Benton Lane Winery

What a wonderful location to spend an autumn afternoon. Beautiful winery, enjoyable tasting. All the wines were fabulous but if you are looking for something unique/​different, try the Rose Pinot Noir!

Typically I only like red wines. While the reds that I did try were quite nice, the Benton Lane has some phenomenal white wines. I was mostly impress by their pinot blanc. 10 dollars for a tasting of 5 – 6 wines, and good prices per glass.
I may go back and get one of the white wines, but with so many wineries in the area my one stop into Benton may be my last. That certainly does not mean it was not worth visiting. The view is nice and the product is solid.

We made a point to visit Benton Lane because the owners of our favorite winery in NC recommended it and they used to live and work in the Willamette Valley. The tasting was only $ 5.00 and included 6 wines. It was one of only 2 wineries to offer a palate cleanser (crackers) on our self led tour in Oregon which we appreciated. The tasting included 2 Pinot Noirs, a Pinot Noir Rose, a Pinot Blanc, a Pinit Gris, and a Chardonnay. I liked all of the wines and my husband liked 5 of the 6 so we decided to join the wine club. We also purchased the Marionberry Pinot jam — yum! I may have to order more of those because I think they would be perfect holiday gifts.
Our tasting guide was helpful and knowledgable about the wines. You can purchase a glass of wine and food at Benton Lane and enjoy it on their beautiful stone patio.
Our wine club shipment arrived a week after our visit when it was expected to.
I definitely recommend visiting Benton Lane.
In summary compared to the other wineries we visited on this trip (scale of 1 – 5 with 5 being the best and 1 being never again):
View from winery = 4
Tasting experience = 4.5

Such a wonderful place to hang out and enjoy their wines! Tastings can either be in the tasting room or on their beautiful patio (we were more than willing to take our glasses inside for each taste). Great views from their patio with lovely flowers close up and views of the vineyard and surrounding countryside farther out. We stayed longer than anticipated and will be back to buy more wine and enjoy the setting.

Their 2007 Pinot Noir is still the best glass of wine (actually I’m lying– bottle… several bottles) I’ve ever had. The 2009 was almost as magnificent, and unfortunately in Los Angeles where I live, its almost impossible to find wines from Benton Lane.
BL, you’ve made me into an Oregon wine snob, and I love you for it. :)

For a $ 7 fee, we tasted some of the country’s best (and most reasonably priced!) wine at Benton-​Lane. Their pinot noir is as advertised– fantastic– and the tasting room is spacious and comfortable. Our pourer was friendly, and samples of house made wine jams were also available. We were travelling, so we couldn’t buy a bottle (tastings are comped with a purchase of $ 20 or more), but some delicious pepper jelly made it into the suitcase!

Not many wineries have no tasting fee these days. Here is one with good wines and reasonable prices. We bought a Pinot Blanc (can’t get in MI), but would buy what they do sell at home. Great veggie canapés provided and friendly to boot. A joy of a find

Wow, I’m the first to review Benton Lane? What an honor.
I have been a loyal fan of BL since the early 2000s (but the winery’s been around since the late 1980s) when I first had a taste of their Pinot noir at the Nye Beach Gallery (see review) in Newport. If ever there was a way to sum up Oregon in a glass, this would be it!
Over the years, I’ve been able to sample several more of their vintages as a wine club member. Their Pinot gris is my absolute favorite gris around, and in 09 they made their first chard which was, IMO, a smashing success (this coming from a girl who is not that in to Chardonnay).
So go ahead and check with whatever fancy wine pub you need to make sure that BL has the chops necessary to part money from your wallet– ’cause they’ve got the cred to back up their claims, for sure. And after you’re through, I encourage you to dig a bit deeper and check out their vineyard practices. These are people who truly reflect the spirit (rather than just the letter) of «organic» farming law.
Now let’s talk location. BL is situated just outside Monroe, on the south end of Territorial Hwy. The owners have instituted some pretty big changes in recent years (expanded tasting room and patio, new pizza oven, etc), but have done a fabulous job of creating and maintaining the feel of an historic family winery. It’s an unassuming spot, with great east-​facing views from the patio. A perfect place to relax with friends on a summer afternoon.
BL virtually closes for the winter – with only weekday hours from December — April-​ish. But, especially if you’re a local, don’t let this dissuade you from signing up for their wine club. Seriously, this is my first and has been my best wine club choice. Very easy (1 – 3 bottles), reasonable (~$ 60, quarterly) shipments, comprised of only their best offerings. I’ve never been disappointed. And the 20% discount doesn’t hurt either! An excellent introduction to the Oregon wine scene.