On Mother’s Day we made a little discovery. No, it wasn’t a long lost child. Two is plenty for us. What we found was a little winery/vineyard little more than a mile away - practically in our own back yard.

We’ve lived in (North) Albany, Oregon for 16 years and had heard of Springhill Cellars, but never quite made it to the quaint place for an afternoon of tasting. Albany is know as a mill town, but cross the bridge over the Willamette River, and you’ve wandered into farmland, golf courses, and a sliver of wine country.

I’d like to say that our visit to Springhill Cellars was well worth the wait, but, in fact, I wish we hadn’t waited. Mike and Karen McLain have 10 acres in production on Scenic Drive (well, it’s somewhat scenic) and another 13 acres on Walnut Hill in Yamhill County (also in Oregon). Springhill produces about 1500 cases of wine a year, which is sold as near as the local Ray’s Market and as far as Pennsylvania.

McLain, a former newspaper reporter who covered wine among other beats, planted his first vineyard in 1978. The sharp-witted winemaker has a great sense of humor, drier than a bottle of Brut (work at it, and you’ll get him to crack a smile). He says he can be a bit of a smart ass (has been since his high school days as legend has it), but we find it makes tasting the wine at his place all the more fun. In fact, the more we taste, the better we’re able to match wits with him.

Communication secrets aside, let’s talk wine. There is nothing on the tasting room counter this warm, breezy Mother’s Day afternoon but a few bottles of Pinot Noir and one of Pinot Gris. Lucky for us, these wines are Springhill’s specialty. The relatively small selection is fine by me, it makes remembering what I’ve tasted less complicated and purchasing decisions much easier.

The first sample McLain pours is a down-to-earth smooth 2004 Estate Pinot Noir ($20 per bottle). That’s followed by a fruity 2003 Mer Vin (Reserve) Pinot Noir ($40 per bottle), a very nice McLain Vineyard (Reserve) Pinot Noir (also $40 per bottle) and a refreshing, crisp Pinot Gris. Sorry friends, but by this point, I had settled on either the Estate and Mer Vin Pinots and was focused on an impromptu taste-test competition that my wife had initiated; therefore, I failed to make good mental notes of names, dates etc. for the Gris (apologies and a promise to do better next time).

Besides passing our rigorous taste tests, Springhill’s wines have won several awards at the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival (http://www.seafoodandwine.com/). The walls of the long, low-slung-ceilinged room are decorated with framed gold and silver medal citations. Hey, the festival judges out at the Oregon coast like McLain’s wine, and so do we. It was well worth a Sunday afternoon.

Reflecting back, it would have been worth the visit even if we had to travel many miles to the winery. We like surprises and interesting people (even the salty McLain), and Springhill provided a little of both. If you do visit, understand that this isn’t a great big rambling winery. It’s basically a mom and pop operation, and that’s one of the reasons we found it so charming.

Now for a few, important details. The tasting room is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4, Memorial Day Weekend (we snuck in a bit earlier in the season) through Thanksgiving. It’s also available “at any other mutually agreeable time by appointment”, according to www.springhillcellars.com. To find the place, plug the following address into the Directions tool at www.mapquest.com:

2920 NW Scenic View Drive
Albany, Oregon 97321

Enjoy!

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