We visited Archery Summit Winery, producers of some of the best Pinot Noir from the Red Hills of Dundee, Oregon, and met with Leigh Bartholomew, vineyard manager and co-general manager. Leigh’s love of fine wine runs deep—she received a Master’s degree in viticulture from the University of California at Davis, then hit the road, working harvests from California to Burgundy to New Zealand. The mother of two boys, Leigh is married to Patrick Reuter, winemaker and owner of Dominio IV. We asked her to share some of her favorite holiday wine picks.
1. Bergstrom Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2008 “Josh is dedicated to biodynamics and is a great farmer and winemaker.” $25, www.bergstromwines.com
2. Brickhouse Pinot Noir “Les Dijonnais” 2008 “Doug has been making wine in the Ribbon Ridge AVA for twenty years, and his years of experience couple with a very gentle nature.” $40, www.brickhousewines.com
3. Dominio IV Syrah “Song of an Uncaged Bird” 2006 “This is a dense, yet food-friendly wine made from bio-dynamically farmed grapes grown in The Columbia Gorge.” $30, www.dominiowines.com
4. Soter Brut Rosé “I don’t have a ‘why,’ I just love it.” $40, www.sotervineyards.com
5. 2007 Archery Summit Red Hills Estate Pinot Noir “I love this wine because it is a perfect complement to the fall and winter months ahead. It is spicy, earthy, dense, and lingers on the palate.” $85, www.archerysummit.com
6. 2007 Archery Summit Premier Cuvee Pinot Noir “A blend of all of our single vineyards, this wine is a family portrait, if you will. It has the forward fruit of Arcus, the earth and base from Red Hills, the precision of Renegade, the spice from Looney, and the depth and structure from the Archery Summit Estate. It tells our story and the story of this vintage.” $48, www.archerysummit.com