11/01/09

meh...

by manthechange

I've admired (and purchased) both Rex Hill and A to Z wines for a few years, so I was excited to visit their production facility and taste some of their wines. When entering the wine shop, we were greeted by indifference. We waited at the counter for a few minutes before the older gentleman told us how much we'd be paying for a tasting. It's a $10 fee ($12 for reserve wines) to taste their wines. The pours were paltry (using the very tacky wine limiter spout) and were followed by very little explaination - and, to add insult to injury - NO RINSE between whites and reds. Very poor service. I had planned to purchase wine there, but did not...out of principle. Rex Hill will not grace my cellar in the future.

Note to owners: your tasting room policies make you look cheap (making people pay up front for tasting? Results in a double charge if you want to buy a bottle?)...and people under 40 do purchase cases of wine and deserve the same service as middle aged persons.

• Pros: Quality Pinots
• Cons: Poor staffing, small pours, pay-to-taste, snobby

Stunning beauty, stellar wine and its own museum.

by Contributor

In Short
The building that houses Rex Hill's winery used to be a fruit- and nut-drying plant until it closed in the mid-1960s. It lay empty for many years until Paul Hart and Jan Jacobsen bought it to create one of the state's most prominent wineries in both quality and size. Winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash makes top-notch Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir and the lower-priced, fruit-forward Kings Ridge blends, plus standard and reserve bottlings.

09/05/06

Good wines, great staff and winemaker

by shaft28

We had a great experience here, once you get past the hilarious museum of manikins in a crazy assortment of outfits. Quite funny actually. The staff was really helpful and we ejoyed the majority of their wines, buying quite a few as they were also affordable. Best treat was their winemaker Ryan happened by and we got to speak to him for a bit - very personable and knowledgeable, really enjoyed meeting him.

A must stop by for every wine tour!

• Pros: Ryan, wine, funny museum

08/05/02

Don't miss it.

by dcbwine

Worth stopping and checking out. The tasting room is very nice and there is a good place for a picnic. Since Lynn Penner-Ash left to create her own masterpieces, the winery has worked very hard to keep its reputation for solid Oregon Pinots in tact. In my opinion, they have done just that. Not only has one of their Pinot Noirs made it to the White House Wine List, but the overall quality seems to have held up. I really like their wines.

• Pros: Good facility, good wines, good people