The Wine

For Willamette: The Pinot Noir Auction 2020, Dobbes Family Estate's 2018 “Our Dream” Pinot Noir champions a new story of Oregon’s viticulture and winemaking spirit. It embraces a 13-year relationship with one of our favorite single-vineyard sites in the southwest corner of the Eola-Amity Hills.

In 1981, Tom Symonette and his late wife bought and named the vineyard Nuestro Sueño, which translates to “Our Dream.” This unique 16-acre vineyard sits at 320–380 feet in elevation and includes Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon clones, planted in four different soil types.

Tom is very hands-on with the grapes and only hires a crew for the more hand-labor tasks of thinning, leaf pulling, and harvesting. He’s taken a new path from prior farmers and has re-defined the potential and long-term sustainability for his vineyard by updating the trellis system, increasing density, broadening the range of clones and preparing for a potential transition out of own-rooted vines. Much of Oregon’s wine future will depend on a new guard of farmers and winemakers that are willing to clear an improved path using innovation, updated tools and a new commitment to sustainability. Tom’s vineyard management style is focused and determined—much like our winemaker, Andy McVay, who's been with Dobbes for 11 vintages now.

The 2018 “Our Dream” Pinot Noir tells the Symonette story that continues to unfold: Tom, a salt-of-the-earth man, a farmer and now single father, is building a legacy for his teenage daughter by nurturing and growing some of the best limited-production fruit within the Eola-Amity Hills. This wine is almost entirely from Tom’s vineyard, with contribution from other Willamette Valley sites that gently extend and enhance its floral components. Its dark-fruited aroma is full of marionberry and dark cherry, loganberry and lilac. The warmer, rolling and moderate elevation of the Eola-Amity Hills complement the cooling impact of the Van Duzer Corridor, producing Pinot noir with ripe, dark-fruited flavor intensity and structured tannin and acid. The finish carries a seductive resonance that lasts long after the glass is set down. This wine illustrates complexity through diversity and New World innovation, and celebrates the personality of the Eola-Amity Hills and heart of the Willamette Valley.

The WInery

Founded in 2002, Dobbes Family Winery embodies over three decades of winemaking. Our roots are solid and we remain dedicated to consistently producing wines that exude the best of Oregon. Today, we are one of Oregon’s largest producers, proudly selecting the finest grapes from Seabreeze Vineyard, our 214-acre estate, as well as a wide variety of vineyards in the Willamette and Rogue Valleys, including the Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, Eola-Amity and McMinnville appellations.

Learn more about Dobbes Family Estate
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All wine is sold FOB the location of the winery that produced the lot purchased. WVWA is not responsible for shipping wine. Shipping or delivery arrangements, expenses and insurance are the sole responsibility of the purchaser. Any shipment of wines out-of-state is the responsibility of the purchaser, who is solely responsible for compliance with the laws and regulations of said state.

The producing winery currently has distribution in the below listed countries and states. A list of distributors is available upon request.

USA: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY