Explore Oregon Wines: Wineries | Varietals | AVAs | Cellar 503 Selections
Natalie's Estate Winery 2017 Rock Horse Ranch Stable 39
The power of going small
Winemaker Boyd Teegarden grew up on a large family farm in Kansas, but never wanted to be a farmer. Coming out of college, he joined the mammoth E&J Gallo Winery, but worked on the business and management side.
The magic moment for Boyd and his wife, Cassandra, came when Gallo sent him to Oregon in 1995 to build relationships with grape suppliers in the Willamette Valley. Before long, they’d caught the winemaking bug and in 1999, they cashed in their retirement accounts, bought land in Yamhill County, and named their winery after their infant daughter, Natalie.
It’s ironic, but for the first four years, Gallo required Boyd to adhere to a non-compete contract that forbade him from selling wine in Oregon. A blessing in disguise, because it forced the Teegardens to develop a wide network of out-of-state distributors that put Natalie’s Estate on restaurant tables across the country. Then, in 2003, the non-compete was off and Oregonians discovered their wines, too!
As a winemaker, Boyd pursues an old-world European approach, with minimal interventions, extended barrel aging, and a focus on high-quality grapes. Pretty different from what his old pals at Gallo do!
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Natalie's Estate Winery, Newberg, Oregon
2017 Rock Horse Ranch Stable 39
This wine is a field blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese — meaning they were picked and vinified together (as opposed to vinified separately and blended after-the-fact.) And no, that’s not a common blend at all! But in Boyd Teegarden’s hands, it shines.
All red wines from Natalie’s Estate see a minimum of two years of aging in barrel before bottling, as a critical part of Boyd’s old-world winemaking style. Aged for 30 months in neutral oak barrels, this 2017 wine is their current release.
This is a big, rich red wine. The strong dark fruit qualities have softened with time. You’ll taste black cherry and hints of minerality and spice with firm tannins. And you’ll surely appreciate the integration of all the three varietals into a stellar red wine.
This wine will pair beautifully with all of the rich holiday foods on your table.
A Cellar 503 selection in December 2021, Wines for the Holidays Columbia Valley | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese
