They were happy to accommodate us. It is always so nice in the Willamette Valley visitng the wineries and vineyards. It is much more laid back than some other wine destinations. St. Innocent was founded in 1988 by Mark Vlossak who continues to be their winemaker and President. They produce 8,000 to10,000 cases of wine a year but you would never know it as their wines are still hand-crafted. The Visit Our host Felice was a pleasure to visit with. Mother's Day made for a intimate tasting experience as there was only one other couple. They were scouting for a location for their wedding and St. Innocent's event center would certainly be a great choice! White wines tasted included the 2009 Vitae Springs Pinot Gris and the Freedom Hill Pinot Blanc and Freedom Hill Chardonnay. I enjoyed the Chardonnay and Carolyn's favorite white was the Pinot Blanc. Pinot Noirs tasted included the 2007 and 2008 Momtazi Vineyard. The 2007 Momtazi is showing what a couple of years of aging has done to flesh itself out into a great Pinot. There is not enough that can be said about the wonderful wines that were produced from the 2008 vintage. The 2008 St. Innocent Freedom Hill Pinot Noir was just breathtaking while unfortunately the other 2008s were sold out. The 2009 Villages Cuvee Pinot is showing great promise! We have limited quantities of some of the wines that are otherwise sold out including the 2007 and 2008 Shea Vineyard, 2008 White Rose Vineyard and 2008 Zenith Pinots! These and other fine wines are available from Northwest Wine Fan. Contact us at 541-948-4350 or by email at northwestwinefan@msn.com |
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| St. Innocent Winery Founder & Winemaker Mark Vlossak Cellar Master Randy Byrnes Tasting Room 5657 Zena Road NW Salem, OR 97304 503-378-1526 Hours April 1st - November 30th Tuesday thru Sunday 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM ----------------------- Also Year Round Friday thru Sunday 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM Website www.stinnocentwine.com |
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