About.

CREATOR
​of wine tours since 1998

My Chauffeur Wine Tours considers each one of its tours as a unique journey. Custom, personalized and exclusive, our wine tours transport you into the wine-making world of Oregon.
​

ROADS
that lead to knowledge

Unlock the secrets of Pinot noir...The Willamette Valley does not open up easily. You sip it, you eat it, you tame it. You get to know it. My Chauffeur will take you on a journey along her roads of knowledge.

CONTENTS
01 INTRODUCTION My Chauffeur _____	02 WINE TOUR Dundee Hills _____
03 WINE TOUR Yamhill-Carlton _____	04 WINE TOUR Chehalem Mtns./ Ribbon Ridge _____
05 WINE TOUR McMinnville _____	06 WINE TOUR Eola-Amity Hills _____
07 WINE TOUR Columbia R. Gorge _____	08 UNIQUE Experiences & Cost _____

 

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Le Luxe c'est etre capable d'improvisor l'impossible.*
*Luxury is the ability to improvise the impossible. ​

ARTISAN EXPERTISE

The true hidden gems. Anyone can locate the big places. Even an autonomous vehicle could find the wine factories with the big marketing budgets. Bringing your visitors to the under the radar wineries is the value we add, our special, local insight with decades of experience. We don't have big signs on our vehicles. There is no big signs on our shirts. My Chauffeur is a true insider's discovery. Most folks won't find us on their own.

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BREATHTAKING ENCOUNTERS

• More time tasting, less time riding. I once went deep sea fishing on a charter boat. The captain spent all day motoring from one spot to another, never staying long enough to catch much or enjoy themselves. Wine tours can be like that fishing trip. Not with My Chauffeur. With My Chauffeur you'll have plenty to do and see: vineyard tours, enjoying those wineries with great views, chatting with the winemakers/growers, visiting the barrel cave and sampling through many different wines. As an added benefit, guests can learn and enjoy going out into the vineyard while the estate representative discusses vineyard management and harvesting, while tasting multiple vintages from the same vines… a unique specialty at some estates. Whenever possible, the tour is led by the cellar master, enologist, or owner of the estate. Folks stay longer. Recently, tasters from The Vintage Plaza told us, "We've been visiting Oregon wineries for three days, this is what we've been looking for the whole time."

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Turn your dreams into reality...vineyard after vineyard, off the beaten track with no fixed itinerary...real luxury follows its own intuition.

Our prestige Lexus and limousine vehicles are your setting for this unforgettable experience.

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THE ART OF TASTING

• Old school Oregon. Our visitors regularly worry that Oregon may become the next Napa Valley with exorbitant fees, multiple tasting bars and crowded with dozens of tour buses and emphasizing merchandise sales. The Willamette Valley is not Napa. Since many of our tastings are by appointment at the true hidden gems, they offer each guest special attention--Just a solid and steady focus on making and serving exceptional wines.​

TASTE THE TERROIR

(Reflection of Place, a reflection of the place where the wine is grown. Or "It Tastes Like The Dirt It's Grown In")
"There's a strong connection between the land and the wine"

Dundee Hills

Yamhill-Carlton

Chehalem Mtns.

Eola-Amity Hills

Col. R. Gorge

WINE TOUR >>  Willamette Valley The ‘promised land of flowing milk and honey’ - The ‘Greatest Pinot Noirs in the World’ _____ ​On the 'Champs-Élysées' of Oregon, the Willamette Valley rolls out the Pinot noir red carpet. A really specific, little tucked away corner of the world, it has a multitude of terroirs and a prodigious diversity of wines and vines that are well-known all over the world. The vines of the Willamette Valley originate from the same vines found in Burgundy France, one of the oldest wine growing regions in the world. Historically known to supply wine to the Roman legions of Julius Caesar, these unique vines result in remarkable red, white and rosé wines.   More about the Willamette Valley AVA: It takes a long time to make a great winegrowing region... Fire and flood, megathrust earthquakes and eruptions, and the movement of oceans and continents on a huge scale…It is a story that began several hundred million years ago. And what a story! Imagine an oceanic and a continental plate colliding, pushing hundreds of miles of ocean floor deep into the body of the Earth, and eliminating the ocean which covered western Oregon and the Willamette Valley. Imagine some of the largest lava flows in the history of the world from the Yellowstone hotspot blanketing the valley, thousands upon thousands of volcanic eruptions, and ice-age floods that carried enough water to equal 10X the combined flow of ALL the rivers in the world. This is the Willamette Valley that geologists see. (A geologic history) One of the many ripple effects of all of this land movement was the creation of the Dundee Hills, one of the storied AVAs within the valley… >>	WINE TOUR Dundee Hills The Storied Red Hills _____ ​ Raspberry & Black Tea – Bright red fruit, elegant structure, forest floor, cherry cola, truffles.   Some of the oldest vineyards are in this area including Eyrie Vineyards which was the first to plant in 1965. Not only will you find excellent Pinot Noir, but there’s also Chardonnay and sparkling wines. Dundee Hills has a high density of wine grower’s here, making it a good area to visit. The red dirt is the secret to the flavor of the Dundee Hills grapes.  Coupled with expert and gentle winemaking, these wines have what the French call “gout de terroir”, the taste of the land.  Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills offer up raspberry and black tea aromas. ON THE ROUTE OF THE DUNDEE HILLS KEY PRODUCERS INCLUDE: ·    Lange ·    Torii Mor ·    Durant ·    L'Angelo ·    Anderson Family ·    Domaine Serene ·    Domaine Drouhin ·    Vista Hills/Coppola Family ·    Antica Terra ·    Archery Summit ·    White Rose ·    Furioso ·    Winderlea ·    Stoller ·    De Ponte ·    Hyland ·    Dobbes ·    Panther Creek ·    Four Graces ·    Erath & others   For more sensuous Pinot noirs visit the Yamhill-Carlton >>	WINE TOUR Yamhill-Carlton Sensuous Pinot noirs & Chardonnays _____   Ripe textured wines with more spice & floral notes   With the golden triangle of the Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton & Chehalem Mtns., the Yamhill-Carlton undoubtedly has some of the greatest Chardonnays in the world. The Yamhill-Carlton AVA is rapidly emerging as a global center of Pinot Noir & Chardonnay production. This pastoral northwest corner of the Willamette Valley provides a unique set of growing conditions. The Coast Range to the west soars to nearly 3500 feet (1200m) establishing a rain shadow over the entire district. Additional protection is afforded by the Chehalem Mountains to the north and the Dundee Hills to the east. It stays hotter later in the afternoon in this area, so you’ll find fruit-forward black cherry flavors in the Pinot Noir wines. The area is very spread out in terms of driving and you’ll find yourself driving miles in-between vineyards.    ON THE ROUTE OF THE YAMHILL-CARLTON. KEY PRODUCERS INCLUDE: ·   Big Table Farm ·   Shea Vineyards ·   Anne Amie Vineyards ·   Elk Cove ·   Wilakenzie Estate ·   Penner Ash ·   Soter ·   Belle Pente ·   Fairsing ·   Lemelson ·   Monks Gate ·   ADEA ·   Beacon Hill & others And in Dt Carlton: ·   Andrew Rich ·   Canas Feast ·   Ken Wright ·      Gypsy Dancer & others
WINE TOUR Chehalem Mountains (& Ribbon Ridge The ultimate red and white - A who’s who of Willamette Valley producers _____   Strawberry, cherry and red fruit in cool vintages, with darker fruit in hotter years Ribbon Ridge - Rose pedal, black cherry, damp earth with baking and Chinese 5-spice flavors ​ Some of the more bold Pinot Noir wines come from the Chehalem Mountains AVA. Expect Cherry, black tea and cinnamon. This appellation (along with neighboring Ribbon Ridge AVA) boasts a who’s who of Willamette Valley producers. Ribbon Ridge was named in 1865 and has been called an "island-like ridge", standing alone in the heart of the Willamette Valley. It is another one of Oregon’s new “small but mighty” sub-appellations.    ON THE ROUTE OF THE YAMHILL-CARLTON. KEY PRODUCERS INCLUDE: ·   Beaux Freres ·   Brick House ·   Bergstrom ·   Patricia Green ·   Adelsheim ·   J. Christopher ·   Raptor Ridge ·   Rex Hill ·   Soter ·   Sineann ·   Ponzi Vineyards ·   J. Albin ·   Chehalem Winery ·   Penner-Ash ·   Natalies Estate Winery ·   Anam Cara & others (Allore Vineyards, ArborBrook Vineyards, Artisanal, August Cellars, Barking Frog, Blakeslee Vineyard Estate, Carabella Vineyard, Chehalem, Cooper Mountain Vineyards, Et Fille Wines, Freja Cellars, J.K. Carriere, Lachini Vineyards, Laura Volkman Vineyard, Lawton Winery, Owen Roe, Privé Vineyard, Wild Air Cellars & others.)	WINE TOUR McMinnville Plum & Pine _____ More tannic, with dark fruit flavors and mineral, earth and spice notes   Known for basalt and sedimentary soils and the influence of the Van Duzer Corridor. This corridor allows the cool ocean airs to blow in at night allowing the fruit to ripen during the day but really slow down at night making the grapes PH a lot lower and the acidity brighter making the fruit and skins a darker profile. A growing area named after the unbelievably quaint city of McMinnville. The south facing vineyards show promise of making some rich dark cherry and plum like flavored Pinot Noir. You’ll find the slope angle really makes a difference in the flavor of McMinnville wines. Some of the wines are very rustic with pine and herb notes. ON THE ROUTE TO McMINNVILLE KEY PRODUCERS INCLUDE: ·   NW Wine Company ·   Hyland Estates ·   Yamhill Valley Vineyards ·   Coeur de Terre ·   Willamette Valley Vineyards (tasting room) ·   Eyrie ·   Dominio IV ·   Ransom ·   Remy ·   Maysara ·   R. Stuart & others	WINE TOUR Eola-Amity Hills Plums, Currants and 5-spice _____   More firm, with darker fruit and a brawnier texture This wine area spans along a low set of hills that lead south into the state capitol of Salem, Oregon. All of the best vineyards are on southeastern facing slopes that run along the 221 Highway. It’s actually an amazing drive because the flatlands are exploding with hops farms which lead into the vineyards in the hills. Pinot Noir from Eola-Amity hills have rich plum and currant flavors with subtle 5-spice aromas. ON THE ROUTE TO EOLA-AMITY HILLS KEY PRODUCERS INCLUDE: ·   Cristom, ·   St. Innocent, ·   Evesham Wood ·   Bethel Heights ·   Brooks ·   Cristom ·   Cubanisimo ·   Coelho ·   Amity & others
WINE TOUR Columbia R. Gorge Nature at its finest   Follow in the footsteps of Lewis & Clark who continually ordered Pinot Noir for the rest of their lives! _____ In 1805, Meriwether Lewis and his friend Captain Clark took a trip to Oregon wine country. 'What more can man ask of heaven?’ Lewis asked.  Lewis & Clark continually ordered staples such as olive oil, almonds, artichoke hearts and stocks of Pinot Noir (French Burgundy) for the rest of their lives! "One hour from Portland, America's most unique AVA* features double volcano views of Mt Hood and Mt Adams, wild beauty, traffic free touring, relaxed tasting rooms and European style white and BIG RED French, Italian and Spanish varietals.  The winemakers produce anything from Alberiňo and Zinfindel (11%) to Syrah (9%) and Merlot (6%) to Pinot Noir (31%) and Chardonnay (8%) and 37 other varietals. It's like traveling a "World of Wine in 40 miles".  Some terroirs speak in gradations of nuance, Burgundy for instance.  The Gorge is the opposite. As one races from sea level to alpine heights and moves from rainforest to desert with extreme geographic & climate changes; there is an amazing diversity of grapes grown here. Nearly any expression of wine is possible. The Gorge wineries are an exploration of the expressions of Gorge wine. The Hood River Valley is eerily similar to the Napa Valley of 70 years ago, cooler, and filled with orchards before the vineyards came. The Columbia Gorge is a potential paradise for wine production."

 

In the Willamette Valley, the wines and vines are classified as AVAs (American Viticulture Area), unlike Grand Cru, Domaines or Chateaux in other regions. Choose the wine tour you’d like according to our suggestions below and we will select the wineries for 3-6 exceptional tastings.
Amateur _____ _____ _____   SILVER TOUR Estate Tasting (standard) – Appt wineries not allowed. ​Visit beautiful tasting rooms for Estate Tasting, a casual tasting room experience of about 30 minutes, where you will sip and savor a selection of their current release offerings, surrounded by sweeping vineyard and valley views. Check out the GOLD tour here >>	Connoisseur _____ _____ _____   GOLD TOUR Reserve tasting @ Off-The-Beaten-Track Estates – Exquisite Tour & Tasting (premium). The Ultimate Willamette Valley Itinerary for Wine Lovers.
$160 / pers. all-inclusive*	$220 / pers. all-inclusive*
Haute Couture _____ _____ _____   DIAMOND TOUR VISIT THE TOP WINERIES/VINEYARDS – APPT ONLY WINERIES Discover and Taste Legendary, Rare & Exceptional Wines (premium) Being small & elusive, getting a handle on the region's best wines and producers and vineyards is not easy. But there's a shortcut to many of the top bottles; get to know the top vineyard sites. Let My Chauffeur show you the best wineries or vineyards from which they're sourced.	*Sample/estimate pricing with 4 ppl for 6 hours (3 wineries) from Dt Portland. Pricing is all-inclusive. Cost changes significantly with more or less persons and more or less hours. Meals are additional cost. Pricing will change because the tasting fees fluctuate and as the # of wineries, # of persons and tour length changes.   Silver Tour - $101/person + estimated $60/tasting fees. Gold Tour - $120/person + estimated $90/tasting fees. Diamond Tour - $175/person + estimated $225/tasting fees.
$400 / pers. all-inclusive*

 

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