Abbey Road Farm makes the case

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Pinot Noir is the shining star of Willamette Valley. More recently, Chardonnay has also received well-deserved attention. The out-sized success of these varieties, along with Pinot Gris, has, however, largely overshadowed other varieties. Abbey Road Farm in Carlton, Oregon is one the wineries exploring the area’s full potential.

“I think we’re setting an example in some ways,” says Blair Trathen, director of winemaking at Abbey Road Farm. “We’ve got all these varietals that are out there and can grow to full physiological ripeness.”

Located in the Yamhill-Carlton appellation, Abbey Road Farm is an 82-acre property, with 45 acres planted to grape vines. The vineyard was established in 2017. There are 16 varieties planted, including seldom seen offerings in the Northwest like Trousseau Gris, Godello, Pinot Meunier, Mondeuese, Gamay, and Gruner Veltliner.

Blair Trathen, Abbey Road Farm. Photo by John Valls.

Trathen is a native of New Zealand and worked harvests in his native country, in South Africa, Long Island, and Australia before settling in the Willamette Valley. There, he interned at Archery Summit, Patricia Green, and Beaux Freres before taking an assistant winemaker position at A to Z Wineworks. Trathen subsequently worked as head winemaker at Shea Wine Cellars before joining Abbey Road Farm in January of 2022.

Even with experience that spans multiple continents and producers, Trathen says wrapping his arms around what Abbey Road Farm has to offer has been a learning experience. “We have 16 different varieties, a lot of things that are not that common in the Willamette Valley, a lot of things that aren’t really that common in New World winemaking to be honest, and things that I just had no experience with making, let alone even really drinking,” he says. Trathen spent a significant amount of time tasting examples of some of these less common varieties from around the world to better understand them.

The new 2023 vintage releases from Abbey Road Farm, reviewed below include Godello, Trousseau Gris, Gruner Veltliner, Aligoté, Chenin Blanc, and Gamay Noir. All of them are compelling. In his short time at the winery, Trathen says Gamay is already starting to stand out.

“I feel like the Gamay that’s grown on this property, I think it has a lot of potential,” Trathen says.

Some of the varieties at Abbey Road Farm are made in miniscule quantities, and the winery only makes 5-6,000 cases annually. Still, Abbey Road Farm is a proving ground for new directions in the valley and is already showing the potential.

“It’s a fun place to be around all these different wines,” Trathen says. “The world is saturated with Chardonnay and Pinot. Why not?”

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At Northwest Wine Report, all scores come from blind tastings in varietal/style sets. Read more about this site’s process for rating and reviewing wines. See the Northwest Wine Report rating system and special designations. Read about how to interpret scores. See a list of recently reviewed producers.

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