Chapter 24 Vineyards

Terrific wines and a terrific host Diane. There is no signage out front and the hours during the winter are less than the summer so plan ahead. I know this will be one of our regular stops in the future!

Walked in to the very attractive tasting room with music filling the room anticipating great wines (from the hype) and even better hospitality. No one was in the building! Walked around saying hello into the open doors to no avail. Gave up and walked back out.

Chapter 24 is a fairly new producer out here in the Valley. I first came into contact with their juice at Taste of the Nation in the VIP area. They have two imprints named Fire and Flood, an interesting concept to show off two of the main types of soil in the area — each wine structured to expose the specific soil characteristics. They also have an entry level under a different imprint, and their «reserve» called «Last Chapter» (which retails at $ 90/​bottle). I have since visited the new tasting room out in Dundee.
As far as the wines go, I liked the entry-​level enough to drop the $ 30 on it, however both times I sampled the Fire and Flood I found them interesting in a «okay, it’s interesting to taste these different soil types» kind of way, but not a wine that’s structured in a way that I’d want to sit around and drink multiple glasses of it. It simply lacked the character I’d be looking for in $ 60 wines. The Last Chapter is a much more impressive piece of work, and I’d consider it to live up to the rating that Wine Spectator anointed it. However $ 90 is steep. I was able to purchase higher rated (by WS) wines here in the valley for 50−60% of this price point on the same day as I was tasting here. Overall these are good solid wines representing the terroir of the valley, but they don’t (in my amateur opinion) stand up to the price. And as far as 2012’s go, that’s an insanely incredible vintage. So I feel like ’12’s should be better than average vintages.
The tasting experience here is interesting. The spartan, mod, well-​lit structure stands apart from other spots nearby. It’s right on the main road in Dundee, and I’m sure they’ll get plenty of traffic. There’s a beautiful painting depicting the cataclysms that formed the unique soils we have here now. The design of the room is really nice. Natural light makes for a warm, open feel. However as a downside, the tasting here is expensive ($ 15 for 4 tastes) and the policy is that you have to spend at least $ 75 to erase just one fee. At their current price points, that means you need to buy multiple bottles or at least one of their $ 90 bottles. I’m not a fan of this. As far as I’m concerned, tasting fees are for limo tours and people with no intention of buying anything. If I’m going to spend a premium to buy wines at the tasting room (vs just getting them cheaper from a distributor in town) I expect some love on my tasting fees. There are plenty of wineries with great tasting experiences in the valley that charge less for even more expanded tastings and/​or kill those fees with bottle purchase. (see my Soter review for one example, however I can list off a ton of spots that have much more reasonable fee structures).
In the end I like this space, I’m all for more tasting action in the valley, and I’m happy for these guys that their wines got some high ratings. There are a lot of amazing ratings being thrown around for the ’12 vintage in this valley and that means great things for us here in Portland, but I’ll pass on paying retail at these prices, especially when I still have to shell out for expensive tasting fees at the same time unless I buy a lot. And in case anyone is wondering, I left the valley with over two cases of other wines from the other visits we made on this day — so I do buy a lot of wine out here at tasting room prices. Yes, I have a problem…

Chapter 24=expertise wines. They definitely know what they are doing. You can tell this wine is expertly designed and created. Every wine on their tasting flight was amazing, we just walked out with the «two messengers» that was very good. I can’t wait to drink that bottle. The tasting room is maybe not that noticeable from hwy 99, but when you are inside it is very well planned out.
The tasting room attendant was filling in for the day, and he was very knowledgeable and helpful (I think his name was Daniel, and he normally works at Remy Wines. But, he was awesome none the less!) He was really good at explaining the background of all the wines.
The wines are all pinot noirs, but really excellent. The tasting room is nice, not extravagant, it has clear lines. Slightly urban and modern, in design. Overall, a great place to go. I highly recommend Chapter 24!!!