NOVEMBER 2026
For your November club, we're going to Oregon! We always try to pick November wines that are generally good for fall and especially good with Thanksgiving dinner. Wines from Oregon fit this need perfectly.
For the 2-bottle club, you'll get a classic Pinot Noir and a white Pinot Noir. (Ever had one?? We hadn't.) And our 3-bottle club members will get a Gamay in addition.
Pictured top: Lemelson vineyards (Yamhill-Carlton AVA) // Pictured above: family & friends helping with the harvest at Abundancia (Chehalem Mountains AVA)
2-BOTTLE CLUB
Abundancia Vineyards
Gaston, Oregon – Chehalem Mountains AVA
Shawn & Lisa Fischer took several years to clear their land of blackberry, wild rose, holly, and plenty of poison oak and then in 2016, they planted their first 2 acres of grapes with the help of family and friends. Their estate is located on the north end of the Chehalem Mountain AVA (#1 on the map). Today they are growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Spanish varietals – Tempranillo, Albariño, Garnacha & Graciano – which thrive in the Willamette Valley.
"We do everything ourselves. Our wine is grown, aged, and bottled on site. Shawn refurbishes our barrels one stave at a time in his wood shop next to the winery. It's a lot of hard work for a small team of family and friends, and we cherish the chance to build these good things in community."
They dry farm organically and are restoring the neighboring property after purchasing it in 2025: "We have 38 acres of overgrown canyon land adjacent to the original vineyard site. The Canyon is full of natural springs, diverse wildlife (Pileated Woodpecker, elk, deer), and many tree species (western red cedar, red alder, bigleaf maple, Oregon Oak, Pacific Madrone, and others), with some in old-growth stage. Our vision is to reclaim the canyon from invasive ivy and bramble, and build it into a regenerative forest that supports diverse, native wildlife, produces a small amount of high quality timber, and hosts knolls of hike-in vineyards."
Abundancia 2024 Crowded Table Pinot Noir • Willamette Valley, Oregon • Reg $26.99 | Mixed Case $21.59
100% Pinot Noir. Beautiful nose. Dark raspberries, black cherries, note of herbs. Very soft and lovely. Medium-bodied. Great acidity. (It’s there and lifts the wine up — not tart at all.) Flavors are same just a little more pronounced. Add in blackberries = wonderful acidity. Truly delicious example from our neighbors to the south. Enjoy with roasted chicken (or turkey), sausages, root vegetable casseroles & more. Drink now to 2 years.
This operation is micro – family & friends doing what they love. We hope they continue.
Lemelson Vineyards
Carlton, Oregon – Yamhill-Carlton AVA
Eric Lemelson moved to his Yamhill County farm in 1990, planted his first vineyard in 1995, released his first vintage (1999) in 2001, became certified organic in 2004, and today, Eric still runs the estate, crafting Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling from his five estate vineyards.
Lemelson is #2 on the map.
Lemelson's gravity-flow winery (pictured above) allows the grapes to be sorted and moved to the tank by gravity instead of mechanical pumps which reduces mechanical shearing and bruising of the grapes.
Lemelson 2025 White Pinot Noir • Willamette Valley, Oregon • Reg $32.99 | Mixed Case $26.39
"A rarity in the wine world, white Pinot noir is seldom made due to the much higher market value of red Pinot noir. But the truth is, Pinot noir can make an excellent white wine (and Rosé!) so we wanted to have some fun and give it a go. This wine was made similarly to our Pinot gris (which is similarly red skinned) and sent directly to our press to avoid color extraction. The juice was fermented cold in a stainless steel tank to preserve freshness. The resulting wine is pretty, rich with stone fruit characteristics like ripe peach and citrus fruits like Meyer lemon and tangerine. There are also intriguing notes of fig and white flower all of which complement the wine’s elegant, dry and refreshing palate." –winery notes.
Our notes: Very light in color. Aromas are soft and beautifully integrated. Floral (honeysuckle?), soft tree fruits, faint water trickling over rocks minerality?? Hard to pull apart, but you can’t wait to drink it. Flavors of pears, apples, golden raspberries. Acidity is stunning. Soft but going. Texture, complexity is killer. Long finish with red & yellow raspberries and citrus. First white Pinot in the wine club (in the shop!) EVER!! Really sexy wine. Hope you love it.
Drink now to 3 years. Below is a pairing idea from the winery: salad of radicchio, endive, chewy dates, kumquwat & mint. Looks like it belongs next to a roasted turkey.
3-BOTTLE CLUB
Cooper Mountain Vineyards
Beaverton, Oregon – Chehalem Mountains AVA
In 1978, Dr. Robert Gross and his wife, Corrine, were pioneers when they planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in what became known as their Old Vines vineyard. Originally they were just growers, but in 1987, they started producing their own line of wines. Today, with daughter Barbara (pictured with her dad) at the helm, they have 7 estate vineyards – Old Vines (planted 1978), Meadowlark (planted 1982), Johnson School (planted 1999), Farmington (planted 1995), Corrine (planted 1989), Arborbrook (planted 2001), and Chehelam Mountain Vineyard (planted 1968) – with a total of 200 acres, growing 7 varietals under 3 labels.
Cooper Mountain was certified organic in 1995 and is the first winery in the Pacific Northwest to produce all of its wines from 100% certified organic and biodynamic estate grown grapes.
Cooper Mountain 2025 Gamay • Willamette Valley, Oregon • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
100% Gamay Noir from their Johnson School Vineyard (pictured above & #3 on the map at top). Certified biodynamic. Nose is a beauty: herbs, blackberries, pomegranate, earth. Fuller & richer than Gamay from France = medium-bodied with really good acidity (but not tart). Palate has black cherries, dark plums, blackberries all the way to the finish which is fresh. This wine is ready. Don’t wait. Perfect fall dinner wine (see the winery's suggested table below). Also a perfect Thanksgiving wine.
A Note from Jens:
This month's club takes us back to our PNW roots (check out Lemelson's photo of their Rocky Knoll Vineyard with Mt. Hood in the background), showcasing three terrific wines from our neighbors in Oregon. The wines are perfect for fall. All three are wonderful sippers as well as excellent accompaniments to dinner, including a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Your wine club pick-up tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month. We host this tasting so that you can taste and learn about your wines before enjoying them at home.
You'll also be able to taste the Portalis EXPLORES club wines. Our November theme is South American Malbec, featuring examples from Argentina & Chile.
Hope you can join us!
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online sign-up. You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).