6060 Bethel Heights Rd NW, Salem, OR 97304
Website: https://www.bethelheights.com/
On my second trip to Oregon wine country we decided to spend a day exploring the Eola-Amity Hills region, located a short drive northwest of Salem. This beautiful area epitomizes the farming side of winemaking. After driving through busy Salem, we found ourselves on quiet country roads surrounded by rolling hills of vineyards as far as the eye could see. Pulling into the parking lot of Bethyl Heights, the outside of the tasting room doesn’t look real fancy. The building has dark gray wood paneling and a red metal roof. There’s an old fashioned grape press near the entryway. The history of this winery dates back to 1977 when a group of relatives Ted Casteel, Pat Dudley, Terry Casteel (Ted’s twin), Marilyn Webb, and Barbara Dudley decided to change direction from their current occupations and purchased 75 acres in an area that one of the earliest Oregon settlers referred to as Bethel Hills. It took several years for the newly planted vines to produce their first crop for wine in 1981. What started as wine made in Terry’s basement turned into 3000 cases of commercial Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Gewurztraminer by 1984. Over 30 years of winemaking they grew their production to 10,000 cases of estate produced wine. Today, the original owners are joined by the next generation to help run the winery. All of their wine is estate grown and organically certified.
Walking into the tasting room provided a totally different atmosphere from the modest looking building outside. I immediately felt welcomed walking into the airy tasting room. Two walls of the room were completely framed in glass from ceiling to floor with doors that opened right onto the back patio. The floors were covered in large slate colored tiles, and the lights on the ceiling were clear, glass globes. All of this made it feel like we were standing in the center of the beautiful surrounding vineyards that we could see out the windows from almost any angle of the room. In the center of the room were a few small tables and chairs for tastings inside. On the left side of the room was also a marble top tasting bar big enough for 4-5 people to stand around. Our hostess immediately greeted us and walked us to a table on the back patio. The view of vines all around was stunning and it was so peaceful. We took a seat at a picnic table and took our time sipping through our tasting as the hostess brought the wines to us one by one. There were several other groups there at the same time as us, but it felt so quiet.
Over the course of an hour or so, my husband and I sampled a total of 7 wines. We started off with a tropical, refreshing Pinot Gris and a crisp Pinot Noir Rosé. Then we moved on to two different style Chardonnays. I found the 2017 Casteel Chardonnay to taste of creamy pears and caramel while the 2017 Estate Chardonnay was light and bright. The Pinot Noirs did not disappoint either. My favorite was the 2017 Justice Vineyard Pinot Noir made from a mix of the oldest and youngest vines with cherry fruitiness and a velvety mouthfeel. At the end of our tasting we had to bustle out to get to our next reservation, but we loved the wine and took some home with us. If I lived in the area, I could see myself spending a lot more time on that patio.
