ArborBrook Vineyards

Amazing wines and amazing customer service. A tasting gets you 9 wines!

Wine wasn’t all that impressive, but it’s informative tasting with friendly service and beautiful views

We came to their winery during their, «wine and chocolate» members wine release party. They were very welcoming and included us in the event. The event was $ 15 for four wine pours and four gourmet truffles. We were able to attend for free with the Oregon Wine Pass that we bought during the holidays. The staff was very friendly and sincere. We were able to enjoy amazing truffles paired with the wine, as well as a checking out local artists at each of the tasting stations. I loved the chocolate. They also had different cheeses and crackers. My father found a rain/​windbreaker jacket on sale for 50% off. The day was a pure delight and the wines were refreshing. The dessert wine was a delight that I fell in love with. We will be back again. The winery has a nice patio and a lot of great space at their wine bar too. I loved this place. Great setting and very hospitable.

Dave was amazing. Very knowledgable, nice and funny! Stayed longer then we planned because we were having so much fun and learning. Beautiful vineyard. Tippy the cat was a lover. We will come back any chance we can. Bought a few bottles of 2012 Vintner’s Select Estate Pinot Nior. Amazing!

5 stars for cheese and crackers available to truly taste how the wines pair wth food. 5 stars for the small intimate setting and the winemaker Dave actually hosting the tastings (along with a staff member who was very knowledgeable and friendly also). 5 stars for an amazing explanation about Pinot Noir clones, AVAs and everything else you ever wanted to know. 5 stars for the Coury Clone, the most bizarrely tasty Pinot Noir I’ve ever had. The explanation about clones from Arbor Brook helped me compare wines at other winery we went to afterward. Very cool. There is a cat that follows you in for cheese and isn’t happy when nothing is forthcoming — pretty funny! Good views and a patio too — summer would be nice here.

When you go wine tasting, I recommend trying several types of winery; the big corporate winery with gift shop & stuff (Duck Pond, Anne Amie, Argyle), the hoity-​toity fancy winery (Domaine Drouhin, Archery Summit), and the small family-​owned winery like ArborBrook Vineyards. The range of experiences at tasting wine is enjoyable.
At ArborBrook, you get great wine, properly priced, but with a sincerity that is not often found elsewhere. Come on a weekend, and you may get at tasting from the owner, Dave, who will blow your mind explaining the differences between a 777 Dijon clone and other grape vines.
ArborBrook generally serves small treats with their tastings, such as a properly-​paired cheese or crackers. It is this extra touch that makes the wine-​tasting experience so much fun.
As a wine club member, you get excellent benefits with periodic events, and the quarterly wine pick-​up parties are superb; catered food pairings with each wine and a festive atmosphere.
Oh, and their wines are exceptionally good!

Arborbook had real cheese and hazelnuts sitting out upon walking through the newly renovated tasting room. We were ecstatic. Then we got to the wine tasting, which sort of went a little south. They are not a big vineyard here and apparently are very popular! Their supply vs. their demand doesn’t seem to be working out, as they were pouring nothing but 2011 and one 2010 and all of them tasted like they could use at least another six months to a year in the bottle. Upon each sip, I was experiencing more and more heartburn. Not sure what was going on. Not only was my tongue telling me «no», so was my gut!
My counterpart was okay with their selection and apparently not as sensitive as I. All in all, between the two of us, our favorite wine was one the Semillion, a dessert wine that paired amazingly with the blue cheese. This wine with most of their others, have grapes that are shipped in, from various vineyards, locally and even from across the river in Washington.

Very friendly people at this tasting room. They have a st Bernard to greet everyone. I liked the wine tasting.

I was very impressed with their 2012 croft vineyard Pinot gris and must say it is the best I have tasted of this vintage so far in the entire valley. it’s crazy green apple, tart, complex, and refreshing. nice pleasant conversation too. cheers.

Dessert wine to die for, and they have snacks to boot, delicious hazelnuts (try the zesty ones), and great cheese too!

I love how people get on Unilocal and they give their «professional» wine review of the wines they tasted. Give me a break… like your palate is the same as everyone elses.
I will review the experience. ArborBrook is a special place because of the owners (Dave/​Mary), who are always there pouring and telling you about their story and the wines they make. If your lucky Maggie (St.Bernard) might be wondering around the grounds… So sweet… So for me it’s about the company you have, the people pouring the wines and how special they make you feel, like family. The upgrade/​expansion to the tasting room is fantastic. If you get the chance go to ArborBrook for the people and wine (which I like a lot). My wine expertise? I like to drink wine and love it better when you have good people behind it.

This is a winery located amongst some of the best wineries in the #Chehalem Mountain region, near Bergstrom and Adelsheim wineries. It is definitely worth a visit to try their #pinotgris and #semillon. Dave, the owner, will take great care of you!

We stopped by this vineyard from out of state for wine tasting after visiting another well known local winery close by; and we were blown away. Dave, the owner, was behind the tasting counter and could not have been more helpful, pleasant and knowledgeable. He told us about all their wines and answered all of our questions about his vineyard and wine in general. The wine was amazing, they had snacks to nibble on and water (which the other vineyard did not have). The experience at this beautiful winery was possibly the highlight of our trip. Can’t say enough about how nice Dave was, and how great the wines/​tastings were. Hope to go back again soon.

I am not a fan of dessert wine, but these guys had some good Semillion dessert wine. The barn tasting room was quaint. Looking forward to going back after their renovation. I hope they keep the same charm. The hostess, Angelina, was very knowledgeable and friendly. The bleu cheese and crackers with the Semillion was FANTASTIC.

Our discovery of ArborBrook was through dual serendipity. First, the tasting room host at Four Graces highly recommended we stop by ArborBrook, since we planned a stop at next door neighbor Adelsheim. Then, when we got to Adelsheim about 4:00, that tasting room was already closed. So we used the recommendation and went to ArborBrook.
We’re glad we did that for a couple of reasons. Some have to do with the wine and some have to do with the fact that this is truly what «mom and pop» boutique wine making is all about. The Mom and Pop being Mary and Dave Hansen respectively.
I’ll share thoughts on both of those elements in this review. Then I’ll mention something that was disappointing, although not unique to ArborBrook among small wineries in the Willamette Valley.
THE TASTING SET UP: Tasting fee is $ 10 (refunded with a minimum purchase) and on this stormy Sunday afternoon, owner Dave Hansen was pouring four wines for that fee: a barrel aged Pinot Gris, two 2009 vintage Pinot Noir and a delectable 2007 sauterne styled late harvest Semillion called «Sydney». Named after his delightful daughter who was helping her dad out in the tasting room on the day of our visit.
Dave and Sydney had cheese and crackers setting out on a table along with a vase of spring daffodills. A nice touch to make visitors feel welcome on a stormy Sunday.
THE WINES: Dave uses a consulting wine maker to help produce ArborBrook wines, with Dave also in the vineyard to taste and make decisions. The Pinot Noir use estate grown grapes. Pinot Gris grapes are purchased from another Oregon vineyard. The Semillion grapes are purchased from Klipsun in Washington State.
ArborBrook makes only about 2500 cases of wine each vintage year and has already sold out of 2008 Pinot Noir. The Robert Parker — Wine Spectator feature article on Oregon’s 2008 Pinots has created a run by buyers. (What recession?) So Dave was pouring the 2009 vintage for both the 777 Block Dijon clone and also a Heritage Cuvee Pommard Pinot Noir.
Of the two we much preferred the Block 777 wine, although at 14% «plus» alcohol we found it to be more «:hot» than we like. Still, balanced acid and although young, it will probably be very good in a couple of years. Then again, 2009 was a challenging year for Oregon wine makers because of high heat, so time will really tell how these wines perform.
Although we like Oregon Pinot Gris very much, we tend not to prefer them oak aged and the one being poured that day had spent too much time in barrel for us. Different strokes for different folks.
With my previous comment about the 2007 Semillion I tipped my hand about which of the four wines being poured that day that we liked the best. Dave said it was Mary’s idea to make a dessert wine. Smart woman!
Poured at the end of the line up, the «Sydney» was scrumptious. Just sweet enough, not cloying in the least and with lovely caramel — honey — tropical notes. Dave had blue cheese setting out to pair with it — wonderful. This would also be a perfect partner for panna cotta with fresh berries, crème brûlée, shortbread cookies, roasted summer stonefruits or fall pears. Worth the $ 28 /​bottle price.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT: Although a barn was converted to tasting room sometime in the last five years, the owners failed to make the minimum adjustments as needed to allow it to be accessible to people with mobility disabilities.
Both Oregon code and Federal standards require this (and have been in effect since roughly January 1993) in altered buildings open to the public. So, it is disappointing to see this mark not met. It is much like posting a sign «You are second class and not welcome here» for the minority population of people with mobility disabilities. We’d all be outraged if, as example, if people were denied entry based on their racial minority status What would we do if there was a sign at the door «People with Asian heritage cannot enter» or «People with Mexican heritage stay out»? We’d protest. Why do we shrug our soulders when barriers to entry and paticipation for people of disabilities are erected?
Particularly disappointing here since it would require only simple modification of ramp through the door to defeat about a 6″ step and the use of some firm and stable surfacing in the tasting room parking lot. Only a few hundred dollars of investment would open the door to so many more wine buyers and also end the «you are not welcome here» message. My friends now using wheelchairs would appreciate equal access. The law says they’re entitled do it. We protest with our wallets — won’t buy more ArborBrook wine until they fix this.

I stopped by ArborBrook unintentionally after work today. I was hoping to check out Adelsheim, but they had already closed at 4pm so I decided to drive up the road a bit further and see if anything was open until 5. I am so glad I decided to do that because ArborBrook was a nice treat off the beaten path.
It is such a charming tasting room and the owner was so friendly to chat with. I also really liked that they had crackers and blue cheese set out to accompany the tasting.
Today’s flight started with two different pinot gris. I preferred the first stainless steel gris over the second oaked gris from the Guadalupe vineyard. I’m just not a big fan of oaking white wines. The pinots on the flight were good too, but then I’d be hard pressed to find a bad pinot noir in the Willamette Valley. But the best thing I tasted today was the dessert wine. It’s a sauternes style semillon and it was a deliciously fruity /​honeyish end to a nice wine tasting. I am already regretting purchasing only one bottle of it…

I am no wine conisuer but I loved that the tasting room was an old barn. I could smell hay and wine and fresh rain. I wasn’t blown away by the wines but we purchased a cuvee and a desert wine. The desert wine was amazing with some baked brie drizzled with local honey and sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. It really brought out the sweet honey flavours in the wine. I ended up taking the pinot to a friends and had it with pizza, like I said, I’m not an expert, but it was a fun place to stop.

20 007 Heritage Cuvee Pinot Noir $ 35, 2007 Estate 777 Block Pinot Noir $ 42, 2007 Vinter’s Select Pinot NOir $ 60, 2007. Terrible, Terrible, Terrible. Who do you think you are charging such ridiculous prices for such crappy wine!!! High alcohol, high acidity, nothing on the nose, bitter, no length (thank god). And the nerve to charge $ 10 for tasting 3 wines!!!
For good Oregonian wine suggestions please check out my many wine reviews!!!