Last year, I had the pleasure of sampling a selection of wines from Potter’s Vineyard/Vino Vasai, a boutique winery known for its artisanal approach to winemaking. You can read about my initial impressions and the delightful array of wines I tasted here.

This year, I’m thrilled to receive another set of samples from this esteemed winery, featuring a different selection of their exquisite wines.

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-too-familiar trope about winemaking is that it blends science and art. Nowadays, winemaking appears to be more science-driven, which is undoubtedly beneficial. But what about the art of winemaking?

Winemakers make hundreds of decisions informed by science, yet art can manifest as intuition in many of those choices.

Bill Sanchez, who, along with his wife Sandy, founded Potter’s Vineyard in 2012, understands this well. Leveraging his 30 years as a PhD Nutritionist and 15 years as a professional potter, Bill has created a winegrowing business that merges 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 its 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.

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”.

Potter’s Vineyard/Vino Vasai Wines (with “Vino Vasai” translating to “potter’s wine” in Italian) was honored as Great Northwest Wine Magazine’s Oregon Winery to Watch for 2022. This prestigious award recognizes emerging wineries whose exceptional wines have caught the attention of the media and received outstanding reviews from critics.

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 typically bottled one to two years after harvest.

Among the new samples I received this year are two enticing Cabernet Sauvignons, sourced from the renowned Rattlesnake Hills sub-AVA of the Yakima Valley and the Columbia Valley AVAs in Washington State. These selections offer the opportunity to showcase the distinct characteristics and exceptional quality of these renown wine regions.

Tasting Notes

• 2022 Vino Vasai Pinot Noir Estate Reserve – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
  Pale ruby color with pretty pomegranate, baking spice, sun baked earth, blueberry, vanilla, and hibiscus aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and fresh with velvety tannins and pomegranate, raspberry sauce, subtle blueberry, dried herb, and vanilla, and baking spice flavor with a very satisfying finish.
  
  100% Pinot Noir sourced from their organically farmed estate vineyard planted to Pommard and Dijon 777 clones in 2001 at 700′ elevation in the Laurelwood District a sub-AVA of the Chehelam Mountains and Willamette. Aged in 50% new French oak for 11 months Valley AVAs in Oregon 48 cases produced|13.% abv| SRP – $58 (90 pts.)
• 2020 Vino Vasai Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve – USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  Opaque garnet color with aromatic cassis, leather, black cherry, vanilla and cacao aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with fine grained velvety tannins and very good acidity with flavors that echo its aromas. Long finish
  
  100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Rattlesnake Hills AVA a sub-appellation of Yakima Valley, which itself is a sub-appellation of the Columbia Valley in Washington state. aged 18 months in 50% new French oak. Released May 2024. 73 cases produced|15.5% abv|SRP – $58 (90 pts.)
• 2020 Vino Vasai Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  Garnet color with black cherry, boysenberry, blackberry jam, cedar and a kiss of menthol aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with supple tannins and good acidity and packed with ripe fruit flavors that echo it’s aromas. Medium finish
  
  Fruit for this wine was sourced from the Konnowac Vinyeard, a high elevation site in the Rattlesnake Hills Ava in Washington State. Aged in neutral French oak for 18 months 124 cases produced|15.3% abv| SRP – $45 (88 pts.)

These are three captivating and well-made wines that offer very good value for the quality. The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is ready to drink now. Both of the reserve wines are approachable now, but I recommend decanting them to fully open up their flavors and aromas, and to soften their tannins. Additionally, both wines would benefit from further cellaring to enhance their complexity and depth.

For those interested in experiencing these captivating wines firsthand, I highly recommend visiting Vino Vasai. There, you can explore their beautiful vineyard, immerse yourself in their Clay Art Gallery featuring works from local artists, and enjoy an intimate tasting that truly captures the essence of their craftsmanship.

Potter’s Vineyard / Vino Vasai Wines; 14725 NE Quarry Rd, Newberg, OR

*Tastings by appointment.