A few Oregon Winery visits on Valentine's

I decided to trek down to the Oregon wine country this weekend and catch up on a few wineries to taste through some 2007’s as well as some older wines being offered on Valentine’s Day.

First stop was at Brooks. Beautiful new tasting room tucked into the Eola Hills. Chris Williams (winemaker) and Lindsay Woodard where there to greet us. We were the only people there for the hour we tasted through the entire line-up. Why are people not catching on to this winery?

We started with a threesome of whites. The 2006 Amycus, a blend of 5 varietals was a great start and an interesting combination of aromatics and complexity. We moved on to the 2006 Riesling which is finally starting to develop some interesting secondary characteristics. There is a nice touch of petrol and oily texture with bright acidity. I like this quite a bit. Last of the whites was the 2006 Ara Riesling which had a spicy backbone with a bit more polish that the regular Riesling but overall I think I like this one a bit less for the money.

On to the reds we first tried the 2007 Runaway Red. Clearly 2007 with the brighter, clean fruit. Not overly complex but very satisfying and definitely worth $20. Next was the 2006 Janus Pinot Noir that was clearly a big, brawny wine that shows its vintage in spades. Not my style but very well made and others in my group liked it more than me.

I convinced Chris to open a 2007 Janus, which has not yet been released, and I’m glad he did. This wine is, and will continue to be a knockout. Gorgeous aromatics in the lighter, 2007 style that screams Oregon. Simply everything I was looking for and I will be backing up the truck when this is released later this year. This will be a steal at $35.

We next moved on to the 2006 Rastaban that was again, big, and not much in my style. I own several of these already and will drink through them in the next few years while my 2004, and 2007’s sleep.

I bought a Mag of 2005 to take home for dinner. I believe this wine was made by Josh Bergstrom and it shows. Much bigger than I want from my 2005 without the elegance that the 2007 already shows. Lots of secondary characteristics and complexity but just a bit too big for me. Well worth the $70 I paid however, everyone at dinner just loved it.

Overall a great visit with great people. Chris is a great guy and his wines are not to be missed. I will be buying Brooks for a long time.

We next stopped by Scott Paul. They were pouring their Chauvet Champagne, the 2007 Cuvee Martha Pirrie, the 2006 La Paulee, the 2003 Cuvee Martha Pirrie and the 2003 La Paulee. I won’t comment too much on the wines and I think my praise for Scott and his wines are already quite well known. My only comment is that I think Scott made the most complete 2006’s in Oregon and the La Paulee was showing its elegant, beautiful nature. This and the Audrey were my favorite 2006’s in Oregon.

Last stop on Saturday was at Ayres on Ribbon Ridge. Kathleen, Brad, Don, and Carol have to be some of the nicest people in the Valley. They are always smiling and having a great time. I was really interested in tasting the older vintages being offered and I was not disappointed. From 2004 we tasted the Pioneer Pinot Noir, their second vintage and it was showing very well. Really starting to develop and shed its baby fat. We tasted through the 2005-2007 WV bottlings and I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality. The 2005 was really quite striking and had the verve of a $45 wine, this was well above its weight class. The 2006 was…well, a 2006 but the 2007 was nearly the younger twin of the 2005. Tremendous value at $25.

Also from 2005 was the Piper Pinot Noir that was a revelation. I’m a known fan of the 2005’s from Ayres but this was really on point. Starting to turn the corner and develop into quintessential Oregon elegance. No doubt Ribbon Ridge fruit with the spiciness and earth. I would have bought a case of this if it was being offered.

Lastly we tried the 2007 Piper and Pioneer. If you have any affinity for Oregon Pinot Noir then you really need to pay attention to these wines. Everything the 2005’s are with at a touch more complexity. Already the aromatics are leaping out of the glass and sucking you in. The Pioneer in particular is going to be one of the wines of the vintage in my opinion. I bought a ton of it at Thanksgiving and had to pick up some more. Brad and his crew are turning out some of the best, true to Oregon, Pinot Noir out there and they are absolute STEALS at $30 for the Piper and $35 for the Pioneer.

Very good notes sir.

I have read some reviews that have given very poor reviews to many of the early release Oregon 2007’s. Your reviews further the argument that the 07’s will greatly mirror the excellent 05’s.

My feeling now leans toward the anti-07 crowd being in reality the highly ripe, fruit forward pinot crowd. Wanting CA fruit in Oregon. A difference in taste and styles of wine accented by the vintage.

Thanks for the notes. I’ve been taking the “try it before you buy” stance towards the 2007 because of the early reviews but based on your notes and a couple of other posts on some other boards I’m starting to warm up to the vintage. I like hearing things like “it’s similar to 2005”.

I’d say very similar to 2005. It’s much more of a true Oregon Pinot lover’s vintage. I’ll definitely be buying heavy in this vintage.

I’m bookmarking this page for my July trip…thanks for the detailed notes!