My first day of wine tasting in the Willamette Valley of Oregon was marked with a call to Argyle Winery. The commercial facility was large enough to accomodate walk ins without an appointment, and also offered a variety of decorated Wine Spectator rated wines. With a long winery history, Argyle Winery became my first exposure to tasting experiences of Oregon’s World Class Pinot Noir wines.

---

This post is one chapter on a weekend trip from Canada to Portland, Oregon, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.

---

---

Argyle Winery, Willamette Valley: Tasting Oregon Pinot Noir Wines, Oregon, USA

---

On my initial getaway day travelling from Vancouver – Canada to Portland – United States of America, I picked up a Hertz rental car from the local edition in my neighbourhood.

With my Hertz Presidents Circle upgrade, I got assigned a somewhat boring 2024 Chevrolet Impala LT . Regardless, it was better than putting 1,500 km on my Audi for the weekend, along with saving of the time and labour involved with cleaning all of the summer flies across the front of the car at the end of the trip.

The plan for today was to drive 600 km from Vancouver, Canada to Portland, Oregon, USA. I departed on a Friday morning, expecting that there would be not a whole lot of traffic. Although, because it was summer, there ended up being quite a bit of holiday traffic. As a result, my planned five hour drive took approximately eight hours, by the time I got to the state of Portland, USA.

About Arygle Winery:

The cellar doors at wineries in the Willamette valley of Oregon have gotten quite wise with their business models. Like most other places throughout Oregon, the wineries charge approximately $50 for tasting. The fees are typically refunded based on hundred dollar plus purchase. As a result, hopping from winery to winery can lead to an expensive afternoon. Given the time line of my arrival, and these fees, I ended up only at Argyle Winery today.

I ended up selecting the Argyle winery based simply on its brand recognition. I would later discover that they’ve actually catered several important state dinners at the White House, based on a tour of their cellar door.

Arriving to Argyle Winery:

After a stop and go eight hour drive, I rolled into the parking lot at Argyle Winery. The Arygle Winery was located in the Dundee Hills area of the Williamette Valley of Oregon Oregon, approximately one hour south of the city of Portland.

I was met with a very modern facility that took advantage of the sun soaked warm temperatures with a large outdoor patio space.

I was met at reception and offered a glass of Argyle winery 2018 Reserve Brut sparkling wine. I was asked if I had a reservation. Given the late time at 4:15 PM, most of the serious wine seekers had already come and gone.

Since the caller door was open until 6 PM, I still had a few hours to enjoy a leisurely tasting. I was offered an outdoor table on a walk-in basis. I was led to a table.

I passed by the interior of the winery on my way outside. It was decorated up as a contemporary farm house space.

As I was led outside, I was really happy to see some large comfortable chairs, which is the perfect relief after that long drive.

Setting into Tasting:

I was given a choice between two sets of wine, tastings; a sparkling tasting and a variety flight pasting. During my visit, each of these was priced at US$45, fees, which would be redeemable against any two bottles purchased.

Being a traditionalist, I decided to go with the variety flight featuring Argyle, wineries, traditional wines.

First Taste: 2021 Argyle Winery Spirit House Chardonnay Dundee Hills

The first pour today was a 2021 Argyle Spirit House, Chardonnay. This was presented in a open bold glass.

From the tasting card, the wine was listed entirely from the Knudsen Vineyard, Spirithouse Chardonnay grew through a cooler September, highlighting the bright, beautiful acidity and mineral tension. Citrus, white peach, and baking spices are framed around a creamy textured middle and long, persistent finish. Built for long term ageability, the wine was entirely barrel fermented and allowed to age gracefully on full lees for 18 months in French oak, of which 20% were new.

The taste wasn’t too heavy on the oak, but would require some structured food to pair along with this wine.

Next up, the Williamette and Dundee area of Oregon is known for their outstanding Pinots. As a result, I got into the many Pinots that Argyle Winery had to offer.

First Pinot: 2021 Argyle Pinot Noir Knudsen Vineyard

First up was their 2021 Argyle Pinot Noir from the Knudsen Vineyard in Dundee Hills.

From the Tasting Card, there were flavours of red cherry, blood orange, and savory spice open into delicate floral complexity.  The silky tannins and floating weight are balanced with crisp, high elevation acidity, providing tension to the long finish.  After fermentation and free run draining, the wine was allowed to age elegantly on its lees for 16 months in French oak, of which 25% were new.

Second Pinot: 2021 Argyle Pinot Noir Lone Star Vineyard

Secondly, was a 2021 argyle Pinot Noir their Lone Star Vineyard. From the tasting card, the Lone Star Vineyard Pinor Noir was described as allowing the Argyle team to tap into the ruddier side of this iconically dark-fruited vineyard. High-toned notes of red fruit peek through and are accented by dark fruits such as blackberry and black cherry. Lone Star’s inherently savory spicy qualities are also present, with toasted cinnamon, green cardamom pods, mixed peppercorns, and bay leaf rounding out the flavor profile. Accent any meal with this structured and elegant Lone Star gem!

Third Pinot Bonus Round: 2021 Argyle Winery Nuthouse Pinot Noir from Eola Amity Hills

My last Pinot Noir was an off menu surprise that was included for free. It was the best of the bunch, a 2021 Argyle Nuthouse from Ella Amity Hills.

From the tasting card, it was described as a classically Eola-Amity Hills blend telling the perfect story of our estate vineyards in this AVA, this Nuthouse Pinot Noir is brooding with crunchy cassis and deep black raspberry notes. Its mouthwatering acidity mellows the textured tannins and adds a layer of depth, personality and longevity. 

This was the best of the bunch and clearly evaluated as a winner rating as 94 Points Wine Spectator, 90 Points Wine Enthusiast, 92 Points Vinous, 94 Points International Wine Report, 92 Points Decanter.

After an enjoyable tasting, I took a wander through the Argyle Winery. Argyle Winery has a modern purpose built tasting rum and bar. The space is occupied with both an indoor seating arrangement and an outdoor patio seating arrangement during my visit. They had a stage that featured live entertainment that they were just in the process of dismantling.

I didn’t realize quite the history of legacy of the Argyle winery. In the back of their cellar door tasting room, they have been featured at many state dinners. where they’ve been honoured to display their wines. 

The Argyle Winery cellar door tasting room also featured a small VIP room decorated in wine rack product where they could conduct training and tasting.

All in all, I had a pretty good visit to Argyle winery. It was a well set up modern facility, that wasn’t too commercial and over the top. Add some great wines and it made for a pretty enjoyable wind down after a long drive.

After the tasting, I headed off to The Nines – A Luxury Collection Hotel Portland for a two night stay.

My Thoughts on Visiting Argyle Winery:

You’ll be hard pressed not to go wrong with a visit to Argyle Winery. The modern facility is everything that you would expect from a modern place within the Willamette Valley.

Without any wait for tastings in the late afternoon, Argyle Winery made for a perfect first stay’s stop prior to a visit to Portland, Oregon.

---

If you’ve visited the Willamette Valley for wine tastings, what wineries are must visit locations ?

---