This month we feature wines from Oregon. Not only are they beautiful wines perfect for fall (or anytime of the year for that matter), but they are also both great wines for your Thanksgiving dinner.

2006 St. Innocent ‘Anden Vineyard’ Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon

St. Innocent Winery was founded in 1988 by co-owner, president and winemaker Mark Vlossak. The philosophy behind his winemaking is a simple but timeless one, make great wines designed to “complement and extend the pleasures of a meal.”

Their Chardonnay vineyards were ripped out between 1993 and 1997 to plant the Burgundy “Dijon” clone which ripens much earlier and achieves optimal ripeness in the cool Oregon climate. All the Chardonnay produced at St. Innocent are from this prized “Dijon” clone and fermented in French oak barrels which imparts an elegant and unique richness and texture to the wines. In the case of the ‘Anden Vineyard’ Chardonnay, slightly over ¼ of the oak used is new. The wine also spent one year ‘Sur Lie’ which means the wine rested on it’s lees. Lees is the yeasty residue remaining in the barrel after fermentation. ‘Sur lie’ wines are bottled directly from the lees without filtering giving an added freshness and creaminess to the wine.

Butterscotch, golden delicious apple, Bosc pear and lemon custard characterize this wine with lovely undertones of banana, clove and white pepper. This rich and extremely well balanced Chardonnay finishes long and with such great integration of fruit and oak it leaves you wanting for more. A great wine with salads, lobster and roasted chicken dishes or even….turkey and mashed potatoes? Undoubtedly you will be going in for seconds.

2006 Torii Mor Pinot Noir, Oregon

Torii Mor Winery was founded in 1993 by Dr. Donald Olson and his wife Margie. Devoted to the production of Pinot Noir, Torii Mor Winery has built a solid reputation both in Oregon and across the country as one of the leading producers of Pinot Noir in the United States.

The name Torii Mor comes from two sources. “Torii” is a Japanese word referring to the ornate gates often seen at the entrances of the Japanese gardens and the word “Mor” is an ancient Scandinavian word that means “earth”. Dr. Olson felt it conjured a feeling of unique elegance, sentiments which also seems typify their wines.

The 2006 Oregon Pinot Noir shows dedication to craft and precision in production. It was aged for 10 months in mostly French and some Hungarian oak with just under a quarter of that being new oak.

The light ruby red color sparkles in the glass. It has beautiful aromas of dried roses, dark red cherry and strawberry pie. Its bouquet carries over in the flavors as well introducing us to some cranberry, vanilla and cinnamon with delicate touches of clove and graham cracker. Light and approachable with some nice subtle earthy undertones, the Pinot is sure to go great with food, especially a certain Turkey dinner on the horizon.