When I met Joe Dobbes at a wine tasting recently we caught up and he shared his new story in wine. I hadn’t seen Joe for several years and he has been busy working on his new winery since the sale of Dobbes and Wines By Joe — two Oregon wine brands that were both wildly successful.
Joe Dobbes has been growing vines at his Orchard House estate and now makes wine from his home vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Dobbes has a longstanding history in the industry which began in the mid-80s in West Germany as an apprentice at Weingut Erbhof Tesch. He then trained in France under Christope Roumier of Domaine G. Roumier and Dominque Lafon of Domaine des Comptes Lafon before returning to Oregon, with stints at Elk Cove and others.
The Orchard House estate was purchased in 2018 and the site has Sauvignon Blanc which was first planted in 2021. The wines were seriously good across the board. They are making some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in Oregon. I adored the 2024 ‘Oak Grove Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc (OB, 92) which is really complex and big on the mouth with serious volume. I loved the single clonal wines from his estate but the best wine I tasted was one that combined two vineyards. The 2021 ‘Eola Bench’ Pinot Noir (OB, 95) has magical flavor complexity and is just such a joy to drink right now. Learn more about this outstanding house at https://iterumwines.com/ and here are my reviews of the new Iterum wines.
2019 Iterum ‘Orchard House Vineyard’ Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine- Creamy and soft on the mouth, the 2019 ‘Blanc de Blancs’ is very astringent, showing loads of minerality on the palate. Lemon rind and shades of gooseberry fill the palate alongside loads of mouth-watering acidity. Refined and elegant, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 91
2020 Iterum ‘Orchard House Vineyard’ Sparkling Rose- Made from Pinot Noir grapes, the 2020 Rose delivers loads of bright red fruits that parade with salty minerals and nutty accents on the palate. Elegant and smooth with bright acidity, enjoy now. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2024 Iterum ‘Orchard House Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- The 2024 Iterum ‘Orchard House Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc comes off fresh and smooth with bright acidity. Pear and green apple notes combine with honeysuckle water and shades of green melon on the palate. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2024 Iterum ‘Old Friend Oak Grove Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- The really good 2024 Iterum ‘Old Friend Oak Grove Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc comes off fat and round on the mouth with a terrific sense of mouthfeel and texture. Ripe papaya and orchard fruits parade with lemon rind and white tea accents on the palate. Drink 2025-2033- 92
2021 Iterum ‘Arlyn Vineyard’ Chardonnay- The really good 2021 Iterum ‘Arlyn Vineyard’ Chardonnay is soft and mineral-laden on the mouth, loaded with bright pear and peaches alongside lime zest, salty soils and shades of pie crust on the palate. Drink 2025-2032- 92
2021 Iterum ‘Orchard House Estate Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Very elegant, the sensational 2021 Iterum ‘Orchard House Estate Vineyard’ Chardonnay delivers a seamless mouthfeel, loaded with tension and salty minerals on the mid-palate. Rich honeydew melon and Japanese pear flavors combine with baking spices and shades of cashew nut on the palate. Drink 2025-2035- 94
2021 Iterum ‘Eola Springs Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2021 ‘Eola Springs Vineyard’ comes from these older Pinot Noir plantings in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. This comes off silky smooth, dense and complex, with layers of red currants and wild blackberry woven together with salty soils and orange zest on the palate. Drink 2025-2038- 94
2021 Iterum ‘Qualhurst Estate Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- coming from the Chelahem Mountains AVA, this 2021 Pinot Noir offers concentrated boysenberry and black cherry flavors that mingle well with salt dusted tangerine, and shades of black truffle crudo. Very complex, neatly textured and generous, enjoy now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2025-2038- 94
2021 Iterum ‘Arlyn Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Coming from old plantings of Pinot Noir, the 2021 ‘Arlyn Vineyard’ delivers damp soils and wet rock alongside wild blackberry and shades of white pepper on the nose. The palate is seamless and soft, as this is already drinking beautifully now at the four year mark. Medium to full-bodied, and loaded with texture alongside bright acidity, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2038- 94
2021 Iterum ‘Clone 114 Orchard House Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- All clone 114, this 2021 Pinot Noir comes off very pretty with red rose petals that connect well with intense red fruits and shades of kumquat zest on the nose. The palate is equally pretty and soft with a great sense of tension and mouthfeel. Gorgeous now, watch this elegant Pinot Noir evolve over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2025-2038- 94
2021 Iterum ‘Clone 115 Orchard House Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The outstanding 2021 Iterum ‘Clone 115 Orchard House Vineyard’ Pinot Noir shows off pretty red florals on the nose with pastry crust, damp salty earth and fresh sage. The palate is bright and juicy, loaded with pomegranate, strawberry, red cherry and red raspberry fruit flavors. Easy-drinking and delicious, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2038- 94
2021 Iterum ‘Eola Bench Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2021 ‘Eola Bench Vineyard’ comes from 40% from their Orchard House Vineyard and 60% from Symonette Vineyard which is down the hill fro the Iterum estate. This is marvelous in terms of flavor density and flavor range, showing wafts of white truffle and salty/rocky soils which mingle well with a fabulous melange of red and dark fruits, with methol and orange peel accents. Complex and delicious to enjoy now, enjoy over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2025-2038- 95