Sokol Blosser Winery Review
Address: 5000 NE Sokol Blosser Ln Dayton,Oregon 97115.
Phone Number: 800-582-6668
Tasting Hours: 10:00-4:00
Region: Willamette Valley AVA, Dundee Hills AVA, Oregon
Reviewer: Rob Boss
Review Date: 7/1/2014
Reviewer: Rob Boss
Rating: 5
The Review
(Photos by Jai Soots)
Sokol Blosser‘s gorgeous tasting room was only a year old when we visited. The tasting room attendants all cocked an eyebrow when I asked about it, looked at each other and said, “We opened exactly a year ago. Happy anniversary!” Bright, spacious, light wood and big windows inside, a large deck with tables outside, full of people, half of whom seemed to be repeat customers (I had the impression it was a wine club release day). These guys were busy, but the staff worked as a team and each customer was expertly served.
The flight began with a 2013 Pinot Gris. The nose was full of big pears and honeysuckle, followed by a mouthful of apples, pears, touch of citrus. It was a rich and delicious wine on a very warm day.
With some certainty I can say that over the years, I’ve enjoyed literally gallons of Sokol Blosser Rosé. Even so, the 2013 surprised me with both disappointment and delight. The disappointment was that the pink grapefruit note I’ve always enjoyed was not there this year. Nor is it there every year, so it’s best to move on to the delightful strawberry and rhubarb pie flavors that were prevalent this year. I didn’t exactly suffer through this.
Pinot Noirs were up next, starting with the 2009 Dundee Hills. There was a beguiling nose of fresh, crushed fruit, black cherries, cola, tobacco and sage. An elegant beauty with intense, dark cherry flavors and silky texture, this is a vintage I generally do not like, but some wines have developed beautifully over time. This was great.
Bright, crushed fruit was the opening volley from the 2010 Peach Tree Block Pinot Noir. It was my favorite of the day, with delicate, younger fruit flavors; cherry, raspberry and strawberry, spice. Because our tasting room maven was on the ball, I was offered a taste of the Big Tree Block from the same vintage. It wasn’t showing as well but the rich, ripe cherry, raspberry and cassis flavors were still enticing. And then, for purposes of argument, she poured me the 2011 Big Tree Block. It was showing on the same level as the 2010a little shy but still very goodbut interestingly, the list of flavors was the same, only younger. Where the 2011 really scored was its long, lingering raspberry finish.
Evolution Red is a bright magenta colored wine made from Syrah and Sangiovese. It’s got a briary, weedy nose that keeps it interesting. The ripe raspberry and cherry flavors and soft mouth feel make for easy quaffing. And, like its counterparts at David Hill (Farmhouse Red) and Dobbes (Wine by Joe), the Evolution line is a great way to reel in new customers, and remind us all that wine is supposed to be fun.
We’d have been finished at this point except that Jai and Bryanna had struck up a conversation about the James Lavadour paintings on the walls. That led to a brief tour to look at all of them, but I was struck by the level on which the two were talking about art, and how knowledgeable others on staff also were about the artist. It occurred to me Sokol Blosser was not only one of the most attractive tasting rooms we’d been to, it was the most cultured, which is just one more recommendation for one of Oregon’s great wineries. The wine stands on its own, of course, but the atmosphere at Sokol Blosser’s tasting room is at least a head above its peers.