May is Oregon Wine Month and I’m excited to share a few new-to-me Oregon wineries!

Disclosure: Wines were provided as a media samples. No other compensation was received. All opinions are mine.

About Potter’s Vineyard/Vino Vasai

An all to familiar trope about winemaking is that it is a blend of science and art. Now more than ever, I think, winemaking seems to be more science driven. And that’s a good thing.

But about the art of winemaking?

Winemakers makes hundreds of decisions informed by science, but art can manifest itself as intuition when it comes to many of those decisions.

Bill Sanchez, who along with his wife Sandy founded Potter’s Vineyard in 2012, would know. He has leveraged 30 years as a PhD Nutritionist and 15 years as a professional Potter into a winegrowing business that combines a limited production family winery, vineyard and clay art gallery.

The Sanchez’s purchased their 3.5-acre estate vineyard in 2012 from Laura
Volkman. Laura planted the vineyard in 2001. New pursuits led her to sell and partner with Bill and Sandy on the 1,000 steps of growing and making premium Oregon Pinot Noir. The couple was attracted to the artisan feel of the tasting room Laura created and have since transformed it into a Clay Art Gallery featuring Bill’s art along with other local artists.

An organic, LIVE and Salmon Safe certified winery, Potter’s Vineyard intentionally limits it production to about 1,000 cases annually. In addition to crafting wine from their estate, they source fruit from Washington State’s Columbia Valley for Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Syrah. They also craft White Pinot Noir and Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir.

Last year Potter’s Vineyard/Vino Vasai Wines(Vino Vasai in Italian translates to “potter’s wine” ) was selected as Great Northwest Wine Magazine’s Oregon Winery to Watch for 2022. This award was created to recognize up-and-coming brands, whose wines have garnered media attention and exceptional wine reviews.

The Wines

The wine is made in cooperative studio of several winemakers. Bill & Sandy make all the wine themselves, sort fruit by hand, do all the punch downs and make all decisions from primary fermentation through barrel aging in French Oak. Wines are kept separated to create Reserve, Barrel Select and House labels and are bottled one to two years after harvest.

The family does tractor work, vineyard management, and grape sampling along with help from several friends. The family and wine club pick fruit for their Rose’ each year. Potter’s Vineyard is truly a “Grower-Producer”.

Tasting Notes

• 2020 Vino Vasai Super Tuscan – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
  Fruit for this wine is sourced from high elevation sites in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA in Washington state. It’s a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Sangiovese and 12% Merlot raised for 18 months in neutral French Oak.
  Medium ruby color with aromatic red and black fruit, clay pot, violet, leather, vanilla, and cedar wood aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with well integrated, fine-grained tannins and medium acidity with black cherry, cassis, cranberry, and vanilla flavors with a medium finish. 14.3% ABV| SRP – $45| 124 cases (89 pts.)
• 2018 Vino Vasai Pinot Noir Estate Reserve – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
  Fruit for the Vino Vasai Reserve Pinot Noir is sourced from the very best Pommard and Dijon 777 clones on their estate vineyard, which was planted in 2001 at 700 ft elevation in the Laurelwood District, a sub-AVA of the Chehalem Mountain and Willamette Valley AVAs.
  Medium ruby color with aromatic red cherry liqueur, spice, floral, potting soil and a hint of cacao aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with refreshing acidity and supple tannins; with Morello cherry, raspberry, baking spice flavor with very appealing earthy notes and a lengthy finish 100% Pinot Noir|13.9% ABV| SRP – $58| 126 Cases (90 pts.)
• 2019 Vino Vasai Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – USA, Washingon, Columbia Valley
  Fruit for this wine is sourced from the Konnowac Vineyard, a high elevation site in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. It was raised in 50% new French oak for 18 months.
  Deep garnet color with enticing aromas of cassis black cherry, chocolate, vanilla, leather and pencil shavings with an appealing hint of menthol. On the palate, it’s medium bodied with lively acidity and fine-grained sweet tannins with black cherry, boysenberry, cassis and a hint of graphite flavors. Long finish. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon|15.3% abv|SRP – $58| 72.5 cases produced (90 pts.)

These are three enticing and well-made wines. And I appreciated the opportunity to taste wines other than Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris or Chardonnay. That certainly makes for a unique tasting experience in Oregon.

If you find yourself in Newberg, I’d recommend stopping by and enjoying their “slow” wine and art experience. You just might find yourself breathing again!