DAnu Wines
DAnu is Galic for goddess and mother of earth, one of the oldest Celtic deities. Joe Williams, owner and winemaker, while on vacation photographed a statue of the goddess standing in a garden. Over a period of time, Joe wanted to recreate the photograph for his label. After not finding the replica he wanted, he turned to a family member who hand sketched the photograph that is still sitting on the mantel in the tasting room today. That same replicated photograph you can find on the majority of the varietal labels today.
Joe Williams has been in the restaurant field for over 30 years, making him a strong believer in the experience, memories and personal taste of the wine over tasting notes. After spending 4 harvests with Panther Creek Winery, he moved over to Carlton Cellars, where he later became Cellar manager in 2011. During that same year, DAnu Wines was created. 200 cases were produced in the inaugural harvest, 144 cases of table wine and 56 cases of Pinot Noir. Over the past 10 years production has increased to 1600-1800 cases, receiving fruit from 7 Hills Vineyard and Horse Heaven Vineyards.
From the 5 varietals, the Pinot Gris took me by surprise. Natural residual sugars still reside in the wine making it sweeter than other pinots’. From Harlow Hills Vineyard, this balanced medium bodied wine offers delightful notes of pear, melon and citrus with a light acidic finish. The Clare is named after the county in Ireland where Joe’s mothers’ family immigrated from. Though this wine was primarily fermented in a stainless steel tank, there is a small percentage of the wine that has been barrel aged to add character to the blend of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Viognier.
The Cabernet Franc shows bright strawberry and plum fruits, mild chili-pepper spice on the finish to balance it out, making it an enjoyable wine to drink both with and without food. DAnu’s Sangiovese 2016 comes from an Oregon’s small section of the Walla Walla Valley. This savory wine showcases dark fruit flavors of black cherry and plum. Finally, the Lárnách. Lárnách is Gaelic for central. DAnu Wines put this masterful blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Primitivo and Syrah together with thoughts of central Italy in mind.
DAnu’s Tasting Room is in the heart of Hillsboro, Oregon with ample amounts of seating inside, and a quaint little covered patio. There are always small plates available and for special occasions, Joe creates meal items specific for the event, unusually live music from nearby artists. Amongst the other local shops, the tasting room can be somewhat hidden, but these few varietals are only a small part of Danu’s tastings menu. It shouldn’t matter if you prefer sweet over savory, you can create a night to remember with a flavor for all palates.
