Willamette Valley Vineyards leaning toward premium wines
Dobbes said the Willamette Valley Vineyard will focus on Pinot Noirs; Tualatin Estate will also concentrate on Pinot Noirs with different clones and the motto, "Old Vines, New Visions." The Griffin Creek label will feature Rhone and Bordeaux blends and Merlots, Syrahs and Viognier.
WVV will also introduce a new label, Table Rock, this year, featuring a $14 to $16 bottle of Merlot and a little Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc.
"My goal is to be the best," Dobbes said in a recent interview. "I am somewhat a perfectionist and incredibly competitive. I am willing to work hard for that success. If you continually raise the bar, you better be able to pull your chin up."
Kelley Fox, assistant winemaker at Torii Mor Winery, works with Dobbes and agrees he is driven to produce the best wine possible with the best fruit. The wines they make together at Torii Mor are different from those made at WVV because the fruit is different.
"I think Willamette Valley wines are a little leaner, and I don't mean lean in a negative way," Fox said. "The wines we produce express the vineyard. Our goal is to let the vineyard shine through the wine."
Fox said Dobbes has a sixth sense about wine and enjoys immersing himself in the work.
"He is very well organized and focused," Fox said. "The best part is he is a great communicator. He expresses what he wants very well and still makes it fun."
The winery will continue to produce its popular Pinot Noir and Whole Cluster Pinot Noir, retailing under $20. But Dobbes says he will push the reserves and vineyard designated reserves to be the best they can be.
And, it all starts with the fruit. Only about 30 percent of WVV's grapes are grown at the vineyard. Dobbes purchases grapes from 27 growers for the WVV label. The Tualatin label has 100 percent of its grapes grown on its estate, and Griffin Creek grapes come from the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon. The newest label, Table Rock, produces wine from Griffin Creek grapes.
Despite the fact that WVV is one of Oregon's largest wineries, producing more than 85,000 cases annually, Dobbes said the WVV has the feel of a small boutique winery.
"Everything is kept separately. We run this winery very carefully," Dobbes said. "People think big wineries blend everything together and it is not so here. We are very hands-on, despite our size."
WVV is a public
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