Great notes and pets so far, people! I unfortunately do not have any pets due to animal allergies but love seeing the pics and love animals. Penguins, turtles, and buffalo are in my top three.
2018 Kelley Fox Freedom Hill Pinot Blanc – Just an absolute pleasure to drink. Gorgeous yellow color immediately puts you in the mood to drink this wine. Nice combination of pear, apple, and citrus on the nose. Palate is also loaded with some ripe pear and quince accented by just enough zip to keep you going back to the glass. Not quite as much energy as the 2017, but an absolute delightful Wednesday night wine! 92pts
Postscript on the 96 Clos Electrique. The color lightened up and the fruit did seem to come more to the surface. Maybe it was the smoky salsa I had eaten, but I felt like I got more pinot and less funk on day two. Will dig something else out for Friday and post another note. Might get another picture of the same dogs. We managed to keep them another day.
Hi David
Not sure if I will be opening up an Oregon wine, but any charity helping animals has my support. Both my cats came from Mary’s Kitty corner in Granby I donated $20 on Dakin’s site in your honor. Wishing you a happy healthy New Year !
Let’s get this out of way. This is my goddaughter’s dog, her name is Beauty. I call her Fluffy. The dog now thinks her name is Fluffy. This is a picture of her after we blocked off the stairs when we went to dinner. She knocked it down. We came home to this… F you! Love this dog. Now 16 years old and full of life and love.
2018 Vincent Pinot Blanc Willamette Valley
This has always been my favorite wine from Vincent, although with time the Pinot Noirs may take over that spot. The 2018 Pinot Blanc is a beauty! It pours a slightly hazy light yellow color.
First aromas are leesy and maybe even saline. With a bit of air there are ripe pear and some green apple both aroma and flavors. There’s a fleshy richness to this year’s version, but with nice acidity that it doesn’t ever feel tired. No detectable oak flavors. A very nice balance between ripe fruit, acidity, and the body/richness that I’m guessing comes from extended lees contact. Drinking beautifully now, no need to wait.
This is Curry, my son’s dog. She is a red Lab and lives in Leavenworth WA.
By the way, the second half of this bottle the next day had opened up considerably. Still primarily a savory style, but much more expressive, and the tart red fruits were much more in balance.
I think this will be quite good with a few years’ patience.
Thanks for doing this charity drive David. I don’t have much Oregon in my collection but here’s a very enjoyable QPR Siduri pinot noir.
2017 Siduri Willamette Valley Pinot Noir - Screw cap closure so unscrew and pour right away in restaurant for first night and then a second night at home. The nose in the glass was faint violets and red fruit. Color was a clean clear medium garnet intensity with no bricking. Once in the mouth this flawless clean wine was nicely dry with nicely sweet cherries and raspberries. Good acidity gave it a nice balance and a medium duration mouthfeel. Simple wine but very enjoyable. On the second night there was more aromatic intensity. The mouthfeel was the same but the raspberries receded with the cherries remaining intact with a new spiciness that entered into the mix. Very nice wine on the second night.
My kids have domesticated pets but I have the wild type. Here’s one of the wild ones prowling the vineyard…does it count?
2016 Paetra Riesling “K”- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/7/2019)
I had planned on opening this tonight and thought there was one in the refrigerator. Oops now it’s time to go find one in the cellar aka hall closet. I tasted this at room temperature and it was really quite good. It definitely gives off a oily aroma. The palate shows more gasoline notes. Fruit flavors are pear and yellow apple. I’m always surprised by the fact this wine has a low alcohol level yet fairly well bodied with high acid. How does that work?
2015 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Dijon 115 Freedom Hill Vineyard- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/7/2019)
Deep red fruit and a bit of earth kick this one off. The palate is very well balanced, as the fruit is not “sweet” at all. It just has a richness, and is supported by ample acidity and good finishing tannins. This feels like a long ager, that is in the mold I look for in Pinot Noir.
Soléna 2016 Domaine Danielle Laurent Chardonnay
Ripe, in a positive sense, is the first word that comes to mind. Vanilla and oak lightly coat a full ripe fruit taste. A slight lemony and nutty suggestion of sweetness coats the mouth and hangs in the aftertaste. Evokes the California ripe, and oaky (and sometimes too much of both) chardonnay style, but THIS IS DONE RIGHT, at least to my tastes. Different than my usually preferred unoaked or lightly-oaked, minerally chardonnay. This is very good. Both eye-opening and mind-opening to the possibilities of this style chardonnay which I had mentally written off long ago. Delicious. The words serious and elegant might also apply. Recommended.
Bodhi is our Cairn Terrier. Our second dog of the breed, he is a sturdy little dude. He has personality plus, and is a loved member of the family.
The top of the cork on this was a bit soft, so I grabbed my Durand for opening. Cork proved sound, but history has taught me to reach for the Durand if there’s any question at all, and I never regret it.
From the first pour, there was no question but that this was a fantastic bottle. The nose just soared out of the glass, classic sous bois and dried sour cherry. Great length on the palate, and ample acidity to give the flavors good definition. I’ve had better bottles of Oregon pinot, but not many. This is just perfectly a point, and a great match with a lunch of green salad, seared duck breast, and penne sauced with leeks and chanterelle duxelles. There aren’t many times when I’ve picked the absolutely perfect time to try a bottle – I bought 2 of these on release, and still have the second. I’ll plan on drinking it in the next 2-4 years.
And here’s Caraway, aka “Our Little Hurricane”, in action —- trying to retrieve aforementioned Durand from its resting place. She’s part Bengal, so super active. And a rescue kitty, thanks to Columbia Gorge Cat Rescue. Next post will show her “little brother” – not actually her brother, but rescued at the same time and place.
2018 Vincent Chardonnay- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/8/2019)
If you love acid driven wines then this baby is for you. Probably one of the most acid forward wines I’ve tasted. It’s got a distinct green apple flavor which is not unexpected. But almost comes across a bit like a Sauvignon Blanc. Very angular and palate-cleansing finish.
