TN: Oregon Notes.

WINE TALK
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OREGON NOTES. - (8/5/2016-8/26/2016)

Notes from the trip. Huge thanks to Paul Cunningham for arranging these tastings and also letting me try many of the wines from his cellar.
the notes are brief but i hope they may be useful to some of you.

Revelations from the trip (from a person who used to own almost no chard): Oregon Chard - it isnt just there…it is very good. and when handled with care - perhaps can compete with some of the best in the world (to my taste).
The Dinner Wines
These are Oregon wines tasted at 2 offlines as well as a few dinners. One of these was a Dungeness Crab picnic at Johan Vineyards - hosted by Paul W. The other - a generous offer to cook for us by Vincent F. after a long day of tasting in the WV. both times we felt like family and really at home. I didnt get to all the wines (and i was driving) this many of the notes are rather brief.

Cameron wines - to me had the feel of LdH rioja. not just in the funk but is the fruit. will be looking for more. See chard revelations below as well.

  • 2014 Holden Wine Company Chardonnay Johan Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/5/2016)
    Lemon, zest, bit mineral. Mid is mineral. Bright. Touch of butter on back palate. Good ripe fruit in mid. Bit of white peach. Long finish. Zest. Good bitter note. Very dry. (91 pts.)
  • 2012 Minimus Wines Chardonnay No. 6 Dijon Free Johan Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/6/2016)
    Beautiful. Really showing the potential of Oregon Chardonnay. crushed stone , citrus, zest, bright mineral notes over white flowers and lemony-lime fruit. I can drink this all day ! (93 pts.)
  • 2013 Johan Vineyards Chardonnay Visdom - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/6/2016)
    Vanilla. Rich ripe fruit. tropical. There is something here but the oak is hammering the beautiful fruit. (88 pts.)
  • 2012 Johan Vineyards Chardonnay Konkret - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/6/2016)
    What a difference!! Bright citrus fruit. Powerful aromatics of white flowers and touch of zest. Loads of mineral notes in mid. long zesty finish. delicious! (92 pts.)
  • 2012 Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Nils Reserve - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/6/2016)
    Dark. Brooding black cherry. Earthy tones. Power in the mid with black cherry leading the way. A rustic powerhouse pinot. (91 pts.)
  • 2011 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay Arthur - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/26/2016)
    hay/grass notes, lemon curd, citrus and zest. good body. very good wine! hmm… oregon chard may be the chard we like most? (90 pts.)
  • 2013 Tripod Project Riesling Deep Probe LaGae Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/26/2016)
    insane. all the naming connotations aside… this is an excellent riesling! peachy and ripe with notes of botrytis and honeyed apples, green apples closer to the back and a long tart finish. delicious! WOW … (92 pts.)
  • 2013 Brooks Pinot Noir Rastaban - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/5/2016)
    Ripe nose. Cherry sour cherry. Spice. Touch of cola. Warm spices. Light. Pretty floral mid. Rose petal. Bit of grip. Sweet fruit on back. Long spicy finish. Very good. (93 pts.)
  • 2012 Cameron Pinot Noir Arley’s Leap - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/6/2016)
    Geek wine alert. Imagine if Lopez de Heredia made Oregon pinot…this would be it. Sweet and sour red cherry. Funky nose. Mid is bright refreshing and begging you to take another sip. Love this style! (93 pts.)
  • 2009 Cameron Pinot Noir Abbey Ridge - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/7/2016)
    Cherry, cola, funky - once again I get LdH notes. This is a richer fruit year - notes of ripe sweet cherry heading toward liquor. Sexy mid with ripe black cherry while staying fresh. Touch of a.grip on the back. Once again - rioja meets pinot (93 pts.)
  • 2005 McKinlay Pinot Noir Special Selection - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/5/2016)
    Ripe nose. Red fruit. Liquer cherry. Sweet marochino cherry. Ripe mid. Rich sweet cherry. Resolved. Good grip of acid. Long sweet finish with touch of nutmeg. (92 pts.)

WillaKenzie Experiment
This was at Paul C’s house - who let us taste through this experiment. i dont think i have ever had the opportunity to play the clone game before and it was both educational and fun. as the scores show - i loved the 777 clone the most. quite impressive differences in these wines! thanks again.

Glenn Levine and the throwback night
first of all - here is the best part of the wine community - a stranger is welcomed into someone’s home like family, sharing dinner and amazing vinous treasures. This is what wine community should be all about. and i look forward to the chance to repay the kindness here in NYC. Glenn’s offer to open some “oldies but goodies” could not be refused by any sane individual. all three showed very young and impressively powerful. the Ridge took my heart though i found Hanzell very impressive (i dont think anyone needs to worry about Pichon’s place in the wine world)

  • 1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (8/26/2016)
    sweet, young fruit. bright and amazingly refreshing. back palate still has some big tannins. true claret - elegant and making the food shine along with the wine. (93 pts.)
  • 1986 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (8/26/2016)
    my first ever Monte Bello. wow. very Bdx in build, powerful fruit, black fruit with elegance and clarity, cinnamon, sweet berries and herbs on the finish. excellent in every way. (94 pts.)
  • 1984 Hanzell Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (8/26/2016)
    cherry, earth, deeply aromatic, mid has lovely cherry and earth tones, sweet berry and herbal touch. impressively young. def a surprise… (92 pts.)

the “Others”
these are wines that i and others brought that do not fit into the “Oregon” category so i put them here. Shout out to #LivingintheFasslane :slight_smile:

  • 2008 Martin Müllen Trarbacher Huhnerberg Riesling Spätlese trocken - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (8/7/2016)
    Mosel nose. White peach, floral. Mid of Ginger, grapefruit, mineral. Good finish. Nice acidity. Well made trocken. Quite youthful - interested in seeing it evolve. (92 pts.)
  • 2014 Weltner Rödelseer Schwanleite Sylvaner Trocken “Alte Reben” - Germany, Franken (8/8/2016)
    Nose of mineral and white peach. Touch of rs in mid. Young and needs time. Great acidity on the finish. Spicy and zesty. Very good - again ! Need to not touch these ! (91 pts.)
  • 2015 Paumanok Sauvignon Blanc Minimalist - USA, New York, Long Island, North Fork (8/6/2016)
    Excellent and unique. Deeply golden in color. Ripe peach and tropical fruit. Powerful mid - needs a bit more time to calm down. Broad, big tropical fruit. Good acidity and long finish with touch of banana and zest. Delicious. (92 pts.)
  • 2006 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (8/6/2016)
    IMO this is too young. Tons of potential though bit showing a bit wide without the precision one hopes for. On the other hand it delivered on absolutely stunning array of fruit. Ripe apricot and peaches on the nose. Mid has a lovely kick of Ginger and apples under the big fruit which is leaning tropical at the moment. Acidity is not showing through but it is there. IMO - hold. (92 pts.)
  • 2010 La Conreria d’Scala Dei Priorat Les Brugueres - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (8/6/2016)
    Bright. White peach and pears. Stony minerality. Spicy finish with a kick of acidity. Perfect on a warm summer day! (90 pts.)
  • 2007 Weingut Clemens Busch Pundericher Marienburg Fahrlay Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (8/26/2016)
    showing a touch of botrytis with deep apricot notes, great power but extremely tight at the start. with time - more mineral and clearly starting to show its stuff. give it air? (91 pts.)

Vincent Fritzsche
It was great to get the chance to taste the wines in the cellar with Vincent. I have already gotten on the bandwagon - i think Vincent is making excellent wines that will shine with age. In addition to the wines below we got to taste a ton of different barrels - which is always fun. His 2015s show serious promise and the chardonnay was a stunner. Here again we got to play the clone game and to see the differences clones and vineyards can have on the wine. Vincent’s wine all have an earthy note that, IMO, will show more as the wines age and will give them the elegance i love in pinot.

  • 2014 Vincent Pinot Noir Eola - Amity Hills - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (8/26/2016)
    sweet cherry, cola, rhubarb and earth. sweet and sour cherry mid. with touch of spice and cranberry on the finish. young and bright. potential to develop here. crazy qpr (90 pts.)
  • 2014 Vincent Pinot Noir Bjornson Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (8/26/2016)
    very young - but tons of big delicious fruit. black cherry, earth, great grip on the mid. long finish. give this time. (92 pts.)
  • 2014 Vincent Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (8/26/2016)
    redder color. bing cherry, boysenberry nose. big chewy and rustic mid leads to a back palate of earthy and cooler fruit. great balance and this will get redder with time (rather than black fruit) put it away! cant wait to open this 5-10 down the road! (92 pts.)

Kelley Fox
How does one explain these wines or the hands that make them? ethereal? otherworldly? earthy to the core?
Kelley’s wines tastes the most of Oregon to this amateur. they have a sense of place that no other wines showed (this is not a knock on others - virtually all the wines we had showed “terroir” …but here there was some “OTHER” connection that i cannot possibly verbalize)
We met at the historic Maresh vineyard and i cannot see meeting in any other way than under the trees and by the vines. (btw the blackberries here are just amazing!)
Between talking about philosophy, poetry and pinot, one quickly got the sense of the depth involved in both the person and the wines.
I love them. every one of them. And i know there are many more bottles of Kelley’s wines in my future. And, hopefully, many more chances to meet and talk.

  • 2014 Kelley Fox Wines Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/26/2016)
    elegance in a glass. very young but deep notes of rhubarb and spicy cherry. light, bright mid. finish with baking spice tones. this to me tasted of Oregon more than any other pinot. but i am no expert. love it. (92 pts.)
  • 2014 Kelley Fox Wines Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard Red Barn Blocks - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/26/2016)
    WOW. sweet baking spices, cinnamon, sour cherry and earth notes. very tight at this stage but so much there… big mid with tannic grip and elegance of a boxer. endless finish. no words. well…not enough words :slight_smile: (93 pts.)
  • 2014 Kelley Fox Wines Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville (8/26/2016)
    bing cherry, riper and sweeter. chocolate covered cherries. riper mid as well leaning to black cherry. richer but exceptionally balanced. needs time. (92 pts.)

Biggio Hamina
Meeting Todd Hamina and drinking with him was like meeting a mad scientist in his laboratory. Lady Caroline Lamb once said of Lord Byron “Mad, bad and dangerous to know!” … and i think this applies…for who else ages Syrah in barrel for 57 months!! These were not wines for the faint of heart - they were fighters, ready to pounce with bright fruit, brighter acidity and so much life! Thanks again to Todd for sharing the wines and the stories and i do hope we get together in NYC!

Eyrie
the Old Faithful. Class, elegance, age… these wines defy time and the Pinot Gris defies genre as well! the pinots showed “european elegance” …they are wines to have with dinner that will play well with any food, enhance it, but never overpower it. the 1998 pinot we had

  • 2014 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris Original Vines - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/26/2016)
    WOW… pinot gris? really??? deeply aromatic, pear/apple notes, sexy zesty mid. notes of green apricot. long finish. how is this gris?? excellent (92 pts.)
  • 2013 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/26/2016)
    bright cherry, leaning toward sour cherry side. earthy, light, great structure. built for age (90 pts.)
  • 2012 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Rolling Green Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/26/2016)
    beauty. mineral, deep cherry, amazingly structured - again showing that this is built to age. elegant wine. classic to be. long finish with bright zesty acidity. had to get some. (92 pts.)
  • 2013 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Original Vines - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (8/26/2016)
    bright cherry, sexy fruit, deeply earthy and spicy mid. very long finish. extremely impressive. (92 pts.)
  • 1998 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/26/2016)
    still showing rather young - with just a touch of the secondary notes. deeply cherry and ripe fruit, touch of leather over the earthy bright mid. savory spices coming in on the back. long finish. excellent. (92 pts.)

thank you to all who participated/organized/cooked and overall made us feel like family. Dont forget - you now have family in NYC who will always be happy to welcome you.
Posted from CellarTracker

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Cool notes.

I like the analogy between Cameron and the LdH. I had the 2013 Abbey Ridge last night. It’s a compelling hybrid of lithe mouthfeel and feral/funky/saddle flavors that typically speak to a “heavier” wine.

With the under-13% ABV, it really didn’t have the body to stand up to my tagine. I actually just enjoyed sipping the wine on its own after dinner and trying to tease out all the different notes. Interesting and balanced wine that doesn’t fit into neat boxes.

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Great notes, thanks.

Especially liked your write-up on Kelley Fox. Agree that there is something ineffable about those wines. I’m excited to try the new “Red Barn Blocks” bottling.

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Looks like a very fun OR exploration. Thanks for posting it.

RT

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Katrina - Red Barn - put it away. almost no point now - all potential. but amazing potential. :slight_smile: just MO. LOVED IT.

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Very cool experiences. You chose well!

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Will do!

Thanks for the heads-up – the Red Barn haven’t come into my market yet (and don’t see any on Winesearcher) … but will be snapping some up (along with the rest of the '14s) as soon as they do.

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Ron - All Paul’s fault :slight_smile: i take no credit

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…and THAT is why this board is awesome.

Glad you had a great time, Oregon is a beautiful place. Paul’s a great guy to have as your tour guide!

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It looks like a fun time everywhere.

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Man, that is just a legit bunch of wines. Dang!

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I really like the Brooks Rastaban, I had one a few weeks ago and it was very good.

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Mikhail - what were you doing in Oregon anyway? I assure you LdH will never make Oregon Pinot!

Yikes!

Anyway, are you and the rest of the folks going to be around late Sept? I have some stuff I need to pick up back home and rather than cart it out here, maybe we can drink some of it.

And I’m glad you had a good time in OR!

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Greg - absolutely. you have my # - if not send me a pvt mssg!

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Well done! [cheers.gif] You tasted some greats!

Jason