Montinore Estate

Consider making Montinore Estate a day trip. Yes, you can dash in and enjoy samples of their estate wines and jet to the next winery, but you would be missing out. How often do you get a chance to indulge your palate, check out local art and hear live music? Not too often.

The name Montinore is a hybrid coined by the original owner of the property, John Forbis. He moved from Montana in 1905, following a career as an attorney for Anaconda Copper Company. He took the phrase “Montana in Oregon” and came up with “Montinore.” Besides having a creative streak, John Forbis also must have had a penchant for style, given the oversized Sears Craftsman-style house located next door to the Montinore Estate winery.

Montinore Estate prides itself on producing premium-quality wines from its own grapes. Winemaker John Lundy and his team craft pinot gris, gewürztraminer, riesling, pinot noir, Müller-Thurgau, and dessert wines from varietals that thrive in the relatively cool and protected Willamette Valley. Of course, when it comes to this viticultural area, one thinks “pinot,” and sure enough, Montinore Estate is known for its pinot noir estate wines — including many single-vineyard labels.

The tasting room doubles as a venue for local artists to showcase their talents. Here, artwork is displayed on a rotating basis, changing monthly. Lucky visitors to the winery on Sundays will also enjoy live music in the tasting room (from noon to 4 p.m.).

Rudy Marchesi, the owner of Montinore Estate, draws on a rich heritage of Italian-Americans to produce fine wines. However, he recognizes that it all starts in the vineyard. And it’s Montinore’s vineyards that draw your attention. Actually, “rivet” might be a more accurate verb. Whether you take a stroll before or after your wine tasting, it is a required wine-trekking exercise to check out the grounds of Montinore and marvel at the biodynamically farmed vineyards, the beautifully maintained gardens, and the wide-open grounds that would give the most energetic Frisbee-chasing dog a run for his kibble. (WineTrail tip: Pack a picnic.)

It’s the land that matters. Terra, terra, terra. Why? Because “land is the only thing worth fighting for, worth dying for and the only thing that lasts,” to paraphrase a line from Gone with the Wind.