1998 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate

WINE TALK
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  • 1998 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (2/13/2009)
    This wine is delicate and subtle with cherry cola, strawberry pie, and rhubarb gracefully riding a laser beam of acidity. Unlike some other tasters, I thought it was a perfect age. To coin a phrase from Thomas Keller, it’s all about finesse. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Nice note! The acidity must have been insane with bottled to still have such focus.

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I’m amazed the wine has any fruit at all. It was an oak bomb when it was bottled. That was when Gary Andrus was doing his 200% new oak thing - and no, I’m not making that up. They’d rack the newly-fermented wine into new barrels and somewhere along the line they’d rack it into new barrels again.

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Thanks for the note. I am a bit surprised as well and your description. Sounds like it evolved far better than I thought it would.

I just remember alcohol and wood. Zin or Syrah like profile. Maybe the acid was just hiding.

J

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Randy; Harvey S. at WS initially gave this wine a 92, with a drinking window through 2007. So the wine has held up wonderfully.

Did the others believe the wine was past its peak or still youthful with several years to go? You seem to believe it is at peak. The WS crew seems to be rather conservative with drinking windows, and I wanted to get your and the others thoughts on this wine in that area.

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Based on the personal experience of comparing the wines I’ve liked and rated highly with the ones Harvey rates highly, I’m convinced that Harvey has chorizo con huevos for breakfast and tacos for lunch on his Oregon tasting days. I suspect his between-meal snack is kimchi with a side of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

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I can tell you, as Cellar Master at that time, when the fruit came in from Arcus that year, I still reference it as the most delicious grapes that I have ever eaten. The Zenith vineyard fruit this year, 2008, is the next best.

I’m not surprised it’s hanging in there at all. And Bob, there was never, ever any 200% new wood at Archery Summit. I would know because from September 1996 to June of 1999 I filled every barrel in the cellar.

My two cents.

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I should have known better than to listen to Gary, RIP. The man never met a story that couldn’t be made better with a little embellishment and hyperbole. I’d always suspected he secretly wanted to be Dominique Laurent.

Now I’m embarrassed - mostly because I knew you’d been there and didn’t think to check with you before I spouted off.

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Bob;

and well you should be embarrassed! [blush2.gif]