Wine Tasting: Domaine Serene

If you're in the Dundee Hills, you have to make a stop at the "Domaines." There are three wineries you can't afford to miss in the Dundee Hills AVA, I suggest going in the following order: Archery Summit, Domaine Serene, then Domaine Droughin. And trust me, you should go with your gut when deciding to purchase, they are all good, but Archery is the best, followed by Serene, then a delicate finish with Droughin.

Wine: Domaine Serene's tasting consisted of 3 Pinot Noirs and 1 Syrah. The Jerusalem Hill 2005 Pinot Noir is amazing. I can't even put in to words, but I'll try. It has layers of cherry, raspberry, and yes, even chocolate. It reminds me of the dark chocolate cherry cordials you can only get around Christmas time. The syrah is my fiance's favorite syrah around. It is the Rockblock, we had a 2004 a few months ago and had to go back to get more, but they've moved on to the 2005. It is still really good, many think so, as it got a 93 from WS. The other pinots were good, but the JHill is the only one that stuck out to me. I think we tasted a white too, 2006 "Clos du Soleil" Chardonnay.

Vineyards: They have a long private drive up to their "villa" that is rather lovely. But there is a lot of wasted weedy space with unkempt grass. You can tell they round-up around the trees along the drive too as the leaves on the trees turned early. I don't think many non-ag people would notice that but it really doesn't make me excited about estate pinot when I see potential close proximity to round-up. The vineyard surrounding the winery is very lovely. They source the syrah from Del Rio and Seven Hills vineyards;)

Tasting Room: They have a great tasting room with lots of seating and a fire place. Great intimacy. The first time I went to Domaine Serene it snowed while we were in the tasting room and it was very homey! They have a less than intimate counter for tasting though, the ladies behind the counter often don't even stand to pour the wine for you.

Service: Like I said the ladies didn't stand to pour the wine, they seemed a bit disinterested in us too. They do use the Oregon Pinot Noir glass that is very awesome. It isn't crystal, but it does a great job of showing off all of the wines. They also use a 1-ounce pour top that I think is kinda tacky as the tasting fee is $15. I thought for $15 they could set a bit of a better mood without the pour tops.

Something special: There isn't much that distinguishes this winery from others, except the outside of the building and the walk to the tasting room really set a tone for a fun tasting. Like many wineries there are wines you really like and then those you don't. You have to dump sometimes, and sometimes you spit too. I just wish the service matched the ambiance.

Overall Wine Experience Score: 83

Stats: Domaine Serene

Address:6555 NE Hilltop Lane, Dayton, Oregon 97114

Tasting room is open Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm

Tasting Fee: $15

Website: http://www.domaineserene.com/

Wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah