Yesterday, my boyfriend had the surprise good fortune of a day off! I promptly dragged him to Bellevue Square, where we shopped for clothes at Macy’s, stopped for drinks and appetizers at Tavern Hall, and browsed furniture at Crate and Barrel. I thought this was a good opportunity to take my beer-loving boyfriend to Woodinville to watch me indulge in a wine tasting, and luckily he was game for it!
At 4:30 pm on a Tuesday, we had a bit of trouble finding an open tasting room on my list of must-try places. After a little bit of driving around, I was delighted to see the Open sign still on at Torii Mor, which is located at the Apple Farm Village.
I’m always amazed and appreciative of the ample free parking at the Apple Farm Village. Such a lovely courtyard, too!
I always feel bad when we pop in unannounced, asking to photograph our wine tastings for this blog. Nicole and Emma were so gracious and welcoming, and didn’t mind if I took some photos. I appreciated their kindness and willingness! We shared the tasting room with a nice couple who are members of the Torii Mor wine club.
Torii Mor’s tasting room is tiny and cozy. There’s only room for a few people to sit at a couple of high tables. After visiting really crowded tasting rooms in the Woodinville Warehouse District this weekend, I found this relaxing and refreshing.
Since Torii Mor can’t serve pours by the glass (more on that later), they don’t really need to have a larger area for people to camp out all day. I prefer to sit at the wine bar anyway to chat with the tasting room employees and learn from them.
I don’t usually do research about a winery ahead of time before showing up at a tasting room. Perhaps I should – it might be more professional. But I like to be surprised and learn the history and story behind the wine directly from the tasting room stewards.
You can visit their About Us page to find out where the name Torii Mor comes from! And read about their vineyards here.
I was delighted to know I would be tasting Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley! Emma explained that their tasting room has to follow both Washington State and Oregon wine laws. That explains why they can’t offer to sell glass pours, you can’t take their wines outside to enjoy on the little courtyard, and there are a couple of other differences between this tasting room and the Washington-based tasting rooms here in Woodinville.
Bob is a beer drinker by preference. How lucky am I that he patiently and cheerfully accompanied me to this tasting, just waiting to go out to dinner and get his favorite beer (Mac and Jack’s, from a local Redmond brewery?)
My tasting started with their 2014 Riesling. They only produced 307 cases of it. I didn’t taste cracked pepper, like their tasting menu suggests (good, I don’t like cracked pepper!) I enjoyed that it’s dry and not sweet. It’s an Old World style wine.
After tasting so much (delicious) Malbec last week here in Woodinville, I was overjoyed to get to try a vertical tasting of three or four Pinot Noirs.
Emma explained that the winemaker is from the Burgundy region of France and is an eighth-generation winemaker! Torii Mor’s wines are Old World style. You can read more about the winemaker, Jacques Tardy, here.
The first red wine poured for me was the 2015 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, their flagship wine. I loved how much it tasted like berries and cherries, and immediately arranged to take a bottle home with me. (That bottle was quite nearly consumed completely later in the evening, if I must be honest!)
The next wine Emma poured for me was the 2015 Deux Verres Pinot Noir. “Deux Verres” means “Two Glasses.” Only 200 cases of this wine were produced. It’s their signature wine, and changes every year. It definitely tasted like blueberries, and I chose to buy a bottle of this to serve at my next party. This was my favorite wine I tasted here at Torii Mor.
Next came the 2015 Alloro Vineyard Pinot Noir. It’s described as tasting of violets, dark berries and spice. I usually cringe inwardly when I hear “spice” since my tongue is very sensitive to “spicy” wines, but I did like this and it was a pleasure to drink.
I overheard Emma explaining to the wine club couple that Torii Mor’s wines are aged in French oak barrels, but finished in neutral containers.
Their wine sheet lists a Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Viognier. I will definitely make a point of stopping back by in a few months to try those white wines as well!
Speaking of their wine club, you can learn more about joining here.
I was treated to an off-the-tasting-menu pour of the 2015 Olson Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills. The Olson Estate vineyard was planted in 1972 and was one of the very first vineyards in Oregon.
Our final taste was the 2012 Syrah Port, which Bob even tasted and enjoyed. It’s definitely a dessert wine – sweet, not too syrupy, and tasted like blueberries. Emma gave us a taste of chocolate to pair with it – heavenly! They produced plenty of this port to go around – 850 cases!
After I collected my bottles of Riesling and Pinot Noir, Bob and I headed to dinner at Pasta Nova. I’d already had a cocktail earlier in the day, and wine at the tasting room, so I just drank water with my meal like a good girl. (However, when I got home the convenience of a screw cap wine made me break into one of the Pinots to enjoy by the fireplace).
After tasting the port wine, it was time for us to leave. We’d overstayed the tasting room’s closing time by nearly half an hour, and Emma was so gracious about that. I asked about their next releases – They’ll release new wines in March and in May. I inquired hopefully about a rosé – yes, they will be releasing one!
Check out the beautiful lanterns that are lit at night at the Apple Farm Village. It was so romantic seeing them on our way back to the parking lot, as the evening grew dark!
-Carrie
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