White Rose Estate
6250 NE Hilltop Ln, Dayton, OR 97114
Website: http://www.whiteroseestate.com/
My number one recommendation when visiting any place for the first time is to ask the locals where to go. They won’t usually steer you wrong (at least in my experience), and that’s how I often find some of the gems I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. White Rose Estate is one of those very pleasant surprises that my friend Denise and I encountered based on a recommendation from a couple of locals. The winery is located atop a hill in the Dundee area just up the road from Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, and Vista Hills Vineyard. The location of this winery provides absolutely breathtaking views of the surrounding area. I had never heard of the winery before I visited, but as soon as I stepped out of the car and saw the view I was drawn in.
The view of Willamette Valley in the distance from White Rose Estate
The current owner of White Rose Estate, Greg Sanders, purchased the farm house and property in 2000. The vineyards had been planted in 1980 and became well-known for the quality of their fruit. Other wineries like St. Innocent, Panther Creek, and Torii Mor had purchased grapes from the site and labeled them “White Rose Vineyard” on their bottles. A gravelly road leads up the hill to the winery. Between the parking lot and the tasting room is a wide open grassy area with lounge chairs looking out over the rolling rows of vineyards directly out in front. I could sit and relax for a long time taking in the views of the Willamette Valley down below. Despite the fact that it was an overcast day, my friend and I still took a few minutes to snap some photos and breathe in the fresh air.
Front of White Rose Estate
The exterior of the winery is a gray wood paneled building, nothing flashy. The entrance to the winery is flanked by green trees and shrubs to give it more life. There were two big barn style doors leading into the tasting room and a welcome mat at the entry. The interior was dark with black walls, wood floors, and wood paneling on the ceiling. The lighting was rather dim. The doors were kept open to let in some natural light. There were a couple of wine barrels for decoration off to the left and a wine bar to right. The wine bar could easily accommodate three small groups of people at a time. There was also a small station to left of the wine bar with water and cup, and to start off the tasting the server gave us some club soda to cleanse our palate. It was a nice touch.
The tasting bar at White Rose Estate
The staff welcomed us immediately as we walked through the doors. There were only a couple of other people in the tasting room at the same time as us, so we were able to take our time sampling the wines. I quickly became a fan of their fruit forward style Pinot Noirs. My favorites were the 2011 Luciole Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2012 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, and 2012 Winemaker’s Cuvée. They were well balanced with nice fruit and spice and a silky finish. Our server was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information about where the grapes for each wine cam from. My one small complaint about our tasting was that there were little fruit flies buzzing around during tasting because the doors were open. The server explained that as soon as they open the doors the flies come around. It was a little distracting. Nonetheless, my friend and I both ordered some wines for home. Overall we really enjoyed this winery.