Domaine South
Oregon Wine Tasting
Special Guest, Kara McKelvey of Johnson Brothers
Friday, July 10th, 4pm - 6pm
$20 per person
256-759-9952 to Reserve
2021 Roco "RMS" Brut Sparkling, Willamette Valley $42.99
Aromas open with white grapefruit, fresh honeydew melon, and delicate honey notes, layered with hints of lemon curd and ripe pear. On the palate, bright citrus and fresh fruit flavors shine before mellowing into a creamy mid-palate, while subtle white rose petal notes and lingering honeydew melon linger on the finish.
In 1987, when all other Willamette Valley wine producers were focused on Pinot Noir, Rollin Soles had a different vision. He believed that Oregon was the best place in North America to grow cool climate grapes for sparkling wine. After making wine at Petaluma Winery in Australia, Rollin moved to Oregon and founded Argyle Winery, the state’s first sparkling wine production facility.
During his 27+ years with Argyle, Rollin crafted some of the most highly acclaimed New World sparkling wines, which made Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines three times, proof that he has mastered the sophisticated craft of fine Méthode Champenoise. Rollin’s vision has become a reality as the world continues to discover that the Willamette Valley’s cool, maritime climate is indeed ideally suited to world-class sparkling wine production.
2025 Big Salt White Blend, Willamette Valley, Oregon $16.99
"Big Salt is dry, aromatic and zippy. Salty lemon, ginger and aloe vera leap out of the glass. A short skin contact gives the palate textural complexity, even at a low 12.0% abv. In it’s youth, Big Salt continues to be Muscat forward, but we find as it ages into summer that Gewurz comes to the forefront, while oceanic citrusy Riesling shines after a year in the bottle. Not that anyone is aging Big Salt, but you’ll be rewarded if you do!" —winemaker
2023 Lingua Franca "Avni" Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon $32.99
Strongly floral notes, hint of cucumber, butter cookies, lemon blossom, peach. The entry is round and soft. Towards the midpalate a more saline note appears, and the wine finishes with a round long flavor of lemon, honeysuckle and sea spray. The vintage rendered an elegant Chardonnay without edges.
93Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Chardonnay Avni has power and elegance. It’s an exceptional appellation-level Chardonnay, revealing notes of custard, lemon oils, fresh flowers, and ripe pear. It lingers on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness, offering depth and refreshing lift, as well as notes of almond on the finish. Drink over the coming 7-8 years. This is one to snap up by the case. It saw 25% new French oak.
92James Suckling
This is a very fresh and mineral chardonnay, offering delicious orchard fruit, lemon rind, raw almonds and flinty undertones, together with a very elegant touch of spice. Medium-bodied, very clean and pristine, with textural complexity on the palate, with a gentle phenolic grip to the long, sleek finish. Drink or hold.
92Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chardonnay Avni has alluring aromas of quince, white peach, meringue, chamomile, beeswax and hazelnut. The medium-bodied palate has a satiny texture and expansive, honeyed flavors. Its generosity is balanced by mouthwatering acidity, and it has a long, textural finish.
91Wine Spectator
Sleek and crisp, with refreshing lemon, lime, kiwi and mineral tones that glide on the vibrant ending.
2023 Lingua Franca "Avni" Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon $32.99
Winemaker Notes
2023 Avni Pinot Noir reflects the optimal growing conditions of the season, creating highly developed and complex flavors. With aroma's of plum, pomegranate, bergamot, and rose. It has velvety tannins and fresh acidity, with flavors of graphite, black tea, plum, and clove. The overall impression is of voluptuous harmony with a long juicy finish.
Professional Ratings
93
James Suckling
Beautiful cherries and dried wild strawberry on the nose, together with dried orange peel, mild spices and a touch of cocoa. Tense and well structured, vibrant and fresh, with medium body, lively acidity and a zesty, crunchy finish.
92
Jeb Dunnuck
Bright ruby, the 2023 Pinot Noir Avni is an excellent appellation wine out of the gate, boasting ripe cherries, red roses, brambly earth, and delicate gamey undertones. Medium-bodied, with ripe tannins, balanced acidity, and considerable length, this is a highly appealing Pinot.
92
Wine Spectator
This version offers verve and tension balanced by vibrant cherry, raspberry, green tea and forest floor accents that finish with sleek tannins.
92
Wine Spectator
A red with verve and tension balanced by vibrant cherry, raspberry, green tea and forest floor accents that finish with sleek tannins. Drink now through 2033. 18,000 cases made.
91
Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Avni wafts up with a vibrant mix of crushed cherries, sweet lavender and spice. Juicy and round, it offers soothingly ripe wild berry fruit complicated by a nuance of bitter licorice toward the close. The finish is pleasantly chewy and long, leaving a sour berry resonance and smooth tannins to mingle on the palate.
90
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pinot Noir Avni has inviting scents of wild cherry, cranberry, floral perfume and fine earthy accents. The medium-bodied palate offers understated, earthy flavors. It’s framed by silky tannins and refreshing acidity and has a long, fragrant finish.
2022 Lingua Franca "The Plow" Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon $59.99
A jeweled ruby/red hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir The Plow is an exceptional wine all around and its name pays tribute to all of those who work in the vineyard for the estate. In the glass, it reveals a spiced and complex nose with aromas of black cherries, anise, sappy forest herbs, fresh leather, and crushed flowers. As it opens, it continues to evolve and bring forward more sanguine notes of blood orange that frame the wine beautifully. The palate offers outstanding depth and intensity with a characteristic elegance and weightless feel, plush tannins, refreshing salinity, and mineral underpinnings. Jeb Dunnuck 98 points
The fruit for The Plow 2022 comes principally from the finest of our blocks, Block 1, with a special massal selection of PN777. The fruit is grown on Gelderman-Jory soils with a layer of large gravels that impart extra energy to the vines and create more complex flavors. In 2022 the fruit from three other blocks was incorporated into the final cuvée for the first time. Adding roundness from PN 115 in Block 3, power from Calera Clone in Block 6, and structure from PN 943 in Block 4, which is adjacent to Block 1. It may be the most intensely aromatic Plow produced to date. On entry there is a burst of red and black cherry, pomegranate with a finish that is structured and layered with ripe tannins. There is greater volume and dimensionality in this vintage, promising a long and beautiful life ahead.
Production Notes
Because of the delayed growing season and the danger of damaged stems so late in Fall, whole cluster fruit was only 4% of the cuvée. Fermentation proceeded with wild yeast in concrete and stainless steel tanks. Cap management begins with gentle pump overs, followed by traditional pigeage by foot, as needed. The wines aged in 21% new and 79% neutral French oak barriques for 12 months followed by an additional 5 months in stainless steel tank to bring the cuvée together prior to bottling.
