You don’t expect to find evidence of Hollywood royalty at the end of a gravel road in the Newberg hills. Yet that’s where you will find silent film memorabilia tucked away in Natalie’s Estate Winery’s tasting room.
The Hollywood history lessons and excellent wines offered by owners Cassandra and Boyd Teegarden are well worth the drive to Natalie’s Estate.
Natalie’s Estate is best known for: its diverse wine offerings.
In addition to Willamette Valley chardonnay, pinot gris and their estate pinot noirs, Natalie’s purchases fruit from vineyards in The Dalles and Washington state to make everything from petit verdot and merlot to cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel.
These wines are made in 50-200 case lots that sell out quickly. “We release new wines every quarter, so whenever you visit, you’ll likely be tasting something new,” Teegarden said.
A “must try” current release: 2019 Natalie’s Estate Winery Red Willow Vineyard Sangiovese ($35; 14.8% alcohol by volume).
This easy-sippin’ Columbia Valley sangiovese, with bright acidity and silky soft tannins, is packed to the brim with aromas and flavors of dark raspberries, violets, leather, tobacco and black tea. Serve it with pasta smothered in marinara sauce to be revered in your household.
Innovation: Teegarden makes what he refers to as his “big reds” with the same techniques he uses to make his more delicate pinot noirs. “We de-stem the fruit and gravity drop it into 1.5 ton open top fermenters where the wine is fermented bone dry. We use an old-fashioned lever-action basket press, then rack the juice into the tank, let it settle for approximately three days, rack it to barrel, malolactic fermentation, then eventually bottle it unfiltered and unfined.”
According to Teegarden, this approach results in red wines with “amazing color” and a rich mouthfeel.
History: In 1995, Boyd Teegarden worked for E&J Gallo Winery in Miami when they sent him to Portland to work with a smaller wine distribution company. Cassandra Teegarden held an upper management position with Sabre, the computer division of American Airlines.
Boyd Teegarden soon made the acquaintance of David O’Reilly, who was working with Peter Rosback to launch the Sineann winery brand. Whenever he had the time, Teegarden would help O’Reilly and Rosback as they made wine at Medici Vineyards in Newberg.
Teegarden said that while he received excellent academic wine training at E&J Gallo, this was his first “hands-on” experience making wine.
In 1999 Teegarden was faced with a transfer to southern California. Having fully succumbed to the winemaking bug, the Teegardens instead left their jobs, cashed in their 401(k)s and bought an old walnut orchard in Newberg.
The Teegardens planted four acres of pinot noir vines in 2000, naming the estate vineyard in honor of their daughter. Today they produce approximately 2,500 cases of wine annually under their Natalie’s Estate and Rock Horse Ranch labels.
What we don’t know: Cassandra Teegarden’s grandmother, actress Eileen Sedgwick, appeared in more than 110 films from 1917 to 1932. Sedgwick’s sister Josie appeared in more than 50 films, while brother Edward directed the original “The Gladiator” in 1938 as well as Buster Keaton’s final two movies.
Dozens of framed photographs and other Sedgwick family movie memorabilia fill the Old Hollywood Saloon located inside the Natalie’s Estate tasting room. The room’s focal point is an etched glass bar that once resided in the party bungalow behind Eileen Sedgwick’s home. The bar held cocktails and ash trays for everyone from the Rat Pack to family friends Lucille Ball and Betty White.
What we don’t know, redux: Boyd Teegarden grew up on his family’s soybean farm in Missouri. When he left home to attend Kansas State University in Manhattan, Teegarden vowed to his family that not only would he never live on a farm again, he wouldn’t even have a garden.
“Look at me now. My mom laughed when I told her I was going to plant a vineyard,” Teegarden said.
Where to buy: While you can find Natalie’s Estate and Rock Horse Ranch wines in various Fred Meyer and Market of Choice locations, I recommend visiting the Teegarden’s at their tasting room to make your purchases. It is a warm, comfy spot located at the edge of a forested ridge where cute deer occasionally act as unofficial tasting room greeters.
In Montana, the Teegardens sell a series of wines called Big Sky Collections to raise money for a Gallatin River restoration program. Look for these Montana exclusives in Roxy’s Market and the Rainbow Ranch Lodge in Big Sky, Montana.
Tasting by appointment available daily, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 16825 N.E. Chehalem Drive, Newberg, nataliesestatewinery.com or contact@nataliesestatewinery.com.
-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.
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