Domaine Roy & fils is a perfect example of when an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Marc-André Roy and winemaker Jared Etzel established Domaine in 2012 to celebrate their heritage and continue the winemaking history of their fathers, Robert Roy and Michael Etzel, who founded Beaux Frères Winery in 1991 with a cult-like following.
We met Jared and Marc-Andre at their father’s Beaux Frères winery tasting event. It was the first time we tried their wines, and we have followed their winemaking journey ever since.
Domaine Roy & Fils
Winery Visit
We visited Domaine Roy & Fils on a rare sunny day at the end of October. The grapes had been picked, except for random orphan bunches hanging on the vine after the harvest.
Some may wonder why some grape bunches were left. Were they missed by pickers? Domaine Roy does hand harvest, and while it’s more expensive than using harvest machines, it allows them to select only the best grape bunches for their wines.
On our visit, we did more than taste wine; we toured the winemaking facility and got the inside scoop on the 2023 harvest and expectations.
Jared told us that a nerve-racking spring with temperature swings that delayed the season by a few weeks turned into a beautiful, dry, warm summer that helped the grapes catch up and ripen in time for harvest, promising spectacular vintage wines.
In anticipation of those wines, we had a chance to taste what’s already in the bottle.
Tasting Flight
We started with a strawberry-pink 2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir from the estate Yamhill-Carlton vineyard. It’s a dry-style, creamy Rosé with a sweet cherry start and a slightly tart strawberry finish. We had some friends with us and noticed a trend: all the ladies in our company loved it.
Next, we had the 2021 Willamette Valley Chardonnay, a blend of grapes from Yamhill-Carlton and Dundee Hills vineyards, side-by-side with the 2020 Iron Filbert Vineyard Chardonnay with only Dundee Hills fruit.
The best way to describe the difference is as we would between two French classics: Chablis and Côte d’Or Chardonnay. 2020 Iron Filbert would equate to a more subtle Chablis aged on lees, and 2021 Willamette Valley to the more decadent style of Côte d’Or in Bourgogne. The Iron Filbert is flinty, mineral, and tropical flower-scented, while Willamette Valley has creamy, touch-oaky, peach, and nectarine flavors.
It’s gotten even more interesting when we tasted Pinot Noir because we compared 2021 Inclined Pinot Noir from Yamhill-Carlton with 2021 Inclined from Dundee Hills with 2021 Willamette Valley, a blend of both.
Some may wonder how much of a difference one can taste in wine from the same valley and vineyards just a few miles apart. Surprisingly, a lot, and no professional training is required to feel the difference. Our friends, regular wine drinkers who came with us, are the best proof of that.
The 2021 Willamette Valley, the entry-level Domaine Roy Pinot, if it can be called that, came across as a less concentrated or intense version of Incline Yamhill-Carlton.
While the 2021 Incline Yamhill-Carlton gravitated towards red fruit profile with notes of ripe cherry, dried raspberry, red raspberry, and milky cacao, the 2021 Incline Dundee Hills came across as black fruit character Pinot Noir with aromas and flavors of almost jammy black cherry, blueberry, chocolate dipped plums and a hint of forest floor.
Aftertaste
Our friends favored Yamhill-Carlton, but we liked it as much as Dundee because they were so different. Overall, we were blown away by the quality of the wines Jared creates.
He practices a non-interventional winemaking philosophy to allow the wine to shine differently depending on the vintage. It makes his work more challenging and our visits here more exciting because of the diversity of Domaine Roy wines, even within the same vintage.
What are your impressions of Domaine Roy & Fils wines if you have tasted them? Do you have any other favorites from the Willamette Valley in Oregon?
Watch a short video about this visit here.