The Melting Teapot

Spofford Station is an agricultural train station, where train cars load wheat from the grain elevators located next to the historic train track.  It is located in a picturesque setting just south of the Washington border, near the town of Milton Freewater.  The station, and the vineyard that shares its name, lies within the Oregon segment of the Walla Walla AVA.

The Spofford Station Vineyard is owned by the vigorous and brisk Lynne Chamberlain, who writes that she takes “the grape plants from baby to bottle.”  Lynne runs the vineyard and makes two lines of wine: JLC (James Leigh Cellars), and Spofford Station Estate wines.  Other winemakers also purchase grapes from her vineyard to make their own wines.

On Saturday, I was one member of a group of 15 wine bloggers who were lucky enough to tour this beautiful vineyard.  Lynne loaded us on the back of a flat bed truck, where we sat on hay bales while she answered questions and entertained us with stories of her wine-making adventures.

After a short ride, we stopped and unloaded at the end of rows of grapevines, where we sipped wines made from the vines among which we strolled. This wine geek doesn’t think it gets any better than that! It was an experience I’ll always remember.

You’ll notice in the photos that there are roses planted at the ends of each row.  When I asked about these, Lynne said that she plants them to help her keep an eye on the grapes.  She can drive or walk along the road at the end of the vines, and if she spots problems with a rose bush there is likely an issue with those vines that needs to be addressed.  The roses also provide a natural winter habitat for the beneficial pests that help keep vines healthy and robust.

Walking among the vines on a beatiful morning, we noted tendrils of new growth stretching above our heads.

We also saw early evidence of the grapes -- the “bloom” on the vines.

During our outing, we tasted four wines by four different winemakers. I didn’t take formal  tasting notes, but I was impressed with how each of these winemakers allowed the fruit to really show through.  The wines weren’t excessively manipulated, instead focusing on balance and integrity of the grape.  These were exceptional small-production wines, and I’ll be getting some for our wine cellar soon.

These are the winemakers & the wines we tasted.

Robison Ranch Cellars Semillon
http://robisonranchcellars.com/

Adamant Cellars Syrah
http://www.adamantcellars.com

Patrick M Paul Merlot
http://www.washingtonwine.org/washington-wine/wineries/patrick-m-paul-vineyards/

Spofford Station Cabernet Sauvignon
http://jlcwineryonline.com/spoffordstation.php