Mark Vlossak, the
idiosyncratic partner and winemaker at St. Innocent Winery, is coming to Bend for another winemaker dinner at the Jackalope Grill. If you know what is going on in the winery this time of year, you’ll know that it is an honor for Mark to give us his time for our Wine Maker’s Dinner. St. Innocent produces small lots of handmade, vineyard-designated wine from some of the best sites in the Willamette Valley. Year after year, St. Innocent Winery has received recognition from throughout the country and around the world for its outstanding Pinot noir, beautifully crafted white wines, and fair pricing. Mark says, “My goal is to produce wines that are balanced, complex, and age worthy that reflect the nuances of their terroir.” Quoting Jay Miller in the Wine Advocate: “Mark Vlossak continues to turn out some of Wilamette Valley’s finest wines in his new digs in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. I have been working with Mark on the menu. If you remember the 2009 dinner, this again will be an event not to be missed.
We are very happy and excited to present a winemaker dinner with one of the top wineries in Oregon. Chehalem traces its history back to vineyard operations started by Harry Peterson-Nedry in 1980 at Ridgecrest Vineyards, the pioneering wine operation on Ribbon Ridge, northwest of Newberg, Oregon. Bill and Cathy Stoller joined Harry in the winery in 1993 and subsequently began Stoller Vineyards—a densely planted, 125 acres on Stoller family farmlands at the southern tip of the Dundee Hills. Corral Creek Vineyards, adjacent to the winery facility, is Chehalem’s third estate vineyard.
There is a constant stream of praising reviews for their both their Pinot Noirs and their white wines coming from national and regional press and it is easy to see why. They are not followers of today’s fads but in their words: “we think our objective is not to follow today’s trends, but is to lead to a novel future that is stimulating, exciting and beautiful…” We have a menu for this event that, we believe, showcases fully their wines.
Wynne Peterson-Nedry (daughter of one of the legends of Oregon Pinot Noir production) is coming to supply narrative and answer any questions you may have. Wynne has been at Chehalem from the beginning, being a 6-month old in arms as they signed on the original property that would become Ridgecrest Vineyards, personally labeling by hand most of the first release 1990 Ridgecrest Vineyards Pinot Noir, working part of harvest twice despite high school (as part of a chemistry project) and college (break) rigors, and working summers for several years. Now, with a Masters degree from UC Davis’ Viticulture & Enology, she is the assistant winemaker.
Special pricing on one of our most popular and highly regarded plates. Tonight it is served with truffled mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables and red wine jus. View all of this weekend’s specials here.