Week 3 Virtual Tasting for Charity - Wines of Oregon - D@vid Bu3ker for Dakin Humane Society - DEC9-DEC16

[Scott_Tallman]

Now how do I source some of that Pierce Riesling, and then smuggle it into the house…

As an out of stater, sounds like you need to email Jess to sort out purchasing.

https://piercewines.com/buy-wine

[Scott_Tallman]

I could tell Four Winds Vineyard stories for hours. Seriously. I will attempt to quick take the one most relevant here.

We started farming FW in 1997. Farmed it through 2006 and kept buying the fruit through 2011. So, I know it well. It always had funk. Lots of times it smelled of anise and fennel in fermenter. It was never super fruit driven (the 2008 tastes like Nebbiolo actually). One day, probably back in the 2005ish era, we had a pack of UCD kids come to the winery. We barrel tasted and when we got to the FW I could tell there was some whispering and mumbling going on. I knew what they were thinking and talking about. I said, “what do you think (knowing what the response was going to be)” and finally someone chirped up and said, “we think it has Brett.” I took $100 out of my wallet and put it on the table and said, “I will run a panel on this and if it has an appreciable amount of Brett I will send you all $100, if not you only have to get $100 between you all to send to me.” There were like a dozen of them. No takers.

The difference between school work and winemaking.

That’s a great story. Need to see if I can source any of your older vintages from FW, and pop some of the Crowley FW Pinots to get a better sense of the vineyard.

Now that I’ve drank a bit more, it definitely has funk, but not the kind I’d associate with brett.

Maybe you’ll get one as your replacement bottle. I’ll have to ask Wine Santa if you’ve been naughty.

That would be an excellent treat if it comes to pass. I’ve definitely been naughty, but not to such a degree to impact your choice of replacement bottle.

[Jim_Anderson]

That’s a great story. Need to see if I can source any of your older vintages from FW, and pop some of the Crowley FW Pinots to get a better sense of the vineyard.

Now that I’ve drank a bit more, it definitely has funk, but not the kind I’d associate with brett.

Maybe you’ll get one as your replacement bottle. I’ll have to ask Wine Santa if you’ve been naughty.

That would be an excellent treat if it comes to pass. I’ve definitely been naughty, but not to such a degree to impact your choice of replacement bottle.

Wine Santa definitely operates with a different set of values than regular old boring Santa!

[Pau1_M3nk3s]

Here is one from Wednesday night. We had this with salmon baked in foil with tomatoes and basil. Great combination. Vincent continues to be a star, and the prices are silly for the quality.

• 2019 Vincent Chardonnay - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/9/2020)
  This year’s edition of the basic Willamette Chardonnay seems a bit leaner. It also seems more in a classic Chablis style, which is wonderful. Vincent’s chards have tended to have a chalky profile, but this year on the aftertaste it is more more like quartz after a summer rain. Fruit is, as always, impeccable. Best at cellar temperature and not colder. Excellent. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[David_Bu3ker]

2018 Vincent Chardonnay Tardive - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/11/2020)
Really interesting Chardonnay that has a crystalline purity, but also a strong struck flint note. The fruit almost seems sweet, but then on the finish the acidity rushes in to leave a dry, steely tone. This is a remarkable value.

[Bob_Hughes]

Because man does not live on Oregon Pinot Noir alone:

2017 Patricia Green Chardonnay Durant Vineyard ; in a word, delicious. Expansive & accessible on the palate - I don’t know whether this is vintage-specific, but this doesn’t strike me as a wine built to age. Then again, when it drinks this well now, who really cares.

2018 Patricia Green Chardonnay Durant Vineyard ; also quite tasty. This strikes me as a little more substantive in terms of palate presence than the 2017, but that is splitting hairs. I think we’re doing sushi for dinner, and both of these should work fine.

As an editorial sidebar, at this point, 40 years into a wine collecting & drinking hobby, I’m not exactly a wine hunter and/or explorer anymore. That said, I still do enjoy stumbling on to something that fits into my wheelhouse. My wife and I both love Chardonnay, but more specifically White Burgundy. And with repeated premox-related disappointments in the regard, we had really cut back our purchasing and drinking in that area. So it was an eye-opening pleasure when Rich Trimpi started to turn me on to some of the Chardonnays emanating from Oregon. I quickly hopped on the Goodfellow and Walter Scott bandwagons, and so when I read this Spring that Jim had started once again to make Chardonnay, and from one of my favorite vineyards, I immediately put in an order. I know that Pinot Noir is the “king” in Oregon, and probably always will be, but at least IMO, the world class quality of the Chardonnays that are being produced up there these days is something that I am truly thankful for .

[Richard_T_r_i_m_p_i]

I’ve drank plenty of Crowley Four Winds Vineyard Chardonnay, which is great.

I could tell Four Winds Vineyard stories for hours. Seriously.
The difference between school work and winemaking.

2014 Crowley Four Winds Chardonnay Honey, lanolin, citrus and super mild reduction…maybe a slight suggestion of pineapple. Flinty gunpowder mixed with lemon peel and tropical yellow fruit. Tingling bright midpalate and moderate length. Light on its feet with deceptive gravitas. No heat. No overt oak. No brett or barnyard. Tyson still largely flies under the radar to many except avid Oregonophiles. His skills shouldn’t be ignored.

RT

[Richard_T_r_i_m_p_i]

Because man does not live on Oregon Pinot Noir alone:
2017 Patricia Green Chardonnay Durant Vineyard ; in a word, delicious.

High praise Bob! Considering the volume of quality Chard that gets consumed by the Hughes household.

RT

[Richard_T_r_i_m_p_i]

Because it hadn’t been properly put away, the 2017 Domaine Drouhin Laurene got opened last night. This wine always benefits from some cellar time to my tastes, but it is often a very compelling try-at-release wine too.
Cheers,
fred

Fred, thanks for the note. I typically consider it a 10 year minimum wine. The oak can protrude when young IMHO, but I’ve tasted a few that have integrated beautifully with time.

RT

[Jim_Anderson]

I’ve drank plenty of Crowley Four Winds Vineyard Chardonnay, which is great.

I could tell Four Winds Vineyard stories for hours. Seriously.
The difference between school work and winemaking.

2014 Crowley Four Winds Chardonnay Honey, lanolin, citrus and super mild reduction…maybe a slight suggestion of pineapple. Flinty gunpowder mixed with lemon peel and tropical yellow fruit. Tingling bright midpalate and moderate length. Light on its feet with deceptive gravitas. No heat. No overt oak. No brett or barnyard. Tyson still largely flies under the radar to many except avid Oregonophiles. His skills shouldn’t be ignored.


1211201751_resized.jpg

RT

Relevant Four Winds Vineyard story #2. We made Chardonnay there from 2000-2008 and made but never released the 2009. We were just done. None of those bottlings was particularly noteworthy. Some were fine. We decided the location of the site and the clone (Wente) just weren’t a match that was capable of producing good Chardonnay. We helped the owner find a new buyer for the grapes which turned out to be Tyson Crowley. I remember tasting the 2010 Crowley Four Winds Chardonnay and realizing where the problem had been all those years. Dammit.

[Diane_Kessler]

Two opened this week. The Riesling was opened Monday but finished tonight, so the tasting note should count.

2017 Paetra Riesling Elwetritsche - this was open 4 days and it kept improving each day. Tonight, it showed an oily, nutty, stone fruit nose. The palate was bone dry with peach/apricot. Delicious as tonight’s aperitif.

2015 Patricia Green Freedom Hill Vineyard Dijon 115 Clone. Beautiful aromatics of red berries and florals. The palate is intense and rich with raspberries, espresso, and black pepper. Tannins are velvety and the finish is long and luscious. Feels like it could go out years.

[Kirk.Grant]

• 2008 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Estate Etzel Block - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge (12/11/2020)
  Bottle 3 of 3 and I have to say that this still has a long, long life ahead by the judge of this bottle. A ruby core that is slowly starting to show some minor signs of bricking. PNP, decanted for sediment, served in a Conterno Sensory glass, & the remaining wine is in a decanter in the fridge to help keep it cool so it can warm up slowly in the glass. Most immediately there’s this lovely scent of earth, a hint of rose, mushroom, & bright red fruits. This wine is so bright & alive with flavors of raspberry, perfectly ripe strawberries (like the one’s I paid $10/berry for in a Market in Seoul), then clove, spice, with a hint of cinnamon lingering in & out throughout the finish. Man…this is such an epic wine. The finish stretches out, has a rich mid-palate, and a long, long finish. The cork…looks damn near perfect, with no saturation or seepage. If you find a bottle of this…buy it, or you’ll be competing with me if I see it.

Posted from CellarTracker

[David_Bu3ker]

Two opened this week. The Riesling was opened Monday but finished tonight, so the tasting note should count.

2017 Paetra Riesling Elwetritsche - this was open 4 days and it kept improving each day. Tonight, it showed an oily, nutty, stone fruit nose. The palate was bone dry with peach/apricot. Delicious as tonight’s aperitif.

2015 Patricia Green Freedom Hill Vineyard Dijon 115 Clone. Beautiful aromatics of red berries and florals. The palate is intense and rich with raspberries, espresso, and black pepper. Tannins are velvety and the finish is long and luscious. Feels like it could go out years.

We’ll count it!

[jrozes]

[…]

2018 Pierce Riesling-a bit of backstory. Jess Pierce is an awesome person, who also was a Portland somm for quite a few years(Ned Ludd), and is now the Oregon sales person for Walter Scott. She also makes a few hundred cases of dynamite Riesling. The vineyard is Van Horn in the Columbia Gorge AVA. 18g/l of RS is balanced by a pH of 2.95(TA is 9.2 g/l).
I love this wine. It’s clean lines, beatiful texture, super refreshing acidity. Just the right balance of acids to RS for my palate. It’s quite bright and citrusy refreshing finish makes me just want more. And it was a perfect partner to the Thai green curry mussels we had after the oysters. I usually trade Jess a case or 6-pack and while it may age, I am always out when we trade the next time.

Thanks for the Pierce note. I tasted some of her first vintage at Walter Scott a few years ago at the end of a long tasting day, so didn’t have a great take on it. Need to try again. Agree with you that even though I love German Riesling, Oregon Riesling (yours, Paetra, Ovum, Love & Squalor) absolutely scratches my Riesling itch.

Those are my go to producers as well, but the Pierce is a favorite even among them. Ovum, when it’s on, is on another level. But we drank a case of 2017 and 2018 Pierce and every bottle was just delicious.

The 500ml bottles with crown caps are straight up dangerous. Waaaay too easy to throw one back.

[Dave_H]

Patricia Green 2015 ‘Volcanic’ Dundee Hills- PG has never let me down and it doesn’t start now. This is tarter than what I normally associate with the winery, especially in a warm year. More cranberry/under ripe strawberry, less raspberry. Still lovely. Tastes like Oregon.

[Brian_Tuite]

Was about to post my first note here but when I snapped a pic of the label is reads “Washington” ugh…

Anyhow here are my dogs. Taz is a 3yr old English Pointer and Kona, a rescue German Shepherd, turned a year old last month. We got her as a pup, the entire litter was dropped off at the rescue shelter. Turned into the best girl ever!

[David_Bu3ker]

Was about to post my first note here but when I snapped a pic of the label is reads “Washington” ugh…

Anyhow here are my dogs. Taz is a 3yr old English Pointer and Kona, a rescue German Shepherd, turned a year old last month. We got her as a pup, the entire litter was dropped off at the rescue shelter. Turned into the best girl ever!


Taz and Kona on Vimeo

Nice pups!

[Scott_Tallman]

I’ve drank plenty of Crowley Four Winds Vineyard Chardonnay, which is great.

I could tell Four Winds Vineyard stories for hours. Seriously.
The difference between school work and winemaking.

2014 Crowley Four Winds Chardonnay Honey, lanolin, citrus and super mild reduction…maybe a slight suggestion of pineapple. Flinty gunpowder mixed with lemon peel and tropical yellow fruit. Tingling bright midpalate and moderate length. Light on its feet with deceptive gravitas. No heat. No overt oak. No brett or barnyard. Tyson still largely flies under the radar to many except avid Oregonophiles. His skills shouldn’t be ignored.


1211201751_resized.jpg

RT

Agree that Tyson flies under the radar outside of Oregonophiles. This is consistently one of my favorite Chardonnays each vintage, although I greatly prefer this wine at 1-5 years as it seems to lose the verve & energy that draws me to this wine (not to say it can’t age well for much longer than that, merely personal preference). Which is why your note is a timely reminder to drink up my remaining 2014 & 2015s.

[ChrisJames]

2019 Kelley Fox Barbi Pinot Blanc

Freedom Hill grapes. Aged in acacia wood. Third year in production, named after Kelley’s (late) mom, who was a professional painter. Each year, the bottle has a new label with a painting from Ms. Barbi’s work. Kelley is very enthused about the 2019 vintage.


I just love this wine. Bright, forward nose of honeycomb, honeydew, marcona almonds, and Asian pears. Lovely silky texture on the palate with an acidity like lemon drop candy, by which I mean a delicious tartness that keeps drawing me back for more. I had the 2017 a few months ago and it has evolved into a much better wine than on release and still has a number of years of positive growth ahead of it. I’d expect this to do the same. At $37, this is simply one of my favorite Oregon white wines in this price range (yes, including Chardonnay).

[Rick_Allen]

2018 Goodfellow Willamette Valley Chardonnay - This is one of our go-to wines. Pale yellow color, aroma of meyer lemon, with a hint of lime and a little matchstick. On the palate, the wine leads with lemons, followed by green apple and a little oak. The balance is perfect, the finish is loooong. For less than $25, this punches way over its weight.

2018 Vincent Willamette Valley Gamay Noir - Bright, dark garnet color. Gamy dark cherry nose that you would expect from a Gamay. On the palate, the wine shows cherries and under-ripe plums, with sappy acidity, with a long flavorful finish. A dead ringer for a Cru Beaujolais. Too young to expect any “pinotification” but a wonderful, relatively low alcohol palate cleanser.