4 Itineraries to Explore Dundee Hills Chardonnay

Globally recognized as one of the world’s most popular wines, Chardonnay is worth seeking out on your next trip to the Willamette Valley’s Dundee Hills, especially if you’re looking for a crisp and refreshing alternative to traditional Chardonnays. As writer Joseph V. Micallef noted, “Oregon’s Chardonnay production continues to soar, and is rapidly gaining a reputation as the next big thing to come out of the Oregon wine industry.”

The vast majority of Dundee Hills wineries produce Chardonnay, and while the options to tailor a visit to your specific interests are nearly endless, here are several itineraries we hope will entice you.

48-Hour Itinerary: Get Cultured with Dundee Hills Chardonnay

Our winemakers craft Chardonnay by inoculating the pressed grape juice with either a wild or a specific yeast strain. Wild yeasts typically lead to more complexity, but specific yeasts tend to give a cleaner finish and allow winemakers to pick which aromatic nuances they’d like to highlight. In short, the yeast a winemaker selects will strongly influence the final tasting notes of the Chardonnay. Can you taste the difference?

Lodging: Balanza Vineyard and Guest House

• This guest house and suite offer luxury with gorgeous views, and the vineyards on site produce delicious Chardonnay among other wine varietals.

Day 1: Explore Chardonnays Crafted With Wild Yeasts

• Domaine Roy et fils
• Bergström Wines
• White Walnut Estate

Day 2: Explore Chardonnays Crafted with Specific Yeasts

• Dusky Goose Winery
• Sokol Blosser Winery
• Durant Vineyards
• Stoller Family Estate

24 Hour Itinerary: Chardonnay Vertical Tastings

A vertical tasting offers the same varietal of wine, produced from the same winery across several vintages (years), and is an unmatched way to explore the impact of the terroir on the wine. You’ll be shocked how different each wine will taste due to location, weather conditions and winemaking styles. Each winery below offers Chardonnay verticals on a regular basis, and many other members offer them on special occasions.

• Alexana Winery
• Anderson Family Vineyard
• The Four Graces
• Trellis Dundee Restaurant – Stop in for a delicious meal and ask for a vertical tasting to accompany your menu selections.

 

24-Hour Itinerary: Savor the Views & the Chardonnay on Worden Hill Rd

Worden Hill Road is a haven for wine lovers, winding past more than a dozen wineries with each view seeming better than the last. Let your quest for Oregon Chardonnay guide your journey through one of Dundee’s most picturesque areas.

• Holloran Vineyard Wines
• Cramoisi Vineyard
• Arterberry Maresh
• Knudsen Vineyards

 

24-Hour Itinerary: Chardonnay the Dundee Hills Way

Tour the entire Dundee Hills region to experience the numerous microclimates, soil types and farming practices that lead to each winery’s prized Chardonnay. At each stop, consider asking what fermentation method the winemaker uses so you can begin to taste the differences between the various methods.

• The Great Oregon Wine Company & Distillery
• Haakon / Lanai Estate
• Nysa Vineyards
• Domaine Drouhin
• Lange Estate Winery & Vineyards

Interested in crafting your own itinerary? Create an account on our website, start exploring profiles of each of our members, including  our restaurants, and save your favorites into an itinerary you can customize as your trip gets closer.