Grateful for @Blake Brown for letting us share his notes here, too! We’ve listed out the NewbiePalooza wines he wrote about that can be found in our BD13 offers today below.
PROJECT M WINERY
The people behind PROJECT M are Meg and Jerry Murray who have spent over 30 years in the wine industry and created a vision for the style and kind of wines they desire to make which include a sparkling rose, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley.
Their mission statement says a lot about who they are and where they are coming from: “Our greatest ambition is to have our wines there when you are living yours.”
I received 11 wines in all, 2 of which were Rieslings and the remainder Pinot Noir.
Prior to perusing their website and reading any reviews that may be there, I tasted through each one. My wine notes typically reflect characteristics starting with color, aromatics, taste profile, mouthfeel, finish and overall impressions along with some minimal technical data for some of the wines which in this case, I will glean from which their website after writing up notes.
Of course, the impressions I get are predicated on the space I’m in when tasting wines, so I can say I approached these wines with interest, curiosity and respect and my palate prepared.
Additionally, Jerry Murray responded to my email request to provide more detail with enough information for me to realize they have put a lot of time, thought, energy and experience into crafting their wines and are committed to doing it righteously, allowing for “terroir” and in their words, telling a story that has 3 chapters, one for each, people, place and time”.
Now for the wines. I allowed the bottles to rest for 5 days after the shipment was received and placed them in my temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar; I did two tastings of each wine over 4 days; for each one, I used varietally correct Sophienwald stems for both the Riesling and the Pinot Noir; the Rieslings were initially chilled at refrigerator temp= ~38 degrees, and the Pinots were slightly chilled= ~ 55 degrees;
2017 PROJECT M SCHLUSSEL RIESLING WILLAMETTE VALLEY- 12.2 % abv, 4.1 RS; the fruit is sourced from 2 organic vineyards; pale yellow color; it had an inviting nose of mild mineral and a hint of flint along with white peach; all continued on and were joined on the palate by mild notes of lemon, tangerine and orange zest; it had a medium body, light weight texture and a hallmark of elegance; although there is some reported RS, this is not a sweet wine; it is nicely balanced and very refreshing.
2018 PROJECT M SCHLUSSEL RIESLING WILLAMETTE VALLEY- 12.5% abv; following its pale yellow color came aromas of mineral infused white grapefruit and tangerine that were joined by lemon, lime and the continuation of the nice streak of minerals; its oily texture added to the sensory experience as did its elegance and especially its already achieved state of balance; excellent wine.
2017 PROJECT M BEDNARIK VINEYARD PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE VALLEY- 13.8% abv; sourced from their own vineyard grafted over to Pommard and Wadenswil clones; I loved this one from the nose through the tail; it had a darker red color, distinct aromas of vanilla and red cherry as in announcing a mouthful of cherries is forthcoming which was confirmed once tasted; it was augmented with allspice accented blueberry while being delivered in a medium body with a soft texture; the streak of allspice and bigger fruit profile distinguished this from the ones above; as with those wines, the finish was a culmination of everything coming together.
2018 PROJECT M PERSONIFY PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE VALLEY- 13.9% abv; this is a blend of 4 vineyards from the Chehalem Mountain Vineyard/ AVA; the order I selected seem to be crescendoing upward as this wine took it to another level with more of everything and it held on for a welcomed long finish; it had a dark purple color and the nose contained a bounty of fresh and ripe fruit which on the palate translated into vanilla laced strawberry and blueberry; it was medium bodied, had a velvety texture and as stated, it held on for a grand finale; my fav of the first 4 Pinots, all of which are good and worthy of finding my glass.
2017 PROJECT M MOMTAZI VINEYARD PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE VALLEY- 13.5% abv; clone 115 from block C, McMinnville AVA; dark red color; the pleasant nose had burnt black cherry and the taste profile included nice, fresh and ripe red and black cherry with strawberry coming in late; it was soft, medium bodied and finished with a touch of tartness.
2017 PROJECT M CHEHALEM MOUNTAIN VINEYARD PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE VALLEY- 14.4% abv; this vineyard in the Chehalem Mountain AVA was planted in 1968 by the legendary Dick Erath; Pommard clone; dark red color; the nose offered layers of depth and each one had nice red fruit character embellished with a hit of spice and a mild toasty accent not perceived in any of the other Pinots; this nicely balanced wine also transitioned from red cherry and red currant to strawberry and had a soft, smooth texture; it finished on an upbeat.
2018 PROJECT M CHEHALEM MOUNTAIN VINEYARD PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE VALLEY- 13.8% abv; the color was a darker red purple; the aromas now have more talc and sandalwood to enhance the cranberry and red cherry fruit before a welcomed dollop of strawberry joins in; the super smooth mouthfeel added to the sensory pleasures; I noticed more similarity in these two SVDs than I did the others and loved them both.
Final impressions/ comments:
These wines changed and improved dramatically over time and were most expressive after 30-60 minutes in the glass and even 24-48 hours later.
Each cork I pulled for all bottles had three words repeated twice, Honesty, Beauty and Elegance. It’s clear, these folks bring some super fine energy behind their product and have put a lot of thought, time and energy into delivering it.
In a word, the wines were across the board ELEGANT. Each had their own personality and character and all were good and easily recognized as being well made. Some were already balanced and those that were not, only need just a little more time, especially as it relates to the fruit integration, and those that were not, are pleasant enough now to open and track them as they mature.
The common thread that runs through the wines besides elegance has to do with them having a nice fresh fruit profile, a soft, smooth feel, medium body and weight and nice acidity.
The back labels on all bottles included their mission statement communicating their genuine commitment to excellence.
If you are one who puts some credence into consuming anything that has been prepared with love and good energy, these wines merit additional consideration beyond how fabulous they are.
Cheers,
Blake