Posted from CellarTracker
2018 Goodfellow Family Cellars Whistling Ridge Vineyard Riesling - I’m used to burying all my Matello/Goodfellow wines as I know time is what they need, but most of my seven bottles of this particular bottling likely won’t survive beyond 2020. Pale yellow with outstanding nose of citrus, green tea and a touch of petrol. I could smell this all night. Still a bit recoiled and tight on the palate hinting at a long future for this wine, but so eminently drinkable now. Lime, ginger and stone dominate in a seamless package. Medium-long finish. Great with or without food.
Thanks David for the donations for the animals. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Noci, our precocious Yorkshire terrier/dachshund/chihuahua mix, is a rescue dog.
2000 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir "Southeast Block Reserve"
First pour of this was served with braised duck legs and more pasta with the leftovers of the leek + chanterelle sauce. The wine was thick and heavy, black-fruited, and without much aroma. And a bit on the sweet side, with a moderate-length finish.
Left to sit for an hour and served with cheese, the wine had seemingly gained some acidity and the fruit had moved into the spectrum of plums or late picked cherries. It still seems a bit heavy, but not so much as it did before – and there’s much more aroma, mostly of sweet red fruit. Hopefully the wine will continue to improve as it airs out. This isn’t a producer I’ve bought often, I don’t know if this is the house style or if it’s the vintage speaking.
And here’s a pic of Kalonji, our little guy. He and Caraway were rescued together, and they were put up for adoption as a pair. At the time of adoption, he was 8 weeks and she was 12, and she looked out for him in the same way older siblings looked out for younger ones 100 years ago. He was pretty traumatized by his rescue, and is still very, very skittish. Which is sad, because he’s just so cute and everyone wants to pet him.
He looks very cute.
2018 Van Duzer Pinot Gris Estate Willamette Valley
Straw colored, below medium legs. Aromas of white flowers and lighter fruit: grapefruit, green apple, faint lychee, apple blossom. On the palate, this is a very tart wine; just acid and fruit. Unlike some Pinot Gris that lean toward cream/honey similar to Viognier, this wine reminds me of a dry Chablis. More Pinot Grigio-like than Pinot Gris. Light-medium body. Medium finish, high acidity. Impression : correct to the grape, but better labeled a Pinot Grigio. Drink now.
2015 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Marine Sedimentary Chehalem Mountains
Crimson fading to garnet. Medium legs. Aromas of red fruit and the earth: cherry most dominant, a bit dusty. On the palate, red fruit dominance continues but hint of earthiness there. Medium body, medium plus finish, medium plus acidity. Impression: subtle yet distinct complexity. Not really distinctly better than the 2014 Berserker’s Cuvee. A bit disappointing…
The Bethel Heights did improve some more, but the final night 1 verdict is that it’s still too much on the heavy side for my taste. Leaving some to revisit tomorrow.
2007 Biggio-Hamina Syrah “XX” Deux Vert Vineyard: cool wine. On opening it was a ringer for Fernet Branca aromatically. MHerbaceous, brushy, lean. Palate follows suit. With air this really fleshed out beautifully. Still the amaro tones, folded into mulberry and ripe plum, hints of leather, underbrush, and bitters. Light bodied but with good texture, clean dark fruit, hints of olives, excellent fine tannins, and (very) bright acidity. Nowhere close to fully mature(imo).
2018 Pierce Riesling Columbia Gorge: Super delicious bottle of PNW Riesling! Needed a few hours to really get going, and it is quite youthful. With air the bose is restrained still, mostly stones, touch of wet wool, and kaffir lime leaf. Palate is stone fruit, nectarines specifically, with beautiful balance. With a few hours open, this is juicy, long, and intense with just great balance between extract, rs, and acidity.
Here are pics of the zoo - 2 cats and two dogs…
A little taste off tonight 2 entry level wines…
18 PGC Reserve - I believe Jim A said in a thread this is the best version of this wine made. Very open and supple almost borders on overripe and then backs off and wonderful acidity carries the wine to a nice finish. Red fruited and most definitely a crowd pleaser that will appeal to different palates.
17 Goodfellow WV - A bit lean upon opening but with an hour of air Holy Cow! Lots of material here and definitely made in the 2017 house style. Sneaky power and weightlessness on the palate. When tasting with Marcus and Megan a couple weeks ago I asked about Fir Crest fruit and here it is to add some lushness to a lean wine. This unfurled and had crazy layers for an entry level wine.
Both wines make you wonder - are there better sub $25 wines made outside of OR?
2018 Pierce Riesling Columbia Gorge: Super delicious bottle of PNW Riesling! Needed a few hours to really get going, and it is quite youthful. With air the bose is restrained still, mostly stones, touch of wet wool, and kaffir lime leaf. Palate is stone fruit, nectarines specifically, with beautiful balance. With a few hours open, this is juicy, long, and intense with just great balance between extract, rs, and acidity.
Great Note - I really want to try to obtain and taste one of Jess’s wines. Great personality and passionate wine maker.
Excited about your note on Todd’s wine as well as I look forward to trying some of his shitty 07 pinots at some point! Although, it would be fun to try both of ur DV Syrahs side by side…
Jess is fantastic, and dedicated to Riesling. I am a bit off my game physically right now, so this was tasting rather than drinking, but it also meant the bottle had tons of time to open up(and it was too quaffable on opening to last more than an hour otherwise). It really evolved over the day and I am looking forward to tasting it again tomorrow, if Megan leaves any…
A few more from the weekend…
2016 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay “Arthur”
This is a staple at our place because my wife loves it. Risotto Friday night meant we needed some to cook with too, so this was sampled. Bright yellow color. Typical aromas of yellow apple, a bit of vanilla, and honeysuckle. Palate is still pretty lean with mostly apple notes with a hint of yellow plum. I think I’ll enjoy this more with some time in the bottle, but a bit of heat on the finish might detract in the long run.
2015 St. Innocent Pinot Noir “Temperance Hill Vineyard”
Dark red color with limited transparency. Grape and cherry aromas lead into a spice, cherry, and slightly grapey palate with a medium short finish. Clearly in need of some food, air, or time in the bottle to develop some more character. This was from a list at a restaurant in town and was happy to see it (and at a reasonable price for the list).
2013 Brickhouse Pinot Noir “Les Dijonnaise”
This one had a bit of ullage and a tell-tale streak up a seam in the cork. Color was medium red and moderately transparent. Nose had some black tea elements along with red fruit and some earthy notes. Palate was a bit lean/muted with mostly dusty red fruits. I suspect a bottle with a proper seal would have shown more vibrant fruit. This wasn’t shot, but seemed more advanced than I’d expect from a '13 at this point. Judgement reserved here.
Cheers,
fred
Here are two for a good cause and a picture of my Furkid (which is the rescue from which I adopted him):
2013 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Berserkers’ Cuvée - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/8/2019)
Not loaded with complexity, but rock solid and very enjoyable with cherry fruit and a touch of spice well-supported by acidity. (89 pts.)
2016 Paetra Riesling “K” - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/8/2019)
Pleasant apricot fruit with a touch of minerality and modest acidity, it showed more nuance with food than on its own, a very solid value. (87 pts.)
Great pic, Mike!
2014 Brick House Pinot Noir
I gave this about a day’s slow-oxygenation. It was very enjoyable. Tannins have turned quite velvety and there’s a rather appealing cherry-and-mincemeat combination on the palate that is distinctive. This also went surprisingly well with leg of lamb.
2010 Biggio Hamina Pinot Deux Vert:
Light ruby color with an herbaceous quality on the nose. Red fruits, Asian spice and some stems on the palate. Could easily be confused with Burgundy or even Northern Rhône. I love what Todd has done with this vineyard.
From L-R we have a Riley (skittish but loving and intelligent rescue), Lily (worst dog ever but still adorable), and Brie (best dog ever and the most beautiful girl in the world).
2017 Goodfellow House Block Whistling Ridge Vineyard: This is a pure pinot beauty. It is so clean and neat, as if it is the perfect balance between nature and the winemaker. There is shiny, bright red fruit, and lovely earth and soil components. The wine is an expression of purity, and it is perfect for my palate. The red fruit is burly strawberry and tart apple peel, with a hint of holiday spice.
Facing is Bella, or The B Dog, or TBD, or the OC (original Coton), The baby is Luna, or Luna Petunia, Lunatic, LooPoo or the Poop Ninja. They think they are loins of the Serengeti. But in fact they are Coton de Tulears
Love the pooches and the TN. 2017s are magic, and so are our four legged friends!
2015 Brick House Cascade Chardonnay: Wow! This is one fine wine that is very impressive. Light pale yellow, notes of honey and Meyer lemon on the nose, intense fruit and a hint of reduction on the palate with a long, long finish. Drinking well now, but could easily age 5+ years.
2011 Matello Durant Pinot Noir: Pale red with an orange tint the cork was pristine. On the nose from the PnP, the wine was very aromatic with whole cluster, forest floor, smoke, red berry. On the palate, the wine was balanced with a lot of crunchy red fruit, the savory element, and a beam of acid that kept the wine fresh and lively. As the night went on, the red fruit component of the wine really blossomed! The tannins are fully resolved. Drink now.
Damn Charlie! I went fairly deep on the fall release and hoped to bury these for the long haul. Guess I’m just going to have go deeper and get after it! ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
Had the day off today to take care of some “medical maintenance” - with those appointments now taken care of, nothing like an early afternoon glass or two of wine. In this case, the 2014 Vincent Pinot Noir Crowley Station.
I fell in love with the nose of this wine on opening - focused tart red fruits reminiscent of cranberry, with a hint of earthiness thrown in there for good measure, Less enamored with the palate of this wine - it’s good, don’t get me wrong, but with the nose being so stellar, the wine comes across a little disjointed. Medium-bodied, with good acidity, but just lacking the excitement factor that the nose displayed.
My technical skills are lacking, so no photo of our cat Zoey that we got from the local SPCA - she was 8 years old when we adopted her, and as many animal lovers know, those cats don’t get too much attention from folks because they can’t compare with the kittens for overall “cuteness”, but she’s a great cat and we love her .
