Gelbs make a visit!

WINE TALK
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It was our extreme pleasure to see our friends Diana and Marshall again for one night this week. They journey to the Gig Harbor soirée and we wish them Godspeed. Thanks so much for coming up here you two! Notes sketchier than usual as I had done 4.5 hours of surgery and missed lunch that day, not ideal prep for this line-up served over hours with smoked local salmon, grass-fed ribeyes and grilled asparagus.





2012 Certitas PMR is the stuff of legend. Easily as good as any of the PYCM we have been gobbling up since moving to OR, better than some. Eleven left, thank goodness!

2011 Cayuse Edith was a bit spritzy and got looked over as everyone was eying the reds. My second 1/2 glass was much better than my first.

2007 SQN Pictures was cherished while marveling at nature’s wonder out on Otter Point. Marshall took the photo below, maybe wine gets better than this, but not by any appreciable margin.

2000 Colgin Herb Lamb was brought by The Gelbs and thank you both so very much! Just delicious dill and Napa refinement. Have only had a few Colgin wines before and they are one of those things that can make one wish they were wealthier.

1992 Dominus showed as the textbook: Bordeaux beauty and just wonderful balance. It did not pale after Colgin, 'nuff said.

Logsdon Cerasus was a mellow finish. An Oregon Kriek-styled red ale brewed with a lot of local cherries, more sweet than sour!



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I would have thought you would break out the really big stems for company…Are those Reidel Somms? They look huge.
Nice lineup. Good to see a nice note from a 2000

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Nice wines! Great photo as well.

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Sounds like a very nice lineup and beautifully in line with your food!

About that Edith - I opened one this past week and posted I think on the “what did you open today?” thread. Was yours nearly colorless, noseless, and flavorless? I can’t say I picked up on any spritz, but I was puzzled about this wine, having never had it before. Mine is still in the refrigerator, despite 3 attempts to find some interest in it.

The Ceritas PMR 2011 was by far the best white wine I have had in probably 3 years. I loved that one. The 2011 Porter Bass was also very good, but did not strike the high note of the PMR. A recent outing of the 2012 PMR paled when poured next to a 2000 Arcadian Bien Nacido Chardonnay. Perhaps it was an unfair outing for the so-new Ceritas - it just could not provide the depth and sophistication that that Arcadian showed off. Have you had the 2011 PMR as well, and how would you compare it to the 2012?

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I love the 1992 Dominus. It was shockingly good a few months ago, and I thought it was equally as good as the 1991 Monte Bello that Marshall brought to Long Island a few years back. They are 2 superb old school California Cabs.

I have a 2010 Ceritas Porter Bass Chardonnay packed for Aruba to share with some friends who are not familiar with the wines.

Great notes on some excellent wines.

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Great lineup!

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CJ, they were like $15 for four at TJ Maxx! We are no where near balla enought for Reidels or Zaltos outdoors.

Colgin was terrific, would drink again in a heartbeat.

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Nice picture. Is that your backyard?

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Glenn,
Looks like you’re settling into the Pacific Northwest just fine.
I thought you were a Heintz Vineyard guy. I’ve yet to open a PMR, but glad to have something from every vineyard they farm and/or vinify.
You’re overdue for a trip up north to see the real Pacific Northwest; you’ve barely left California!
Cheers,
Warren

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Bluffs about a mile N of our neighborhood, there’s no intervening development. You two come chill sometime, I’ll get some bottles upright.

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This is our fourth vintage of Edith and I believe the lightest color and most austere yet. I will give my other two bottles until next summer at least. Mel had the leftovers for Weds lunch, after not even tasting the wine with The Gelbs, and she said it blossomed compared to what I thought the night before. In other years, and among other robust line-ups, I have seen Edith just get devoured by guests!

I sense this is style thing as the 12 PMR is definitely fleshier at this point than the 11, and also has more matchstick and overall nose. We have had 3 bottles of the 11 PMR so far and I think that is ethereal, a lightness of being, Chardonnay. I think the 2012 should age gracefully, I loved the half glass I had the other night.

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CJ, they were like $15 for four at TJ Maxx! We are no where near balla enought for Reidels or Zaltos outdoors.

Says the guy drinking Cayuse, SQN and Colgin. [snort.gif]

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Always a great time when the Gelbs are around! [cheers.gif]

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Thanks, Glenn, for adding additional perspective. I’m definitely looking forward to trying more Ceritas Chardonnays. And I appreciate your framing of the Edith - that was a puzzle for a first venture.

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Next time we visit Calistoga I’ll see if you’re free and we can try the 11 & 12 PMR side by side. Outdoors maybe at that great spa-restaurant if the weather is right!

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You are on for that! [cheers.gif]