Vinum Wine Importing and Distributing, LLC

For Apolloni Vineyards, begun in 1999 near Forest Grove, Oregon by Alfredo and Laurine Apolloni, it is Italian family tradition extending back to the Arezzo region in Tuscany that inspires their winemaking. Alfredo has takenthe old world experience and paired it with Oregon terroir. He crafts his whites in a traditional, Italian style: dry, fruity, crisp and clean, but his Pinot Noir, on the other hand, is all Oregon. Apolloni Vineyards’ efforts have been recognized and featured in The Oregonian, Northwest Palate, and Sunset Magazine.

Apolloni has 25 acres of vines located in the Northern Willamette Valley and spread across three vineyards. The vineyards are planted in Dijon clones 113, 114, 115, 667 and 777, as well as some classic Italian varietals, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. Apolloni Vineyards emphasizes sustainable viticulture practices, including participation in the Salmon Safe program focused on vineyard water run-off. Alfredo ages is Pinot Noir in all French oakfor an extended period, between 14 and 18 months(50-100% is new oak each vintage). Apolloni produces exclusively, handcrafted, small case lots of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and very small productions of Chardonnay. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery, tasting & technical notes, vineyard and award information, please see: www.apolloni.com

Bishop Creek Cellars is a great example of a small, nearly micro-producing Oregonian winery that makes quality wine at good prices while employing sustainable and responsible viticultural practices. They appear to have the mantra, “compromises are for relationships, not wine!”, and for winemaker, Marcus Goodfellow, and vineyard manager, Jeremy Saville, it seems to work. Since planting Pinot Noir vines back in 1988 in their admittedly “quirky” vineyard in the midst of the Yamhill-Carlton District, Bishop Creek Cellars has focused on Burgundian style winemaking with deference for the history of the namesake duchy. In fact, their reserve wine is called Valois, so named to befit the Valois royals, that is the Dukes of Burgundy. Marcus and Jeremy have honed their passion to a fine point: “we want to make the best damned Pinot Noir, or die trying.” Despite thier intensity, they utilize environmentally-friendly practices and offer their wines at good values.

Bishop Creek Cellars sources fruit from their small, 12 acre vineyard, with 10 acres of Pinot Noir, two acres of Pinot Gris, and a sliver of land planted to Pinot Blanc. Bishop Creek is accredited by LIVE, Inc. as Certified Sustainable, and Salmon Safe for their “Growing Green” practices that exclude herbicides and insecticides. Marcus ages the wine in neutral barrels with only about 15% new barrels. Bishop Creek Cellars’ wines are unique and rare, the winery produces only small to micro quantities that are selectively distributed regionally. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery and vineyard information, plus tasting & technical notes, and the producer’s blog, please see: www.urbanwineworks.com

Boedecker Cellars is a newcomer to the Oregon wine scene. It was founded in 2003 by owners and winemakers Stewart Boedecker and Athena Pappas to handcraft distinctive, food-oriented small production Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for some of Oregon’s greatest vineyards. As Northwest natives, however Stewart and Athena have already shown that they know much about making wines with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. The small production (1000 cases per year) allow Stewart and Athena to concentrate on each wine and produce wines of their own individual tastes. Boedecker Cellars sources fruit from Northern Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills and Eola Hills AVA growers, with whom they work in a “hands-on” partnership through the growing season to manage the crop.

Their premier vintage in 2003 completely sold out. So in 2004, Boedecker began to offer three single vineyard Pinot Noir wines in addition to the Stewart and Athena wines. At the same time, Boedecker Cellars wines also caught the attention of wine reviewers, garnering high ratings from Northwest Palate and The Wine Enthusiast. Tanzer’s recognition of these wines in only their second year of production is telling. The small productions and early accolades will likely make Boedecker Cellars wines a rare commodity. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery information plus tasting notes, and the producer’s blog, please see: www.boedeckercellars.com

Owners Mike and Jan Sweeney have searched the world seeking outstanding Pinot Noir, and in 1998 decided to take a crack at it themselves by establishing Cherry Hill Winery in the Eola Hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This boutique winery is located on a 150 acre estate lying directly atop the 45th parallel – the same latitude as Burgundy, and thus ideally positioned to produce the “perfect” Pinot Noir. In fact, Michael Schachner of The Wine Enthusiast declared the Eola-Amity Hills subappellation “…as Oregon’s most exciting and consistent wine region.” Cherry Hill Winery produced its first vintage of Pinot Noir in 2003 with three distinct handcrafted, estate Pinot Noirs: Cherry Hill Winery, Papillon, and Sweeney.

The Cherry Hill estate has over 90 acres planted in Pinot Noir vines of Dijon 115, 117 and 113, and Pommard clones. Winemaker Chris Luby, a native of Oregon, focuses on a traditional Burgundy style with a clearly “minimalist oak” view for aging his wine to let the “terrior of [their] estate fruit show its flavor.” Cherry Hill produces approximately 7000 cases per year, of which 5000 cases is Pinot Noir. Cherry Hill Winery’s first vintage of Estate Pinot Noir received a 91 point rating from Wine Spectator, which propelled them into the ranks of sought after wine producers in Oregon. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery information plus tasting notes & accolades, please see: www.cherryhillwinery.com

For Cottonwood Winery owners Aaron and Phil Leiberman, the key goal is that their customers should not have to simply accept that the quality of a wine will go up and down with the vintage. They are committed to providing consistent high-quality wine at reasonable prices. With this in mind, Aaron, who is also the assistant winemaker at Owen Roe Winery, keeps separate individual grape harvests until barrel aging so that each source can be assessed for fruit quality. Cottonwood sources Pinot Noir fruit from several vineyards, Cottonwood Meadows Vineyard in the Eola Hills AVA planted with 8 different clones of Pinot Noir (Dijon 375, and 10-18, Wadenswil and Pommard) as well as small amounts of several other varietals; Durant Vineyard in the Red Hills of Dundee planted with the Dijon 114 clone; and the Bayliss Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton area planted with Wadenswil clone. The different soil, elevations and micro-climates of these vineyards allows them to use this process to create consistently great vintages, albeit with unique wines with very small productions. Beyond Pinot Noir, Cottonwood also produces a Syrah from fruit sourced from Crawford Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Despite this minor diversion, Aaron’s primary intention is to marry new world Pinot Noir with Burgundy. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON.
For winery & vineyard information plus tasting & technical notes, and accolades, please see: www.cottonwoodwinery.com

Paul Gerrie, founder and owner of Cristom Vineyards, has long had a passion for great Pinot Noir. Paul’s travels to France had led him to adopt the traditional philosophy in Burgundy, which is, as he has said, “letting the land make the wines”. Cristom’s winemaker, Steve Doerner, has over 25 years of experience in the California wine industry, provides the practical crafting of their focused vineyard fruit into burgundian style wines. Cristom produces single-vineyard Pinot Noir from several estate vineyards, as well as more recently Syrah and among the first in Oregon to introduce Viognier. Since their first vintage in 1994, Cristom has over 25 wines that have been rated 90 points or better by Wine Spectator, Steve Tanzer or the Wine Advocate. The Wine Press Northwest reported that in their view, Cristom “combined their talents using new world technology and old traditions to make wines of distinction at the beautiful Eola Hills site.”

Cristom Vineyards is comprised of eight distinct parcels over 65 acres in the Eola Hills of Willamette Valley planted with mostly Pinot Noir (Pommard, Wadensville and Dijon clones 777, 667, 113, 114, 115), Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Viognier, and most recently, Syrah. Steve uses French oak barrels for aging, with more than 50% new oak for the single vineyard and Reserve Pinots, and substantially less with their Mt. Jefferson Cuvee, and most of the Pinot Noir he bottles unfiltered. Cristom produces over 10,000 cases per year, of which approximately 90% is Pinot Noir. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON EAST OF THE CASCADES, CLARK & SKAMANIA COUNTIES
For winery and vineyard information and tasting & technical notes& accolades, please see: www.cristomwines.com

Exquisite Oregon Wines from the “2007 Estate Winery of the Year”! With nearly 15 years since their first vintage at Domaine Serene Vineyards and Winery, owners Ken and Grace Evenstad came to Oregon determined to “show the world what Oregon was capable of!” In fact, their story of moving from Minnesota and the pharmaceutical industry to that of making Oregon Pinot Noir along side their recent winemakers, Ken Wright of Panther Creek until 1998 and Tony Rynders, has beencelebrated in a feature article in Wine Spectator entitled, “Leap of Faith, and garnering nothing less than “Estate Winery of the Year” for 2007 as named by Wine & Spirits magazine. Domaine Serene has received high praise for their wines from The Wine Advocate, Decanter, The Wine Enthusiast and Northwest Palate. Harvey Steinman of Wine Spectator may have said it most simply, “Domaine Serene hits several home runs every vintage with its Pinot Noirs.”??Domaine Serene has four Estates in the Red Hills and Eola Hills regions of Northern Willamette Valley. The Evenstad Estate, with seven distinct vineyards (Mark Bradford, named for their son, Fleur de Lis, Gold Eagle, Clos du Soliel, Grace and Cote Sud), the Winery Hill Estate and Jerusalem Hill Estate produce mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Rockblock Estate, with three vineyards (Seven Hills, Del Rio and Carpenter Hill), produces primarily Syrah. Of note, additional Syrah fruit is sourced from established partners in the Walla Walla region. Domaine Serene produces over 16,000 cases and uses up to 80% new oak barrels in aging his wines. Not surprisingly, Domaine Serene has received numerous accolades for their wines, but perhaps the best measure of theirskill is that Domaine Serene Pinot Noir was selected over the Grand Cru Burgundy wines of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (DRC) in a blind tasting by 37 sommeliers, restaurantuers, wine retailers and distributors from throughout the US. In fact, their wines were ranked first and second in every flight for the vintages 1998, 1999 and 2000! SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery & vineyard information plus tasting & technical notes, and accolades, please see: www.domaineserene.com

Matello is produced by one of the smallest wineries in Oregon, the Mad Wines Company, but still makes 4 Pinot Noir bottlings with a total production of around 500 cases. Proprietor and winemaker Marcus Goodfellow who has become a darling of the “indie” wine set in Portland, and is well-known in the food and beverage circles there. Goodfellow has developed his winemaking skill through working closely with Amy Wesserman and David Autrey of Westery Winery. Matello sources fruit from several locations in the Willamette Valley, but in particular from one vineyard, Whistling Ridge in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, which lies directly above Beaux Freres Vineyards. Marcus’ philosophy in winemaking is to let it be. That is a goal to allow the natural beauty of the fruit to be center stage and build up a perfectly balanced wine around it without manipulation. As such, Matello does not inoculate their fermentation with yeast, and they use little new oak for aging to add texture, without overwhelming the wines. This all makes for more interesting wines, even if it is a little more risky!

A Micro-Producer with Old-World Style Wines
Stag Hollow is an Old World-styled vineyard located in the Yamhill-Carlton District (American Viticultural Area (AVA)) in the northern Willamette Valley, Oregon. Our estate-grown pinot noirs are nurtured on moderately steep south-facing slopes of Willakenzie soils planted at a very high density, producing very intense, rich wine. We are a small, family estate with an unwavering commitment to crafting profound and concentrated wines that express attributes of the vineyard and distinct management practices to enhance wine quality.

Pinot Noir is what brought long-time wine partners John Gilpin and John Davidson together over 20 years ago in the Willamette Valley, and after more than 20 vintages of grafting and planting a million-plus vines here, they established Walnut City Wineworks in 1999 in the original building of the Willamette Valley Walnut Company in McMinnville. Gilpin and Davidson still enjoy the process of soils and vines, but they have now extended their process, together with winemaker Zac Spence, to also making excellent Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Pinot Gris and Viognier to enjoy. Walnut City Wineworks currently owns and operates over 200 acres of vineyards in the Yamhill district. Since their first vintage in 2000, Walnut City WineWorks understands and appreciates the allure, nuances and vitality of superior Pinot Noir wines, from the ground up. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON & OREGON EXCEPT CLARK & COWLITZ COUNTIES
For winery & vineyard information plus tasting & technical notes, please see: www.walnutcitywineworks.com

Westrey Wine Company is a collaboration in winemaking between owners Amy Wesselman and David Autrey. Westrey employs traditional techniques, such as small, indigenous-yeast fermentation, hand punch-downs and a very limited use of new oak. They adapt these techniques to individual lots, so that each wine has the character of the vineyard of origin. Westrey has been producing single-vineyard and Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs for over 15 years, and more recently has been producing Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, as well. Their wines have been recognized for reflecting well the Eola-Amity and Dundee Hills appellations, as well as the year’s vintage, through their minimalist philosophy and analytical techniques. In fact, Amy has served for many years as one of the organizers for International Pinot Noir Celebrations.

Westrey produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and some Zinfandel, and sources fruit from the Justice Vineyard in Eola Hills, Abbey Ridge in the Dundee Hills, Maysara Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA and it own estate. The Westrey Estate includes acreage planted to Chardonnay (Draper clone), Pinot Gris (field mix), and of course, Pinot Noir (Dijon clones 115, 667 and 777, and Pommard). Westrey produces over 3,000 cases annually, and wines are unfined and unfiltered with limited exposure to new oak (approx 25%). Their partnership has translated much knowledge and experience into great Oregonian wines. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
Label information is available at: www.westrey.com

Beaux Freres Vineyards is possibly the best known wine producer never to have been reviewed by Robert Parker! This is due to the fact that Parker, together with winemaker, vineyard manager and brother-in-law, Mike Etzel and third partner, Robert Roy, own Beaux Freres. Etzel has been involved with this Northern Willamette property on Ribbon Ridge in Yamhill County since the mid 1980’s and produced his first vintage of Pinot Noir in 1991. Etzel has focused on making world-class Pinot Noir from tiny yields and ripe fruit representing the essence of their vineyards. Today, Beaux Freres offers principally three selections under their label, Beaux Freres Vineyard, sourced with 100% with estate fruit, Willamette Valley, formerly bottled under their Belle Soeurs label (retired in 2005) and sourced with fruit from appellation vineyards, and The Upper Terrace, sourced with fruit from it namesake vineyard on the estate. Due to high ratings and Etzel’s attempts to hold prices, nearly every release of Beaux Freres wine is highly anticipated. Beaux Freres wines have been highly celebrated by WineSpectator’s Harvey Steinman since the early 1990’s, and Tanzer, too, has favored Beaux Freres with high ratings over the past decade. SOLD by VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery and vineyard information, plus tasting notes and accolades for specific bottlings, please see www.beauxfreres.com

Cancilla Cellars is nestled in the foothills of Oregon’s Coast Range at the western edge of the Willamette Valley. The warm days and delightfully cool nights of their microclimate yield ideal ripening conditions for fully structured and complex pinot noir. SOLD by VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
Winery and vineyard pictures and label information is provided at: www.cancillacellars.com

Westrey Wine Company is a collaboration in winemaking between owners Amy Wesselman and David Autrey. Westrey employs traditional techniques, such as small, indigenous-yeast fermentation, hand punch-downs and a very limited use of new oak. They adapt these techniques to individual lots, so that each wine has the character of the vineyard of origin. Westrey has been producing single-vineyard and Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs for over 15 years, and more recently has been producing Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, as well. Their wines have been recognized for reflecting well the Eola-Amity and Dundee Hills appellations, as well as the year’s vintage, through their minimalist philosophy and analytical techniques. In fact, Amy has served for many years as one of the organizers for International Pinot Noir Celebrations.

Westrey produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and some Zinfandel, and sources fruit from the Justice Vineyard in Eola Hills, Abbey Ridge in the Dundee Hills, Maysara Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA and it own estate. The Westrey Estate includes acreage planted to Chardonnay (Draper clone), Pinot Gris (field mix), and of course, Pinot Noir (Dijon clones 115, 667 and 777, and Pommard). Westrey produces over 3,000 cases annually, and wines are unfined and unfiltered with limited exposure to new oak (approx 25%). Their partnership has translated much knowledge and experience into great Oregonian wines. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery & vineyard information plus tasting & technical notes, and accolades, please see: www.lecadeauvineyard.com

When one least expects it, something comes along that knocks your socks off, reaffirming that great wines can come from small artisan producers of Pinot Noir. Such is the case for Le Cadeau Vineyard and owners Tom and Deb Mortimer, who as dedicated pinotphiles, established this 10-acre estate on steep, rocky, undeveloped land on the southern edge of Parrett Mountain, near Newburg. Le Cadeau has planted a mix of clones, including several Dijon, and Pommard and Mariafeld, all of which produce low yield, high quality fruit. Beyond their viticulture, Le Cadeau has attracted many fans with their choice of winemakers. Initial vintages were produced by Isabelle Dutartre, formerly of Domaine Drouhin, who still is involved with the productions. Recently, Le Cadeau has multiple bottlings by different winemakers to provide very a variety of wines from their single vineyard fruit, among them, Josh Bergstrom, now also of Bergstrom Vineyard.

Le Cadeau Vineyard has been recognized with very high ratings from Harvey Steinman of the Wine Spectator and the Wine Enthusiast even in it first vintages. Their wines are tiny so far, under 1000 cases total, and as a result, the distribution is limited. It is worth becoming aware of this young vineyard of great promise with several winemakers at work! SOLD by VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For general winery and vineyard information, plus tasting notes and accolades for specific bottlings, please see: www.lecadeauvineyard.com

Dominio IV is rapidly becoming recognized in Oregon as an estate winery producing excellent wines of unique varietals, at least as far as traditional Oregonian varietals. Dominio believes that Oregon’s varied climates are not only capable of producing great Pinot Noir, but also offer much to growing varietals, such as Tempranillo, Syrah and Viognier. They are one of the few sourcing these warmer climate varietals from the warmer Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge. When this fruit is combined with fruit from more traditional areas like the Willamette Valley, the blend makes for more consistent and complex wines. Dominio produced their first Syrah and Tempranillo in 2003, and now make several wines, including reserves from all four of their estate grown varietals, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Syrah and Viognier.

Dominio IV sources fruit from their 3 small “estate” vineyards, Three Sleeps vineyard in the Columbia Gorge, approximately 3.5 acres planted with Tempranillo and Syrah, the Montazi vineyard in the Willamette Valley, nearly 10 acres dedicated to Pinot Noir. Owners, Patrick Rueter and Leigh Bartholomew, are literally hands-on through the entire process, from running the operations of their biodynamically managed vineyards with the help of a few friends and family, to combining their talent and passion as Dominio’s “winemaking duo”. The result of these efforts are limited production Dominio IV wines that are unique blends not typically seen from domestic producers, that are a great accompaniment to good food. SOLD BY VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY
For winery & vineyard information plus tasting notes, please see: www.dominiowines.com

Anam Cara Cellars mission is to create wines which reflect the beauty of their vineyard and the history of their land. Anam Cara wines are handcrafted from grapes they grow and carefully farm themselves. Anam Cara believes that giving the vineyard daily attention encourages the best fruit possible -- the basis for wines they are proud to share. The words “Anam Cara” are Celtic for “friend of my soul” and symbolize the journey taken to make these wines. Each bottle represents their family and vineyard that is enjoyed by good friends over a memorable meal.
SOLD by VINUM IN WASHINGTON ONLY For winery and vineyard information, plus tasting notes and accolades for specific bottlings, please see www.anamcaracellars.com