I have a confession. Although I have long loved Pinot Noir, it wasn’t until January of this year that I visited Oregon’s Dundee Hills, a 12,500-acre American Viticultural Area about 30 miles southwest of Portland. I’ve spent time in the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, the Columbia Gorge, and even Portland proper, but for some reason had never made it that extra hour’s drive outside the city. So, when the Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard invited me and a friend down for the weekend, I was more than ready to explore this new-to-me wine region. I pictured morning meals at the estate followed by daytime hours spent hopping between tasting rooms, and a return in the evenings for dinner. While we did have most meals on the property (one dinner was in nearby McMinnville), we hardly left it, as the small compound—winery, restaurant, two hotel options, and a bar—provided enough activity and opportunity for relaxation to pull us into to a leisurely pace of eating, sipping, and enjoying the sun-drenched views.

Foley Entertainment (known for its portfolio of sports venues, hospitality spaces, and wine labels) purchase the Black Walnut Inn in 2022, and soon after opened the Four Graces tasting room and adjacent Anthology restaurant. Grange Estate is a more recent addition—a modern, Scandinavian-inspired farmhouse, it boasts nine large rooms overlooking the nearby vineyards, each with a cozy sitting area made complete with a tiled fireplace. All of these buildings are part of the same property, accessed from the main street by a narrow, winding private road that snakes up to a ridge overlooking the Red Hills. It’s a dramatic entrance that sets the tone for the days ahead.

The sweeping vineyards just beyond the Black Walnut Inn.

Photo courtesy of Black Walnut Inn

The backside of Black Walnut Inn overlooks the vineyards. Café tables and a firepit offer front-row perches to the view.

Photo by Aubrie LeGault / Black Walnut Inn

A spacious guest room at Grange Estate, the property’s newest, nine-room accommodation.

Photo by Aubrie LeGault / Black Walnut Inn

Our first night was spent at the Black Walnut Inn, a Tuscan-inspired bed-and-breakfast perched above row after row of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. Given our mid-January arrival, the leaves weren’t at their fullest spring splendor, but the cerulean skies, stands of dark-green Douglas fir trees, and distant views of Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson more than made up for it. Like the neighboring Grange Estate, Black Walnut Inn has nine guest rooms, with the Valley View Suites offering namesake vistas and spacious outdoor areas (balconies on the second floor and patios at ground level). Smaller, but no less inviting, the Vineyard Luxury Rooms and Wine Country Rooms are perfect options for squirreling away for a weekend with a long novel and a bottle of wine. Each room has its own charm—the kind of surprise that makes you want to book again in hopes of scoring a different room each time. (While you can book the type of room want, you won’t know the exact one you’ll be assigned until arrival.) 

Dinner that night was at Anthology at the Four Graces: an exquisite dining experience set at a prodigious counter in front of an open kitchen where chef Chase Williams held court, guiding us through the ballet of our 10-course meal. Chef Williams is a storyteller; he and sous chef Zack Ehrlich reinvent the menu every two months, focusing on a different theme (ours was Brine + Bloom), but always centering farm-fresh ingredients procured from local sources. Superlatives get thrown around a lot in the culinary world, almost to the point of meaninglessness, but this was hands-down one of the most inventive dinners I’ve ever had. 

One dish, the Farmer’s Choice, was a play on the quintessential American breakfast. Served in a hollowed-out egg shell, nestled in a bed of straw, a silky truffled bearnaise played nice with crispy potato chips, fresco chili, and a chive-and-sourdough topping (there were also maple-bacon lardons, but, alas, I don’t eat meat). An icy oyster came finished with frozen grapefruit and a grapefruit-and-Fresno kosho; perfectly seared scallops bathed in orange oil and a pear-and-jasmine broth; and a crispy-roasted sunchoke and coffee combination was earthy, rich, and comforting. We sipped on wine pairings chosen by sommelier Peter Marcy, and as the night unfolded, we rounded out the night deep in conversation with the guests—initially greeted with a small nod and smile—on both sides. As the dinner progressed and conversation opened up, we quickly found common denominators including the towns some of us grew up in and the industries in which we work.

“It’s common for people to come in strangers and leaves as friends,” chef Williams said as he welcomed us that evening, and after dinner, venturing into the chilly night to return to our rooms, we felt a sense of convivial connection. Rosy-cheeked and full, we walked down the hill for a cozy night at the Black Walnut Inn.

Chef Chase Williams preparing a meal at Anthology restaurant. Williams has been with the Black Walnut Inn property since 2017.

Photo by Aubrie LeGault / Black Walnut Inn

The next day, after a chef Williams breakfast, where we chatted with one of the couples we met at dinner the night before, our agenda included a Four Graces wine tasting and a golf cart property tour. Held in the same building as our previous night’s dinner, the tasting was a leisurely stroll through some label favorites, including a 2023 Reserve Pinot Blanc, several bottles of which came home with me. The true highlight of the weekend came later, as we carted down a small hill and a small wood shelter came into view. Here, we met Hazel and Willa, the property’s spunky little Kunekune mix potbelly pigs, as well as the goats and chickens that live onsite. 

The Four Graces tasting room and Anthology restaurant share airy, contemporary quarters outfitted with leather and wood furniture and an extensive wine library.

Photo courtesy of Four Graces

Enjoy a variety of wine flights, with optional snacks for pairing in the tasting room.

Photo by Aubrie LeGault / Black Walnut Inn

Our second night was spent in the Grange Estate, where a sense of laid-back elegance—think live-edge headboards paired with a pink velvet sofa and soft, quilted, linen—infused each room. We had dinner plans in town, but joked that we regretted it, as we didn’t actually want to leave the property. The onsite option, the Cellar, was closed that night, so we headed into McMinnville to share a tableful of Spanish tapas at La Rambla on recommendation from the concierge. Rarely have I checked into a hotel that I didn’t want to leave. Usually, I am all about getting out and experiencing as much of an area as possible, but the Black Walnut Inn and Grange Estate have seemingly cracked the code (and my go-go-go resolve) to make staying put for a few days the most enticing option.