Oregon Wine Country (and beer too...)

It’s been a while but I wanted to finally post my thoughts on my visit to Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine country. Before I start, I have to say that with a full fledged family now, its become a little harder to keep up posting all my wine notes. I have the best intentions but they often drift to the wayside and un unintentionally linger for longer than I’d like.

Our trip to Oregon is a perfect case in point. My family was “dragged” to a wedding in Portland, Oregon last summer and I petitioned that we take a one day detour and visit a few wineries in Willamette Valley just south of the city.

As Oregon is known for their Pinot Noir, I made that the main focus of our tastings but I was very pleasantly surprised to see how well the whites stood out.

My thoughts are below but they’re really overall impressions more than specific notes.

First up was Archery Summit and it was one of the highlights of the trip. We felt their wines had more complexity than a lot of other wineries we tasted that first day but may have lacked some of the “nuance” that I’ve often read about and experienced in my limited Oregon experience.

We tasted their ‘06 Premiere Cuvѐe Pinot Noir, the ’05 Renegade Ridge Estate Pinot Noir, the ’06 Looney vineyard Pinot Noir, and their ’06 Arcus Estate Pinot Noir. All here very good and none were cheap by any standards. The Premiere ‘06 Premiere Cuvѐe was the lowest priced we tasted that day with a retail price of $48 while the other came in at $80+. If I had to generalize on the wines we tasted, they were concentrated with lots of fruit and a rich texture. I’m leaving out the nuances of each specific wine but by notes a little “light” in that regard.

I’m familiar with Sokel Blosser because of their “Evolution”, a non-vintage white made from nine (or so) different grapes. It’s relatively inexpensive at approximately $15, relatively available, and different from a lot of other white wines on the market. I had never tasted anything else from them until our visit.
Our line-up inliced the ’07 Dundee Hills Cuvѐe Pinot Gris, the ’07 Rosѐ of Pinot Noir, Evolution, the ’05 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Meditrina which is a non-vintage red grape blend, the ’07 Willamette Valley Early Muscat, and their ’06 Estate White Riesling Dessert Wine.

Our tasting here was mixed. While pricing was lower than most of the other wineries we visited, I also thought that most of the wines poured at Sokel Blosser were average. The two standouts included the ’05 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir which wasn’t cheap at $34 but was one of the better entry level Oregon Pinots we tasted. Strong fruit mixed in with spice, notably cinnamon, and a smooth texture. The other standout was their fantastic ’07 Willamette Valley Early Muscat which was a bargain at $20. This is a sweet wine that falls into the dessert category. Very aromatic with a strong floral and orange aroma and a texture that just coats the tongue without being clingy.

Oregon also has a reputation for crafting good sparkling wines and Argyle is the best known of these producers. With that in mind, we tried the “bubbly flight” which included the ’00 Blanc de Blanc, the ’00 Knudsen Vineyard Brut, the ’06 Brut Rose, and the ’05 Black Brut which is a red sparkler. I don’t have extensive experience with sparkling wines but I came away thinking these were good but not special. In fact I thought they should have been better than they were given the price range from $30 for the Black Brut to $40-$45 for the others. In fact, I remembered them mostly for what they were not rather than what they were, having fruity flavors and creamy textures rather than the “yeasty elegance” that I’ve had from French Bruts for this price.

We also tacked on two Pinot Noirs, the ’05 Nuthouse Pinot Noir and the ’05 Spirithouse Pinot Noir. I have to mention the prices up front here at $60 and $70 respectively. These focused on dark fruit aroma and creamy textures with the Spirithouse being slightly more balanced and refined. However, I still felt they were more average than exceptional and not worth their price tag.

At Four Graces we tasted their ’06 Pinot Gris, the ’06 Pinot Blanc, the ’06 Pinot Noir, the ’06 Pinot Noir Reserve, and the ’05 Dundee Hills Black Family Estate Pinot Noir Reverve. I know I’ve had their entry level Pinot in a restaurant setting and have liked it and that was the same at the estate with their basic bottling being the one we liked the best. At $27 it was also a relatively affordable wine too. However, both their Reserve wines were disappointments and at $42 and $75 respectively, they shouldn’t have been. In the case of their Reserve, the oak dominated the fruit while their Black Family Estate tasted sour more than anything else. However, their Pinot Gris had a creamy texture with ripe apricot and green apple flavors. It was one of the first Oregon whites that stood out to us.

Up until this point, our Willamette Valley tasting had been a mixed bag with more misses than hits. That changed the second we walked into the Eyrie Vineyard tasting room. It was just us and Mike, the tasting manager that day. Eyrie Vineyards and its proprietor David Lett were among the pioneers of Oregon viniculture and their wines tasted more reminiscent of a lighter style that was likely more in fashion 30 years ago than the bigger and bolder styles today. The man started with what he liked and stuck through it all these years. Mike was great that day as well, giving us the whole Eyrie Vineyard story and even letting us poke around the barrel rooms.
The wines poured included the ’06 Pinot Gris, ’06 Pinot Blanc, ’06 Chardonnay, ’03 Reserve Chardonnay, the ’06 Pinot Noir, the ’03 Reserve Pinot Noir, and the ’06 Black Cap Pinot Noir made by his son Jason Lett.

The ’03 Reserve Pinot Noir was unlike any other Pinot I’ve ever had before in my limited tasting experience, light and spicy with a clear focused fruit core. Unfortunately I did not take more detailed notes on the wine that day but I still remember the “wow” experience.

Their whites, both the Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, where also revelations. Rich textures mixed in with ripe fruit flavors that leave a long lasting finish.

Any trip to Portland wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of the many and multiple brewpubs in town. The region may be known for its wine but it could be argued that Portland is also the Mecca of craft beer in the US.

Unfortunately we could only fit in one brewpub visit and we made that the Deschutes Brewery. It’s actually based in Bend, OR but they have an outpost in Portland.

Here we sampled their Cascade Ale, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Inversion IPA, Black Butte Porter, Obsidian Stout, Bachelor Bitter, Green Lakes Organic Amber, Twilight Ale, X-Tap D Straat Dubbel, Altitude Amber, Sagebush Classic Pils, and the Spiced Dubbel.

All of these were the X-Tap Dubbel and the Spiced Dubbel with honorable mentions going to the Black Butte Porters, Obsidian Stout and the Bachelor Bitter.

While I feel we got an adequate sample of Oregon wines, I know we only scratched the surface of their beer culture and the little we saw was fantastic.

2005 Domaine Marcel Deiss Pinot Blanc – Bergheim - Alsace-France

To quote my wife after her first sip of this… “Wow! And I mean that in a good way!”

The 2005 Domaine Marcel Deiss Pinot Blanc – Bergheim is unlike any other Pinot Blanc I’ve ever had. To set up the point of contrast first, most Pinot Blancs I’ve had, weather from the US or Europe, tend to be light in color and body with noticeable minerality ahead of the fruit and a clear acidic zip, not really unlike a Finger Lakes Riesling.

This was different. It was a rich golden color with what I thought were honey, orange citrus and some light notes of petrol on the nose. The minerality was there as well but as a very nice and subtle secondary layer. This also had a very full bodied texture, again unlike most other Pinot Blancs I’ve had. Very mouth coating but that same acidic zip comes at the very end if you hold the wine in your mouth long enough.

Very food friendly and extremely good!

This was a wine recommendation from my friend Chris at Blanc & Rouge, a really nice wine shop in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood. The kind of place where you can tell that everyone LOVES wine. You can tell it’s a passion of everyone who works there. You can find this wine there for $22 which makes it a great QPR find.

Anyway, I’m hoping this is the first of many recommendations to come my way from Chris and the other fine people at the shop

2006 Domaine de Mirail - Côtes de Gascogne - France

The 2006 Domaine de Mirail is a great $9 value from South West France’s Côtes de Gascogne region and made with the columbard grape, the white wine workhorse grape of the region.

The wine is pale yellow in color with a predominate aroma of green apples. There might be a bit of spice too, the kind you might find in a mulled cider.

Round and smooth texture, easy to drink and good acidity to make it very food friendly. This is a simple wine to drink and not really think about. To that end, it does everything asked of it and does it well.

A good value at $9 from Sherry Lehmann and Garnet Wines.

2006 St. Innocent Pinot Gris – Vitae Vineyard – Willamette Valley – Oregon

Tasted on our recent visit to Portland, Oregon. Purchaced for $19 from a great wine shop/wine bar down the street from our hotel called Oregon Wines on Broadway.

This was straw yellow in color. Very floral with that possibly being honeysuckle or hawthorn but what the heck do I know about plant smells. (little…) Green apples are noticeable on the tongue along with apricots.

This also has a creamy texture which seems to be a hallmark of the Pinot Gris wines that I’ve liked. Medium bodied with a long finish.

Definitely worth picking up if you find it although I have never seen this one the west coast. I’ve only seen St. Innocents well made Pinot Noirs here on the east coast.

2006 Louis Michel & Fils “Montmain” – Chablis Premiere Cru – Burgundy

Straw colored wine with flinty mineral notes. There is also a nice aromatic floral essence along with some nice citrus but the “slate” really comes across the most.

There is a slightly “grassy” taste along with stone fruit but I don’t think this wine comes across as “green.”

Smooth texture with a perfect acidic touch at the end making this a great food pairing white. B. $40 at Chelsea Wine Vault.

2006 Clos de Rochers – Pinot Blanc – Luxembourg

I’m starting to get turned on by these wines from Luxembourg as evidenced from my past experience with Clos de Rochers.

Their Pinot Blanc is hay colored with a noticeable and pleasant minerality along with light citrus notes. The texture is round and creamy with apricot as the predominant stone fruit. It’s also noticeable in the taste. Medium finish.

A solid and overall excellent wine. It’s also an excellent value at $14 from Northside Wines in Ithaca, New York.

2006 Knapp – Dry Riesling – Finger Lakes

Pale yellow in color with a night light lime note mixed with flowers, green apples and nectarines.

This also has nice minerality, more prevalent on the taste than the nose. One thing about this wine though is that it lacks some crispness and the zip that I usually associate with Finger Lakes Riesling.

Still, this is a good wine. A perfect end if the summer quaffer.

This was $13 at Northside Wines in Ithaca, New York which makes it one of the more affordable Finger Lake Rieslings now-a-days. It’s a good wine and worth the price but like a said, best to think of this as a summer quaffer.

Enjoy!

2005 Arums de Lagrange – St. Julien – Bordeaux

This white Bordeaux is a lemon curd color with a wonderful floral aroma of Hawthorn (or at least that’s what I think it is – but full discloser that I’m not really all that great with plant and flower smells). It might also be Honeysuckle but again, see the aforementioned disclosure. Oak notes also make their appearance in a completely elegant and non-overbearing way. Very light citrus notes come in third. Round and slightly creamy texture but a light surprising “zip” at the end. Medium finish.

This is a fantastic wine and a solid B+. I might possible an A if it ages well. I have several bottles of this in my basement so I’ll wait and see. I also have one bottle each of the 2000 and 2004 vintages and all are different shades of yellow and gold.

I’ve had a few bottles of this since the ’05 was released last year but opened this one for my Mom as she had never had a white Bordeaux and was inspired to try one based on the recent Eric Asimov article in the New York Times.

2005 Alma Rosa – Pinot Gris – Santa Barbara County – California

Straw colored with honey suckle floral notes and evident minerality. Soft texture with peach as the dominate flavor. Accented by a touch of acidity.

Very nice and a very food friendly white for the remainder of the summer months.

Bought at the winery on vacation last year so look for the 2006 version if buying now. It can be had for $16.

2006 Sauvion - Quincy ''Les Glaneuses'' – Loire Valley

This 2006 Quincy from Sauvion is pale yellow color with nice aromas of honeydew and a touch of floral.

Crisp, clean and fresh with a touch of acidity to liven it up. Tart lemon note on the tongue - but just tart enough to enhance and not detract.

Sauvigon Blanc is the grape.

This is a perfect summer quaffer and a good food wine.

Also a good value at $12 from Sherry Lehman.

2005 Clos de Roches – Auxerrois - Luxembourg

Before talking about this wine, I have to say I thought the “shelf-talker” at Northside Wine in Ithaca was kinda funny, boasting that Clos des Rochers is “Listed as one of Luxembourg's Top 10 "Greatest Wine Producers".

Knowing that Luxembourg is basically the size of a postage stamp in comparison to pther European countries, I could halp but wonder exactly how many wineries were there in Luxembourg. Where their even 10?

A little research on the internet reveals no exact answer but I did find that there are 5 cooperative 'caves', which overall produce 70 % of Luxembourg’s wine with the rest being made up by another 20 independent wine growers. In all, there are just over 3,300 acres of vines in the country with the vast majority producing wine wine.
This is from the Auxerrois grape which can be found mainly in Alsace, the French Moselle, and Luxembourg. Admittedly, it was a grape I hadn’t had before.

The 2005 Clos de Roches – Auxerrois is pale yellow in color with a very floral nose accompanied by strong minerality and a hint of lemon zest. It has a soft overall texture with the lemons and flowers also coming through on the taste. I tried to narrow down the “flower taste”, which was actually really lovely, to something that made more sense but couldn’t come up with another apt description. It possessed nicce balance with a medium long finish. A really excellent summer white.

I thought this was a really solid value at $14 on sale from Northside Wines and still nice at its regular $16. Overall, I’d give this wine a B and would happily drink it throughout the rest of the summer.

2006 Cuvée Natalie - Brander Vineyards - Santa Ynez Valley - California

The 2006 Cuvée Natalie from Brander Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley is a pale yellow color with mineral and light lemon notes. Smooth with a roundness that some “zippier” wines might not have but… this also does have that acidic zip at the end.

This wine is a blend of 58% Sauvignon Blanc, 22% Riesling, 15% Pinot Blanc and 5% Pinot Gris. The Brander website describes the Cuvée Natalie as “An eclectic and aromatic Sauvignon-based off-dry wine, blended with Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. All stainless steel fermented and bottled early to preserve its floral perfume” and from that you might think this is a “kitchen sink” type wine where they throw in their leftover white grapes.

I doubt the Brander winemakers really feel that way and you can tell immediately that this is a quality wine for what it is, a simply summertime white that would be excellent paired with food pairing. It has the zip to stand up to some spicier dishes and a roundness that would also go well with fuller fair like salmon or possible even a cheese based pasta sauce.

We bought this at the Brander Vineyard last summer on a trip to California but were just able to drink it now. It had lost its floral essence in that time.

They have since released their 2007 for $18 or $14.40 if you are a club member. At $18 I think it’s a nice wine to try a couple times. At $14.40, I’d probably be buying a lot more of this if they sold it in New York. I’ve yet to see it here though.

2006 Chateau du Cleray - Muscadet - Sevre st Maine - Loire Valley

This 2006 Muscadet is from the Sevre et Maine region of the Loire Valley. Pale yellow color with a very minerally/slate aroma along with light lemon. Melon shows up on the taste. It’s bone dry, crisp and clean with nice balance and a medium short finish.

This was $12 from our local liquor shop near Newkirk Avenue. It also sells for $10 at Sherry Lehman. At the time I was looking for something cheap and simple and this fit the bill. The added bonus is that also reminded me of my first experience with Muscadet in Paris where we had it at the local bistros with fresh seafood. A great memory and a nice wine to bring it all back.

Serve this chilled with shellfish, preferably in Paris.

2006 Ravines Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes)

Ravines tends to be one of my favorite Finger Lake Rieslings on a yearly basis. The 2006 edition is a lighter hay color than the 2005 with strong floral notes, a more slight hint of lemon/citrus and a heavy mineral character. On the taste, there is a definite green apple character which gives the wine a bit of tartness, something I don’t think I’ve seen with this wine before. The strong minerality which might be slate, also comes across here. Medium weight with nice balance and a nice, subtle acidity. This is a solid food wine and another good effort from Ravines.

This is a good wine but I have to say that the strong green apple is somewhat of a detractor for me. I’d grade this as a B- for that reason but I still have to say that this would be great and refreshing in the heat of summer. Bought for $15 at GCP Wine and Liquors in Horseheads, New York.

2005 Louro Do Bolo – Valdeorras – Spain – Godello

This was bought at Astor in an effort to break out of my French wine rut and try something different. This is a Spanish white which I decided to try after my interest in these were peked after reading a New York Times article by Eric Asimov where he talked about white wines from the Rueda region of Spain. This is not from there. It’s from Valdeorras.

To be honest, I struck out here.

It’s golden hued with notes of caramel and banana and a certain “sweet” smell. Fuller bodied but it comes across as somewhat flat and flabby. Not complex. Medium finish that coats the mouth. This wine is not really all that great. The banana is unfortunately one of the predominate features here and the flabby texture doesn’t help.

$15 from Astor Wine.

2005 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett - Bernkasteler Badstube - Mosel-Saar –Ruwer (Guest Blogger: Lisa Bocchini)

Guest Blogger Lisa Bocchini joins us again for her take on the 2005 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett - Bernkasteler Badstube from Germany’s Mosel-Saar –Ruwer region.

The wine comes in at 9.5% alchohol and can be found at Sherry Lehmann for $20.

Nice light straw color, medium body. Floral,slightly citrus and a hint of lychee aromas. Richer than many Kabinetts, slightly effervescent. Has some sweetness without being cloying, but enough acidity to balance out the sugar. Really nice finish, with a flavor that lingers in the mouth.

Editors Note: Wanting to know more about Bernkasteler Badstube and what the phrase actually meant, I did an internet search and came up with the following from the importer Billington Wines which is located in Virginia.

“The vineyard of the Bernkasteler Doctor represents the finest tradition of grape growing. For centuries great Rieslings have been produced from this vineyard. According to legend, the Doctor vineyard was given its name in 1360 by Archbishop Boemond II of Trier when, after his doctor had given up hope on his health, he regained his strength by drinking wine from this vineyard. Bernkasteler Badstube is Germany’s smallest Grosslage (a collection of individual vineyards with similar environmental attributes that produce wines of comparable character and quality.) The Badstube (about 59 ha) covers the best-known vineyards of the Bernkastel site of Bernkastel-Kues: Lay, Graben, Matheisbildchen, Bratenhoefchen and Doctor.”

2006 4 Vines “Naked” Chardonnay – Santa Barbara County – Calif.

An unoaked chardonnay that comes from the Central Coast of California.

It’s straw yellowed colored with nice floral and lemon citrus scents with a possible touch of apricot. A medium weight wine with a relatively high 13.0% alcohol. It just shows that alcohol on the tongue and that’s the only real negative with this wine. Also on the taste, the apricot really expresses itself in a nice, bright way.

4 Vines is a new venture in Paso Robles, California which produces a line of Zinfandels, a Syrah, a Barbera, and a Tempranillo along with a couple Rhone blends in addition to its Chardonnay. I had been curious about as their Syrah and Zinfandels have been written up but are a little harder to fine on the East Coast.

The Chardonnay I found for $14 from Chelsea Wine Vault. It’s a good solid wine which I really envision as a great white alternative for a summer bar-b-que. At least that’s how I plan to use this. Overall, I give it a B.

Tasting Note: 2006 Domaine de Pouy – Côtes de Gascogne

This is one of my go to value white wines from any region in the world. Domaine de Pouy is from the Côtes de Gascogne region of France in the Southwest. It’s actually the same region where Cognac comes from. The main grape is Ugni Blanc which is also the main grape of Cognac. In this case it’s used for an affordable, dry white that packs a lot of distinct character for a great price.

The 2005 Domaine de Pouy is hay colored with floral, melon and very light citrus aroma and maybe even a hay-like smell as well. Medium bodied with mild acidity and a medium short finish. Very crisp and refreshing.

This is a C+/B- wine for me with the “extra credit” coming from a great quality-per-price ratio (QPR). It’s $8 at Sherry-Lehmann although I’ve also seen it for that price or a couple dollars more at Garnet Wine and Union Square Wines in Manhattan as well as Grand Liquors in Astoria.

PS – I’ve also written about the 2005 vintage here.

A Moldly Screwtop?

Last night I went downstairs to my basement to put a couple of wines away for safe keeping. While moving some of my other wines over to make room, I came across a Chardonnay that my wife and I had bought from a California Central Coast winery. The wine had developed mold at the base of the screwcap foil as well as the seam where the screwcap breaks off. In addition, the wine had lost about an inch of liquid compared to the bottle fills of other wines from the same winery that we bought on the trip. No other wines were affected.

I have seen mold on a cork before but never on a screw cap. It looks more like a science project or lost vegetables found in the fridge after a couple months.

I'm curious as to if anyone has seen this happen before?

Tasting Note: 2005 Domaine Didier Pabiot – Pouilly Fume

Sometimes you just don’t recall when or how a bottle of wine ended up in your possession. That’s the case with the 2005 Domaine Didier Pabiot, a white Loire Valley wine made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape.

Straw colored with a very minerally aroma that also has hints of lemon and flora. It’s very light on the lemon though with just a hint of it there. The restraint is nice. Clean crisp texture with a fresh finish. Very nice and a solid B.

As I mentioned, I can’t completely recall how I ended up with this wine but I think it came from a Brooklyn wine shop and I can only imagine it was part of an in-store tasting. I’d keep my eyes out for this one again.