Dobbes Family Estate

“Of the earth comes the fruit of the vine, from the artistry of our hands and nature comes gratification, libation and our reward.”
From Dobbesfamilyestate.com

Joe Dobbes, Jr. is a force among Oregon winemakers. His résumé reads like a short history of the Oregon wine industry with stints at Elk Cove Vineyards, Eola Hills Cellars, Hinman Vineyards, and Willamette Valley Vineyards. He’s the winemaker for his own labels: Wines by Joe, Jovino Pinot Noir and Dobbes Family Estate. In addition, Joe is the winemaker for Cliff Creek Cellars and Paschal Winery, and consults to others.

His exposure to other wineries based in the Rogue Valley has served him well and helps explain his production of syrah and viognier. In a sense, Joe is like a chef at a five-star restaurant combining the viniferous harvest of the relatively cool Willamette Valley and that of warm southern Oregon. Add to that recipe more than 20 years of winemaking and you have a rich banquet of red and white wines to experience.

Located just off Hwy. 99 west in Dundee, the new Dobbes Family Estate tasting room resides near their production and barrel-storage facilities. I arrived at an odd hour during the week and, along with three visitors from New York, got the 25-cent tour of the facilities. There’s plenty of industrial-size space and equipment to position Dobbes Family Estate as one of the larger producer of wines in Oregon. During the tour, I learned that the Dobbes Family Estate label is an offshoot of parent label Wines by Joe. These are “wines without attitude” and priced to buy and enjoy the same evening. For example, the Wines by Joe Pinot Noir sells for around $19 and Joe’s Pinot Gris is only $14.

Back in the tasting room, we sampled our way through Dobbes Family Estate pinot gris, viognier, pinot noir, and syrah. My senses were rocked by the switch from the crispness of the pinot gris to the velvety viognier. Then I experienced the light-bodied, fruit-forward pinot noir juxtaposed with the full-bodied syrah. Wow! As I smacked my lips and dapped drool, I couldn’t decide which one appealed to me most. I did a mental “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” and opted for the Cuvée Noir Pinot Noir. I figured I could cellar this one for years before pairing it with a salmon yet to be hatched.