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PNW Weekender: Elkton And Florence, Oregon
We first tasted Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Umpqua Valley a few years ago while living in South Carolina. Brandborg Winery has pretty solid distribution in The Lowcountry and our local wine merchant, Claude, stocked the Elkton-made product. The wine created–as wine will sometimes do–a curiosity about the terroir. This weekend we got a chance to experience it up close and personal.
See more photos on this Flickr Slideshow from the weekend
Brandborg’s tasting room is one of the more obvious structures on the town’s main drag. We found Terry, the proprietor, enjoying his lunch and some wine on the deck adjacent to the entrance. He followed me inside the building after a bit, and said he’d be my host today. I said great, sell me a bottle of your Estate Pinot Noir. After getting me to taste his other two pinots, and telling me about the winery’s recent writeup in The New York Times, he did.
Soon thereafter, Terry’s wife Sue appeared unexpectedly at our table with complimentary cheese, chips and watermelon. Sue also informed us of the couple’s favorite restaurant in Florence, told us about a good six-mile hike in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and about house rental options in town, should we want to return. Terry also had nice things to say about River’s Edge Winery down the street, and Bradley Vineyards around the bend.
When we arrived at River’s Edge, owners Mike and Vonnie Landt were there to greet us. Mike said Lucy girl could come inside and enjoy the A.C. with us. We sipped pinot noir and Vonnie mentioned that there was a barn dance in the community center that night. She also said Florence is a pretty cool place if we’re headed to the coast. Mike and Vonnie seem like good people and their wine is one to stock up on, as it has very limited distribution.
Both River’s Edge and Brandborg buy fruit from Bradley Vineyards, so we figured we better head over there too. Bradley is situated on a picturesque southern slope. Unlike the first two venues, here the grapes and the tasting room are situated together. I opened the door to the little cabin and found Bonnie Bradley entertaining another couple, but I managed to buy two glasses of Baco Noir and we found a shaded spot to take in the stunning views of this northernmost section of the Umpqua valley.
After our three wine-centric visits, we headed to a city park and changed in to our swim suits. The Umpqua River is one of Oregon’s great waterways and it’s particularly inviting on a hot summer day. Lucy doesn’t like to swim but she’s a strong swimmer. When Darby and I waded out from the shore, Lucy decided she better join us. What a good girl.
The drive from Elkton to Reedsport was easy and the scenery was stunning all the way. Just before town, there’s a platform for elk viewing. We didn’t stop, but there was a herd of elk lounging in the meadow. At Reedsport, we turned north on 101 and entered the Oregon Dunes. With fresh water lakes on one side and the ocean on the other, it’s easy to appreciate this remote area of the Oregon coast. Just before the bridge to Florence, there’s a Best Western overlooking the city. Turns out they take dogs, have King beds and rooms with a balcony. I have to have access to the outdoors when I’m in a hotel. It’s a rule (and in Oregon, it’s typically a reality).
The Siuslaw River Bridge to Florence is a classic 1930s art deco creation, and as soon as you cross it and enter the coastal city of 9000, you hang a right and bing, you’re in Old Town. We had been advised to call Waterfront Depot for a reservation, which I did. Matt, the host, told me there were no tables available but he’d fit us in at the bar. When we arrived 25 minutes later, there were no seats at the bar, but Matt said we could sit at his most excellent six top, until the party which had it reserved arrived. Matt’s plan, while bold, worked flawlessly! We enjoyed a cup of chowder, glasses of wine and Manchego cheese with olives and marinated roasted red peppers, and soon enough Matt showed us to a great two-top against the wall.
I don’t often find the inspiration necessary to rave about a restaurant, but Waterfront Depot in Florence totally impressed Darby and me in every way. The food is great, the atmosphere is great, the service is great, the prices are great…we can’t wait to return.
In the morning, we grabbed coffee in Old Town, then headed out to Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, just to the south of Florence. The area is popular with ATV enthusiasts, and we saw some on our way in, but when we reached the spit that runs back toward the mouth of the Siuslaw River, there was no one. We parked, the lone car in a beach access lot. On a beautiful sunny Sunday morning in July! We hiked up and over to the beach and ocean stretching forever before us, seemingly untouched by man.
Share via emailOregon’s Other Magical Wine Region
I’m a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir fanatic. The wines from this region are world class, but more importantly to me, I feel connected to them. I believe it is the French conept of terroir at work.
With this in mind, I’m pleased to report there is another wine producing valley of note in the great state of Oregon. The Umpqua Valley, south of Eugene. In the small town of Elkton, Brandborg Vineyard & Winery is producing incredible pinot noir (if the two bottles we’ve recently enjoyed are any testament).
Here are their tasting notes:
2003 BENCH LANDS Umpqua Valley pinot noir
Aromas abound with cherries, sweet strawberries with a hint of forest floor, mushrooms and well integrated vanilla and caramel oak. The flavors echo the aromas with the addition of raspberries, spice, good acidity and finely grained tannins for such a young wine that carry through in a long and pleasing finish. Not a big wine, but very pretty and it would make a fantastic partner with duck confit, pate or fresh grilled wild salmon.
Bottled September 20, 2004 13.8% alcohol 745 cases
Per Bottle $18.00 ~ Per case $194.40
Drier and warmer than the Willamette Valley wine region to the north, and cooler than the Rogue and Applegate wine regions to the south, the Umpqua Valley features seven family-owned Oregon wineries that showcase this region’s viticultural versatility.
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