Catching Up with Compris and Celestial Hill

To say there is a lot happening right now in the world is a major understatement. In this newsletter, I am obviously going to focus on wine. One of the things I have noticed about the wine industry is how doom and gloom is amplified. Yes, it makes selling wine incredibly difficult when the younger generation isn’t consuming that much wine. The surgeon general isn’t helping either. I don’t even begin to have any answers, but I will say it reminds me of a Ryan Holiday book, The Obstacle is the Way. Every day we are presented with obstacles. We can choose to put our head in the sand and ignore them or find ways to overcome them.

You are reading this newsletter because of the stories. Wine has so many more stories that go back through the ages. The fermented grape juice in our glass brings connection through those stories. Consumers are eager to hear those stories, I am as well! With all of the technology in the palm of our hands, we are able to share stories better than ever before! Take a minute to reply to this email and tell me your story!

Speaking about overcoming hurdles, Brooks just launched a non-alcoholic wine flight!​

Ready for some links?

Willamette Valley Vineyards is looking for a CEO and to create a succession plan.

Francis Ford Coppola is in the news about a new wine release via the Robb Report

The Italian's investing more in Oregon with the Marsh Estate​

Stoller is opening a second location in Newberg!

​Shoutout to Richochet, and Erde Wines for making top winemakers in the world to watch!

Huge kudos to Walter Scott for making the list of breakout wines!

The yearly Silicon Valley Bank Wine report.

Jancis Rosbinson asking the question, "Does dry farming matter?"

​Felicity Carter is giving a lecture at Linfield on March 6th

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Most of the time, I focus on one winery for the newsletter. This month is going to be a little different. I also normally only mention places I have never been before, which leaves so much on the table to the wineries I visited in the past. I have made some incredible friendships over the years, and today I want to shine a light on a couple of wineries I visited in the past, wrote about, and recently visited again to catch up to see what is happening.

Let’s start off with Dru and Erin of Compris Vineyard. The first time I met Dru was on January 30, 2021. I also visited Abbey Road and the Carlton Winemaker’s Studio earlier in the day. Dru and Erin had recently purchased the property from Don and Vicki of Vidon. Vidon was near and dear to my heart, and so I had to check out the new owners.

It was late afternoon. COVID was still a thing to keep track of, and so I was sitting outside. I will never forget sitting there with Dru, shooting the bull. I remember telling Dru I had a book in me about Oregon wine. At the time, it was a higher priority than it is today. I also remember Dru telling me of the improvements he was going to make.

Before the COVID lockdown, Don told me he was working on a special Pinot Noir from Dick Erath’s Clone 95. This wine has had me hooked and talk about a trial of one’s patience. There haven’t been many vintages of this wine, and it is one of those wines that not many people will know exactly how special it is. I have a few bottles of the 2019 vintage in my cellar, and I recently had the 2022. It is called The Myth, and let me tell you it is not your typical Pinot Noir. I would tell you more, but I am saving it for my Wine Whisperer newsletter. Let me just say the ABV on it is 12.4!

Getting back to Dru.

Over the years, Dru and I have kept in touch. From afar, I have watched them work their patootski’s off. They did a Raise the Temp event for Oregon Tempranillo a couple of years ago. Dru and Erin were at IPNC a couple of years as well. I also had Drew on the podcast, where I got to see the new barrel room, and it was announced around this time that Aaron Kendall would be their new winemaker. If the name doesn’t ring a bell to you, Aaron came from Beaux Frères. Do I have your attention yet?

Ever since that day in January of 2021, I never went to Compris for a tasting. Finally, in November of last year, I decided to go to their Thanksgiving Event.

I was excited on the morning of November 23, 2024, to get out into wine country. My trips have been less and less lately. I have been burning the candle at both ends of the wick, working on features for Block 55, the reservation platform I created for wineries. When I pulled into the driveway, I was a little surprised I was the first person to arrive. I gingerly walked up to the door, and of course, Dru greeted me with big smiles and big hugs. I asked if I messed up and got the times wrong. Nope, I was all good and on time. Erin was there, and I got a big hug from her as well.

Going through the flight was spectacular! Dru and I got a chance to catch up a little before more people started to come in. With it being November, the big topic was Harvest. I mentioned to him how everyone seemed to cherish what 2024 brought in terms of fruit and growing season. Dru came back with something like this, “You know Aaron doesn’t say much, but he did say 2024 was showing outstanding.” For Aaron to speak up and call out how spectacular 2024 was, I made a huge mental note to come back when the 2024 vintage is released for Compris.

While I was there, I bought a bottle of the 2022 The Myth, which I already mentioned how decadent it was! I also got a bottle of the 2021 Given to Fly Reserve Pinot Noir. I opened this a few nights ago, and it also knocked my socks off!

It’s been amazing to see the transformation from Vidon to Compris. This place holds a super special place in my heart, and I cannot wait to see what the next 2-3 years hold for Dru and Erin! Don’t wait though, please take a quick minute to make a reservation today and when you see Dru tell him, “A.J. sent me!”

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Around the same time I visited Compris, I got to thinking about another winery, Celestial Hill, and my visit on October 1, 2022. During that visit, I remember Chris talking about how they made a sparkling in 2020. With it being November 2024, that would mean it should be just about ready (have you noticed my narrow focus on special wines and waiting years for them to get released)? I made a mental note to reach out to Chris, but never did. A little while later, I got their email newsletter, which triggered my mental note. I immediately sent Chris an email asking to catch up, and we settled on January 10th.

December flies by in a flash, and it was already January 10th, and wow, what a crazy day it was! I disdain being late, and I was about 15 - 20 minutes late showing up at the vineyard for Celestial Hill. If you didn’t know, Celestial Hill currently has a tasting room. You can schedule tastings in Carlton or at the vineyard in McMinnville. Insider tip: make your tasting at the vineyard; it’s gorgeous and peaceful.

Driving up the driveway, there was a brand-new building I had yet to see. I knew Chris mentioned he was building a winery, and I had seen some photos on IG, but wow, pictures never do the real thing justice. It was stunning, and I was looking forward to getting a tour!

Besides the new winery, Celestial Hill is moving their tasting room to McMinnville with a Grand Opening of April 26. They are planning a Wine Dinner on May 23rd and a Cave Grand Opening on May 24th. One event they have every summer is a stargazing event at the vineyard. It is the perfect spot to spot all of the stars. That event will be on September 27th. Another quick mention is Celestial Hill was included in the Slow Wine Guide this year. So much happening for Chris and I was so lucky forward to catching up.

Luckily it wasn’t raining when I arrived, but it was later in the day which meant the sun was going to hide behind the horizon shortly. Chris and I decided to take a walk to the new winery before it got dark on us. Everything wasn’t 100% complete, but it was pretty darn close. The cave is stunning and Chris is planning to do dinners down here for guests.

Above the caves is a massive winery with a ceiling that goes on for days. If you can look up at the wood on the ceiling. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Up from the winery is an intern loft. My reaction: wow! Everything about this structure is stunning, gorgeous, and so well thought out! They even grabbed a counter from Nick’s in McMinnville to put in the loft.

Walking back up to the house to taste through wines, I asked Chris, “What is the status of the 2020 Sparkling?” He mentioned how they recently tasted it and it wasn’t quite ready. Soon though, soon!

I forgot to mention another change for Celestial Hill since my last visit. The winemaker at the time was Jay Somers. The winemaking team is now comprised of the infamous Wynne Peterson-Nedry and Alisa Le. If you don’t know Wynne, please do some Googling or reply to the email, and I will fill you in. I spoke with Alisa Le in November of 2023 for a while, and I was super impressed.

The little charcuterie plate is always a nice touch. When Chris’s wife, Melissa, got it out for me, I was beyond grateful. I tried to say I didn’t need it, but how can you say no when they are pulling out all the stops when it comes to hospitality?

Speaking of hospitality, when Chris poured the first wine, it was a 21 Yamhill-Carlton Chardonnay. He mentioned this came from the Fennwood vineyard and remembered how much I enjoy that vineyard. Also, it sounds like Paul Johnson from Satyr Fire got some fruit from this vineyard recently as well. You know what is happening next? I am adding Paul’s wine to my ever-growing list of wines I have to wait for.

I enjoyed this wine! It had a sharp, narrow focus to it with great acid and a nice, long finish.

During my last visit, I remember Chris being excited for estate Chard, and after tasting the 22 Estate Chard, I can understand why. This one had killer acidity with all of the perfect Chard flavors you would expect starting at entry, exploding on the mid-palate, and so much to savor on the finish.

The next four wines were Pinots. Two were a 22, and the others were 21s. I mention this because in my head, I have enjoyed 21s, and they were big and bold. The 22s I have had have been bigger. I mention all of this because for Chris, the 22s are more elegant, and the 21s were bigger. I need to really get out more and research the 2022 vintage more in depth!

The first Pinot was the 22 Estate Pinot priced at $46/bottle. I mention the price because I don’t see many solid Pinots at this price point. This is a blend of 4 vineyards on property with 18 months in barrel. This was definitely lighter and elegant than what I have in my head for a typical 22 Pinot. The finish had a great spicy clove finish.

The 2022 Glenn Vineyard was named after the previous owner, Glenn, who was 83. This is a barrel-select bottle. I found it to be gorgeous and elegant, just like Chris said it would be.

Next up was the 21 Benjamin Pinot, and looking in the glass, I could easily tell a difference from the 22s we just had. It was darker in color, which translates to darker fruit on the mid-palate. I am a sucker for those darker fruits and also enjoyed the teeny bit of tannins on the finish. It didn’t slap me around, but also let me know, “Hey, I am here to age!”

The final pour was the 21 Brady Whole Cluster. Chris let me know it was 30% Whole Cluster, which gave me a big ole hug on entry that tapered down a little, allowing for a sleek, elegant transition on the finish.

Looking back, it was a great side-by-side comparison of 21 and 22. I am always humbled when I go out into wine country. I learn something new all the time, and I love it. One other thing I learned during this visit and another visit the following day is that there are a lot of people from Texas that visit Oregon Wine Country. All of the years I have been out here, and this was the first time I heard of this. Am I not cool enough to be in the cool kids group to know this little tidbit?

The team at Celestial Hill (Chris, Melissa, Wynne, Alisa, and Lita) are all over the top fantastic! I promise you are going to hear a LOT of good things about them this year! They pay attention to every single detail to make sure you have a wonderful experience. You have all of the dates on your calendar of their events, right? Good job! The next thing you should do is visit their website, make a reservation, and when you see Chris or Lita, tell them, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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P.S. - I have a birthday coming up next week, and it is the significant one in my book. I am giving very serious thought to getting the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland holding a glass of wine instead of the pocket watch tattooed on my arm. Is there a tattoo shop in wine country you trust or an artist? Any leads would be greatly appreciated!

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P.P.S. - If you are attending the Oregon Wine Symposium on Monday or Tuesday, stop by booth 522 and say hi! I will have a Block 55 sticker for you and be sure to say, “A.J. sent me!”

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