The other morning, I was walking out of Starbucks at 0 dark thirty with my Chai in hand and had a weird experience. The smell of diesel immediately struck me and took me back to a summer day deep in Southern Georgia when I was in the Air Force on a training exercise.

It was also a super early morning; nobody was awake yet. The mess hall was just starting to stir. The smell of diesel was in the air, along with the sounds of generators.

As I took a sip of my Chai and got in the car, I thought about how incredible the power of smell is and how it can transport us to any time and place.

Shall we dive into some links? I don’t have as many as usual for some reason.

Wine Spectator is taking a look at Oregon Pinots that cost $40 or less.

There is a nice list of Oregon wines that home some gold at the TEXSOM awards.

Decanter taking a look at Riesling in the Willamette Valley ​

James Hall buys back Patz and Hall ​

Echolands is opening a new tasting room in Walla Walla

OSU did a great study on Agritourism

Did you know James Suckling was in town?

Maria Ponzi is taking over as director of Linfield Center for Wine Education. I should have her on the podcast!

Earlier this week, I was sitting on the back deck getting work done with pollen came down like crazy. I would wipe off my keyboard, and 30 minutes later, more yellow pollen would try to take over. It’s frustrating, but it is also a sign of Spring, which brings nothing but big smiles to my face.

A few weeks ago, on March 16th, it also turned out to be one heck of a gorgeous day, and you know what I did? I took full advantage of it and took my patootski to wine country. If you get the events newsletter, you already know where I went. To get everyone on the same page, I attended Approachment’s Launch Party and followed up with Equinox in the Eola-Amity Hills, and of course, this is what today’s newsletter is all about.

If you are unaware of the husband and wife team of Approachment, it is time to start running to get on that train. Paden and Jess West are down-to-earth and funny, and they know how to knock it out of the park when it comes to making wine. Jess also makes wine for Harper Voit, while Paden makes wine for Benza. Jess is all about Sparkling, and Paden is getting all of the insider scoops from his partner in crime. I am telling you, once you leap onto the Approachment train, you will be greeted with killer wines with Post Malone in the corner, busting out the jams!

I could blab on and on about Jess and Paden, but you are here to dive into the launch party. I try to keep up with everyone’s wines as much as possible, but my liver can only take so much. Before the party, I tried Approachment’s skin contact Pinot Gris and Gamay Noir. I was excited to try their Grenache and Syrah with many other Approachment fans.

The party started at 4:00, but I got there around 5:00. Walking through the parking lot, the sun shone, and I could see a friendly crowd of people gathered. As I got closer, I couldn’t believe my ears. Post Malone was there cranking out the tunes. Now, if you haven’t watched or listened to my podcast where I interviewed Paden and Jess when I asked them, “Who is your favorite artist to listen to during Harvest?” Without one milli-second of hesitation, they both said in unison, “Post Malone!” If that isn’t a couple on the same track, even though Jess mentioned “Murder” earlier in the interview, I don’t know what is.

Walking in, I was immediately greeted by Paden. We talked briefly, and he mentioned tickets were sold out, which made me so happy. So many people work their patootskis off, and having events sell out makes it even better.

Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures, but I knew Brittney Eisele of Adventures in Vinoland was there, capturing all of the moments. If you aren't aware of her work, you need to follow her on the gram!

I also got to meet with the one and only Post Malone!

I didn’t stay too long at the Approachment party because another event was kicking off down the road. The Equinox in Eola-Amity Hills used to occur every year, but for some reason, it went dormant. Lucky for us, the event will be an annual event now, and I must tell you I am happy about it! I can’t think of a better way to kick off Spring.

Everything kicked off at 6:00 and ended at 10:00. Are you thinking what I am thinking? I think so, Brain, but don’t wine events usually occur during the day? Who are you, Pinky? And yes, you are right for once. (BTW, it’s okay if you didn’t catch the Pinky and Brain reference I just threw at you.) It was incredibly nice to have an evening event, and again, the weather was marvelous for a line-up of 33 wineries with food galore.

Paying a little extra to get entry at 6:00 instead of 7:00 is the way to go. Access to wines and food you seek from the get-go way is excellent, with zero waiting, making Lytle-Barnett my first stop. Starting the evening off right with Sparkling is always a hit! Oh, and before I forget, some big news is happening around Lytle-Barnett and Aubaine. I am still trying to figure out what is happening. Do you know what’s going on? Clue me in, please!

Sipping Lytle-Barnett while walking around the main room, taking everything in, I started to notice the food. Yes, there was one heck of a huge charcuterie board in the middle of the room.

There was more, though, in the main room. Can you say burgers and HUGE shrimp risotto cakes from Willabys Catering? After grabbing a pour of Pinot from Aubaine, I decided on a burger, sat outside next to the fire, and took it all in.

Sitting next to the fire, I was greeted by a long-time reader. I am sorry, but I do not remember your name. Seeing people who read this labor of love is always a treat. Thank you, and if you see me out in the wild, don’t hesitate to stop and say hi!

After a satisfying burger to start things off, I started to pick out wineries in the main room I wanted to explore and say hi to a few others. Mark Royer and his Royer Estate Chardonnay were next up. I talked with Mark over the last couple of years. I enjoyed his Chardonnay!

Iterum, Sun Break Wines, and Cristom were next to one another, and I might have spent quite a bit of time in this corner of the room. Joe and Patricia were both at the event for Iterum. I don’t think I have ever seen Joe Dobbes not wear a big ‘ole smile on his face. He is great, and so are his wines. His Sparkling is on my radar!!!

David Patte is the winemaker with Sun Break Wines, and I have had some great conversations with him over the years. It is because of David that I first heard of this event. Catching up a little with him was fabulous, and sipping on his Pinot Noir was quite the treat.

How can you pass up getting a pour from Cristom? I don’t know anyone at Cristom, but passing up this table would be a crime.

At this point in the night, it was probably past 7:00. The room was filling up, and it was time to check out more wineries. There were 15 wineries in the main room, which meant I had 18 more!

Walking towards the cellar, there were chocolate truffles galore, and my goodness, Truffle Shuffle did one heck of a job!!

The upper part of the cellar was delightfully packed full of people, and the smell of mushrooms filled the air. Looking at the list of food vendors onsite, there was only one logical answer to who was making such yummy goodness: Joel Palmer House. Side note: Have you seen the movie Pig with Nicholas Cage? The chef at Joel Palmer House helped in that movie.

Anyway, the first wine in the cellar was David Paige Wines, and of course, I had to have the Pinot Blanc. David is known for his Pinot Blanc, and I might have opened a bottle of it the other night—it is so yummy! Have you seen my interview with David?

Next to David Paige was Jessica Cortell, who had her wines, the Cortell Collection. I tell you what—she is hustling big time. She was recently in California for the World on Pinot Noir, and earlier that day, she was at the Allison. She will also be on the podcast soon. Her story is fascinating, and I can’t wait to sit down with her.

There were more wineries I wanted to check out, like Dukes, Brooks, and Vincent, but the intoxicating smell of mushrooms called my name. When I got to the back of the room, mushroom risotto and a chocolate-covered bite (sorry, I can’t remember what it was) were waiting for me. Both of them were stunning!!

As I was devouring the risotto, I noticed my glass was empty. Evening Land just so happened to be right there. I got a nice splash of Chardonnay, which paired lovingly with the mushroom.

Heading down to the last section of the cellar, I passed by GC Wines. I have been seeing their name more and more recently. I wanted to try their wines and hear more about their story, but the line was long. I wanted to go back, but I forgot to circle back. What have you heard about GC Wines?

I finally ran into Dan and Jeanne from Corollary. Have I mentioned how much I adore their Sparkling wine? Have I also mentioned how they are opening a new tasting room within the next two to three months? Have I also mentioned how excited I am for them? I think I will need to have a day where I only drink Lytle-Barnett and Corollary.

Speaking of Sparkling, Kenny from Arabilis was pouring his Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. He and his wife recently had a baby, and he is out here hustling, making it happen. As I was standing at the table, another person was getting some of Kenny’s wines, and I asked her if she liked Sparkling. She answered with an, “Of course!” So, what does an A.J. do at this point? Well, he brags about how Kenny has a Ph.D. in Sparkling, and Arabilis is throwing a Derby Day party for their initial release of Sparkling at Stillwater in McMinnville (where Elizabeth Chambers used to be) on May 4th. I am pretty sure I got Kenny a new customer!

You know what? I know what I am doing now on May 4th. Besides it being Kentucky Derby Day, and May the 4th be with you, I am declaring it a day of Lytle-Barnett, Corollary, and Arabilis Sparkling indulgence. It's a good thing Cinco de Mayo is the following day. I will probably need some hair of the dog tequila.

There were so many more wines to try, but with an hour drive back home I decided to get one more pour from Dan before heading out.

With my endeavors with Block 55, I have discovered the team behind Bottle 360. Bottle 360 is a point-of-sale system like Commerce 7 and Order Port. Shortly, Block 55 will integrate with Bottle 360 to enhance the wineries' experience and allow for the overall integration of reservations and POS. The team was checking everyone out for the evening, and it was great to see them as the night ended.

You need to put this event on your calendar for next year. It is a blast. How often do you get to spend the evening out in Wine Country? There were so many other exceptional producers at the event I didn’t mention. The next time you run into anyone at Lytle-Barnett, Aubaine, Royer, Iterum, Sun Break, Vincent, Evening Land, Brooks, Dukes, Cortell Collection, David Paige, Corollary, Arabilis, please tell them about this newsletter and let them know, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Heartfelt Gratitude,

A.J.