TN: 2007 St. Innocent Momtazi Vineyard

WINE TALK
21

Brushing your teeth at 1pm? Lucky.

22

Lol. They were brushed earlier but I haven’t ate since.

23

lies
I did buy 3 tho sheepish

24

[wow.gif]

Anyone know the URL for the verb conjugation police? [rofl.gif]

25

Better than Kim Chee.

RT

26

Had this at the tasting room back in 10/09 and thought enough of it to buy 2 bottles.
Paid $40 not $20 [head-bang.gif]

OTOH, I do know the provenance of those bottles - drove them home that day and they’ve been in climate control ever since.

I sure do like a little ‘earth’ in my WV pinot, but ‘no fruit’ and tastes ‘like dirt’ is not my normal purchase criteria, so will try to give one a shot in the next few days.

27

I had an 07 Kelley Fox Momtazi over X-Mas that I thought was quite nice (though a cut below the 07 Maresh). Certainly a mild-mannered drink with very delicate fruit.

28

I had my 07 Momtazi a couple weeks ago and it is just about to start hitting its stride. Still a sleeper though…

29

I picked up mine from the winery about a year ago, thought it was so unique I bought a few. I popped one over Thanksgiving and it was still young, but showing exactly how I remember it.

I’m voting an issue with the distributor…

30

I bought 2 from Just Grapes yesterday and popped one open last night. Decanted for < 1 hour and was overwhelmed by the barnyard flavors of the wine. Not much fruit to be found. Thought it was fairly heavy for a pinot – none of the silkiness that makes a pinot a unique drinking experience. Certainly not a 90 point wine…low 80s maybe.

Guess I’ll throw the second bottle in the cellar and hope that it improves with time (not optimistic).

For anybody who cares to sample this “beauty”, Just Grapes (Chicago) still has 4 cases (or so) as of yesterday evening.

31

Well we had a good group smell and taste the wine, including some Oregon folks as well as The Cabots. I can’t speak to how much people liked the wine but there were certainly no problems with it. Smelled and tasted the way I would expect a 2007 SI Momtazi to smell and taste. I liked this a lot. Not sure how long it will go but 2 to 3 years should be good for this. A rustic pinot. My experience with Momtazi is that it does not produce fragile flowers. Not my favorite vineyard but certainly distinctive. This was an incredible deal for the 07 Momtazi.

Steve and I got the wine from the same place. Although I didn’t have to ship it because I am so close.

Jason

32

I thought there was a pronounced potting soil character on the nose like I get in a lot of wines, especially from areas like Chinon and Beaujolais. I like that on a wine normally. The palate was fresh fruited and on the tight side. For $20 it is a deal.

33

And yet you guys still poo-poo the Cali-Cab guys here?

Aren’t we all a little nuts? [snort.gif] [snort.gif] [snort.gif]

Steve, it sounds like too much ‘terroir’ in your wine.
Dirt, barnyard or funk and I run for zee hills. [wink.gif]

34

I don’t get your point Mikey. I love a well made Cali Cab. Its all about style. Potting soil is something I’ve rarely, if ever found on a Cali Cab if that is what you are referring to.

35

No point, just too much time on my hands.
[cheers.gif]

36

Maybe he was drinking it wrong.


37

Exactly. Makes me wonder if Kelley Fox or Andrew Rich might be spinning their wheels if they try too hard to tame it. Seems best suited for hedonistic PN lovers with better results from riper vintages.

RT

38

As the winemaker implicated in this thread, perhaps I could add a few comments.

Having made vineyard designated Oregon Pinot noir from many discrete sites for the past 21 years, I agree that Momtazi is a site that produces an unusual signature. The wines have a Indian spice, dark, almost black-fruit character with what the French call “sauvage” sense of earth and wildness.

I believe its distinct character is truly the result of it location, weather, and soil. Located significantly west of the main growing areas in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the McMinnville AVA, this site is both warmer in the day and cooler in the night. The heat is the result of a flat, hot valley below. This is unusual in the WV, as most vineyard locations are nestled in a group of hills or have the Willamette River limiting the rising heat. Situated at the mouth of the Van Duzer Corridor, which funnels cool afternoon air into the valley, it is more abruptly cool in the early evening. This unusual combination produces both ripe tannins and accentuated acidity.

Additionally, I use blocks at Momtazi at the highest elevations. These are on some of thinnest, driest soils, accentuating the wildness of the tannins and spice components. In years where achieving ripeness is not a problem, like 2006 and 2008, this “sauvage” profile is balanced by ripe, dense black fruits which provide a lovely balance. In the cool 2007 vintage, the cool fall and rainy conditions did not develop the fruit nearly as much, leaving a more accentuated Indian spice and wildness.

In Oregon vintages that are cool (and sometimes wet), we know that the fruit takes longer in the bottle to develop. Many of these vintages age remarkable well with the additional acidity allowing slow development with softening of the tannins and integration of the fruit. 1993 is a perfect example. I will not predict how long the '07 Momtazi will develop (2006 was my first vintage for this site), but I would not hesitate to hold for 6-8 years.

My '07 is not a fruit-centric wine. I do believe that is a great match for braised meats, stews, and other dishes that serve to soften tannin, have a sense of wildness, and play well with this type of wine. I used it for the main seminar at this year’s International Pinot Noir Celebration, a panel discussion of food and wine pairing with representation from four PN regions of the world. It was matched with braised lamb shank prepared by the great Portland chef Cathy Whims of Nostrana. The pairing most clearly demonstrated the remarkable change that occurs when wine and food come together to accentuate the flavors of both components.

As to its success with customers, we poured the '07 Momtazi in our tasting room for almost 12 months, even three months after the release of the first five, great 2008 Pinot noirs, and it has consistently had the highest sales numbers.

More importantly, I believe it is a wine that does express the combination of terroir and vintage, and that is a goal I believe in.

Mark Vlossak
Winemaker
St. Innocent Winery

39

Thanks for the thoughts Mark.

40

Welcome to the board Mark! Lots of Oregon Pinot Noir discussion around here. Hope you stick around and post occasionally. I need to open one of these when I get home.