Willamette Valley

Feast on THIS!

I first found out about Cana’s Feast Winery when touring around the WIllamette Valley last fall. I didn’t pay it much attention, as we drove by on our way to a Pinot Pit Stop, primarily because they made other wines that weren’t on my hit list. Bu also because I was overwhelmed with other deliciousness. I finally woke up when my friend and fellow wine blogger started working there. Well! Fortunately for me, Tamara was able to send me samples as part of her marketing job, and I received a bottle of the 2008 Meredith Mitchell Pinot Noir.

I wasn’t very happy with this wine at first, because it was very woody, and suffered from a bitter quinine aftertaste that just didn’t sit right with me for an Oregon Pinot. There was some burnt sugar and earth, and it was overwhelmed with dusty baking spice. Where was the fruit? Where was the PINOT in this Pinot?

Well, far be it for me to throw away wine. It’s just not in my making to dump Pinot! So I left it, for about an hour, corked but not completely closed. When I came back to it, it was beginning to wake up but there really wasn’t any THERE there if you know what I mean. Oh well. Fortunately, the next night, since I already had two open bottles of Pinot, both from Willamette, I was able to re-taste it. What a different a day makes! Now, I tasted bright cherries, pomegranate, cranberry. There was my red fruit! There was my acid! It really opened up nicely, and turned in to a wine that I very much enjoyed. The lesson here is DECANT DECANT DECANT! It needs some serious air to show her true colors. I’d also cellar this for at LEAST 2 years to get the full benefit.

Which brings up an interesting point. When I was poking around in September, I really didn’t like the 08 Pinots coming out of Willamette. They were just too ripe, too big, too Russian River, bordering on Sta Rita Hills. Gasp! Shock! Horror! That wasn’t what Oregon was supposed to be! WHere was my Burgundy? Where was my restrained style and light body? I was sadly disappointed. That said, here were are 6 months later; I’ve been tasting several of the 08s, as they are the current release for the most part. My my my what a little bottle age will do! They are improving, slowly but surely. I think 2008 might not be such a bad year after all…

This bottle of Oregon Crack was supplied by my dealer at Cana’s Fest. Thanks guys!

A little vertical

Jan 14th, 2011

by winebratsf.

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I walked by the TWELVE Wines tasting room in McMinnville, OR last Labor Day weekend, but didn’t get the chance to pop by since we were on our way to meet my dear friends from Republic of Jam, Lynnette & Amy.

As luck would have it, I was contacted by their PR rep, and received samples of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Pinot Noir 144 to taste. Yay! Twelve Wines is a family owned winery in the Yamhill-Carlton area of the Willamette Valley AVA in Oregon, where they have 11 acres of Pinot Noir planted.

First up, I opened the 2005 Pinot Noir 144 after a long day of spring cleaning. Sipping away in a long bubble bath while reading about Spain, I really enjoyed the boldness of the wine on a cold San Francisco day. the trick with bold Pinots is that they don’t really evote a Pinot Noir feeling however. This wine is 50% Pommard clone, 17% Wadenswil clone, and 33% 115 clone. It was 100% destemmed, and fermented in 50% new French Oak for just shy of a year. This was a big Pinot, with flavors of cranberry, dark strawberry and rich raspberry with some strawberry jam, with huge cherry pie filling. I detected a bit of cola nut as well as some strong dark plum characteristics. I’d TRY this if you’;re curious about the area, but you might save your money for the later vintages. I enjoyed this wine, but prefer my wines from Oregon to be a bit more Burgundian in style, and not so much Santa lucia highlands. there was an unexpected smoke to this, and it was way to full bodied for my expectation of Oregon.

In contrast, the 2006 has a much higher acidity and a lot more zing. This is somewhat surprising given that 2006 was quite a warm year in the willammette and the ABV is over 14%. There were a lot of bright cranberry, hibiscus, and raspberry flavors, followed by a touch of violets and spice rack, with some root beer and bark, and a touch of vanilla. It was much lighter than the 2005, but stil had a medicum body with crisp acidity. I think it was great with food and would BUY it if i found it on the shelf.

As luck would have the wines kept getting better and better. nowing that, for hte most post, Oregon is known to have the best vintages in odd years, I was looking forward to the 2007. I certainly was not dissapoitned as this was my favorite of the three by far. It was was classically burgundain, iwth lovely acidity and bright red fruit. The spice notes were earthy and forest floor, and it was simploy a lovely example of what I love about Oregon wines. big bright red cherries and a touch of nutmeg were clearly present, but it almost tasted older than an 07, in the very best way. this is a MUST BUY for me and is still affordable for this quality of wine. This is a wine that you MUST BUY if you are in the area and are a Pinotphile!

I fully expect great things to continue to come from TWELVE Wines, and really look forward to seeing what else they come up with. They also make a Pinot Gris, and I look forward to tasting that when i thaw out.

Happy drinking, and I look forward to bringing you more pinot nori from the 2011 Pinot Noir Summit in Feburary!

No people were harmed in my desire to run to the nearest Pinot Noir, but these wines were provided as samples.

Back on the wagon?

Oct 19th, 2010

by winebratsf.

3 comments

photo provided by Chow Studios

Holy cow! Where has the time gone? I’m not quite sure how this happened, but it’s almost Halloween, and I find myself struggling for words. I know I know, it’s a shocking turn of events for this Gemini gal, who basically blogs because she likes to talk. Truth be told, between work, events, friends, breaking my first bone, catching the crud in the hospital when said bone was being fixed, and feeling overwhelmed, I haven’t been blogging like I used to. I apologize for that, but I have lost my mojo. I havent’ stopped drinking however, since I frankly find Pinot NOir a better pain killer than vicodin and since the combination of those two might permanently delay my wine adventures, I choose Pinot noir.

So here goes: My medication, as found in Oregon, over Labor Day weekend at Lemelson Vineyards. Naturally, I wanted to go to Lemelson because they made a wine especially for me, Thea’s Selection! Lemelson Vineyards produces Pinot Noir (as well as Pinot Gris and Chardonnay) from 7 estate vineyards, which are all Certified Organic. the winery’s location just east of Carlton, Oregon in the Willamette valley AVA is on a meandering country road which combines rural farm agriculture with vineyards, making it a diverse and beautiful area to explore.

First and foremost, let’s talk about my wine. The 2007 Thea’s Selection Pinot Noir is the benchmark blend for the vintage, and is made of a combination of six mature vineyards. It had a dark ruby red color, and flavors of black cherry, rhubarb, and black pepper as well as bright cherry, and blackberry followed by earthy spice. It really opened up after a few minutes in the glass, and the majority of the bold fruit blows off, leaving a clearly Burgundian style wine with earth & spice. This is MUST BY, particularly since I got a case of the 07 during and end of vintage sale. And to show off my name on a wine bottle obviously!

The follow up vintage of Thea’s Selection, 2008, was very similar but brighter than the 07. The first impression was bright cherry, earth, and freshly ground cinnamon. it was clearly a forest floor influence with mushrooms and dusty spices, but it wasn’t funky. the dark plums and dark red fruit were more present than in the 07, with a lot of cherry pie and baking spice. This is a STRONG BUY, especially fi you try the vintages side by side.

The 2008 Six vineyards was designed to be a restaurant wine, particularly for a by the glass program; this was an easy drinking, smooth and mellow wine. I enjoyed it but found it a big pedestrian if I were to buy a bottle. It’s made from six mature vineyards, and is a light translucent ruby red. It was very light, and had cranberry, rhubarb, and dusty nutmeg flavors. It’s a great VALUE so i would TRY this if you are looking for an everyday wine ~$20.

2007 Meyer Pinot Noir shows as quite acidic, with leaner, stronger red fruit flavors. The 07 vintage had strage weather in Oregon, and early rains caused some challenges. This had flavors of wild strawberry, raspberries and baking spices with some cola. It was lean and quite austere, with a luscious and bright with a long clean finish. There was a lot of minerality on the finish, and it was very different than the others. This is also a STRONG BUY.

The 2008 Meyer was an ideal vintage. It was hotter, so this wine is more reminiscent of a Russian River wine to me; I found a caramel chocolate finish, with big bold root beer and cola notes surrounded the cherry and strawberry jam base. It finished dry with dusty nutmeg. The bold fruit forward style gave way to a classic Oregon wine, which I would BUY again if I found it.

2007 Stermer Vineyard Pinot was very bright and light. The raspberreis and cherries showed first, with rose petals and cranberry right behind. There was just a hint of earthy spice and red apple lingering. TRY this wine for variety. While I liked the 07, I did NOT enjoy the 2008 Stermer and I would AVOID that one.

The 2007 Cuvee X Pinot Noir is a blend made up of 99% Meyer Vineyard. It comes from the highest elevation of the vineyard, and was picked before the rain in 07, and aged in 100% new French oak, which, in my opinion, overwhelmed the wine. I didn’t like it and if you are not an oak monster, I’d AVOID it.

2008 Jerome Reserve Pinot is a blend of the six mature vineyards, where the most age worthy selections of wines are hand selected for blending and aging. This was an interesting wine, and I’d HOLD on to it for a fe years to see how the sarsaparilla and root beer flavors give way to the black cheery spice. It’s a baby, but I can see a lot of potential.

All in all, I really enjoyed my visit to Lemelson, and can’t wait to open up my case of wine!

Have you had these wines? What did YOU think?

Grace, Hope, Charity, Faith

Aug 31st, 2010

by winebratsf.

6 comments

Maybe those are the Four Graces. I’m not quite up on my religious mythology, but I do know that The Four Graces Winery in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon shares the winemaking talents of Laurent Montalieu with Solena Estate. You can read more about that HERE and HERE, but to refresh your memory, Laurent hails from Bordeaux, which is not exactly known for it’s Pinot Noir making prowess. Enter Laurnet, who shook things up and moved to Oregon to make Pinot Noir, and a star was born.

Since I know that I adore Solena’s vineyard selection Pinot Noirs, as well as their blends and Pinot Gris, I was exited to receive this bottle of Four Graces in my sample bin. Last night, I sat down to taste it. Ok drink it.

The 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is subtle, and a bit muted in the glass. It has a lot of Oregon terroir, what I consider it anyway, and tastes of sticks and earth, with mushroom undertones. It’s a smoothly elegant wine, with well integrated oak that adds class and doesn’t take away from the dark red fruit of the wine. The longer this wine sits in the glass, the juicer the red berries in it become. Tons of strawberry, raspberry and bright red cherry fruit are layered with cinnamon, wood smoke, and even a touch of rhubarb pie. This wine is really growing on me as an example of Oregon Pinot that is easily approachable. For $29, I’d definitely BUY this as a great entry point example to Oregon wine. the soft corners make it approachable and plush. the low 13.75 ABV make it easy to sip the whole bottle!

If you’re looking to learn about Oregon Pinot Noir, I’d try to find this wine as one of your educational experiments. It’s just a ncie sipper for after work, before dinner, or relaxing at a picnic.

The Grace-ful people at The four Graces generously sent me this wine to sample. I’m glad they did because the bottle is almost empty!

I’m gone! To Ore-gon…

Jul 8th, 2010

by winebratsf.

7 comments

Being a California girl, while I have spent some time diving up the coast and meandering through Ashland, I have not spent a lot of time in Oregon. I have spent even less time examining the finer points of Oregon wines, specifically Oregon Pinot. Those of you who have known my taste buds know that I am a pinotphile and I usually reach for a pinot before any other red wine these days. As a local to the Northern California, I have access to some amazing wines. Recently, however, I have had the opportunity to do some in depth exploration of Oregon wines and have fallen in love. Again.

It all started with a little blogger conference in Walla Walla. Having the choice to fly in to Seattle or Portland, I chose Portland since I had several friends in the area, and I was dying to meander through Oregon wine country. Enter my friends at Solena Estate, and a mini WBC blogger tour of Willamette Valley was born. My Oregon wine friends put together a blogger tour of the area that would seek to educate, palate tease,

and giggle our way through the area.

First, let’s just kick off the day by saying that our transportation was not your typical wine country bus. I knew something was up when Lynnette said “you’ll know your vehicle when you see it”. Enter Double Decker PDX, a new tour company that (poor chaps) agreed to take thier maiden voyage with us to wine country. Sitting on top of the old London Transport double decker bus, fully outfitted in leather seats, a wine cooler, and Froot Loop Donuts from VooDoo Donuts, we were off to visit the wine country in blogger style.

Our first stop was the new Grand Cru property of Solena Estate Winery. This property is where the winery was founded, and as we took a tour around, we were treated to a bit of history from Laurent & Danielle Montalieu, the owners of this beautiful property. Solena was founded in 2000 when Laurent & Danielle purchases the “Wedding Vineyard”, 80 acres of rolling hillside vineyards. Instead of a gift registry, the couple asked people to buy them pinot noir vines – a novel gift idea, and one I might steal if I ever get married with 80 acres of land on my hands. The result was 80 pinot noir vines with 6 different clones, and the Estate Vineyard was born.

Down in the barrel room, Laurent had a surprise for us in 6 barrel samples of the 2009 Pinot Noirs, from various vineyards. Handing each of us our own personal thief (a dangerous proposition if I’ve ever seen one), we were allowed to wander free sampling six wines, with several of them having wood variations. The barrel tasting experiences isn’t new to most bloggers, however, the ability to taste all six pinot noirs side by side, with a few extra tastings of wood variations, really gave us food for thought and interesting conversation topics. My personal favorites were the Guadalupe and Hyland Vineyards, but we also tasted the Thistle, Kaltia, and Monks Gate Vineyards. In the end, I performed some blending experiments and came up with some truely unique and Oregonian examples of Pinot Noir that I would be proud to bottle myself.

Once we had sufficiently mastered the art of using a wine thief, something I personally needed no education in, we went upstairs to the beautiful event space for lunch. Here, we were treated to four courses, each paired with a Solena wine, with an extra pinot thrown in for good measure. Yes, I was lucky – I sat across from Danielle, and once the girls get talking…well you know . Wine flows and all that.

First: Early Summer Corn Soup / 2008 ElvenGalde Chard

The sweet creaminess of the corn and the salty smoke of the pancetta paired beautifully with the crisp minerality of this chard. For this non chard drinker, I really loved this wine, with tons of citrus and spice.

Second: Plank-Roasted Wild Salmon / 2007 Domaine Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir (Wedding Vineyard)

This wine shows it’s true colors of cedar, earth, and mushrooms with a backbone of bright red fruit. No fruit bomb, it’s chewy spice and cloves really went well with the fennel in the salmon.

Third: Grilled Cascade Flat Iron Steak (or Lentil Loaf, which I’m sorry to say was the wrong choice) / 2008 Hyland Pinot Noir

Has all of the Burgundian charachter that I expect in an Oregon pinot noir. Perfumed and delicate, it stood up to the meat (that I stole off of Melanie’s plate)

Fourth Rosemary & Fleur de Sel Shortbread, Oregon Berries, Bellweather Farms Carmony / 2008 Late Harvest Riesling

Dessert! Need I say more?

The pairings were simply masterful and many of us savoured each pariing wine. Fortunately, Danielle made sure we were well stocked and that our glasses were never empty, so we were able to top off any wines that were low. Err, well, at one point that was all of them. My favorite pairing was the Salmon, which was simply divine, both with the Chard and the Pinot. Kudos to Chef Matt Howard for really showing us what all the options for Pinot Noir can be – it’s not just for pork and fish!

What I learned was, the Pinot Noirs of the Willamette are varied and nuanced, and when you have a warm year, they closely resemble those wines from the Russian River and Santa Lucia Highlands. There is more in the Willamette than Pinot NOir, and there are many sub appellations that are very unique within the larger AVA. Please go givist Oregon and discover for yourself! Solena welcomed us with a red carpet expereince, and loved that we were all so excited to be there. While I have tasted some of the wines before, the unique opportunity to taste so many different pinot noirs in one place really inspires me. Solena has two tasting rooms: One in the tiny town of Carlton, in the Yamhill-Carlton district, and the new Grand Cru property. Please make sure you take the time to stop by if you are in the Willamette!

Stay tuned for Bloggerpalooza Part 2: Soter Winery

E is for Elk!

May 21st, 2010

by winebratsf.

2 comments

Somewhere along the way of my Alphabet Challenge, I lost my path and started speaking in tongues, which made my order slightly questionable. Well, I’m back, from outer space, and am restarting with the letter E.

E is for Elk Cove Pinot Noir, from the Willamette Valley appellation in Oregon. Now, i am new to the world of Oregon Pinot Noir, and i find it very much hit or miss. for the most part, I enjoy the subtle earthy spice that Oregon Pinot displays, but sometimes it can be over the top. The Elk Cove Willamette Pinot Noir is a blend of several vineyard sites, and aims to show the best of their style off.

Elk Cove Vineyards was founded in 1974 by Pat and Joe Campbell, which marks it as one of Oregon’s oldest vineyards. They specialize in Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir, and has several single vineyard Pinot Noirs in addition to the Willamette Valley blend. This blend was an interesting beast, because when I first tasted it there were overwhelming notes of earth, musty leaves, mushrooms, bark, smoke, and dark raspberry. I wasn’t that impressed, but enjoyed the hidden pomegranate and nutmeg flavors. I found it a bit too nutty for me however, until i put it down for 30 minutes to enjoy letter G (you’ll have to wait to see that one). After opening up in the glass, the overwhelming bark had blown off to reveal rich cherry and raspberry flavors, with a touch of dark cocoa. Considering the ~$20 price tag, this is a