Saturday, April 26, 2008

Virtual Offline Tasting May 5-9


I know this seems like a long way off but I am gone most of April and this gives me time to get the wine to the Houstonions ... and time for the wine to rest. You of course can drink the wine earlier ....JUST SAVE YOUR NOTES. We'll post notes on Saturday May 10.


2006 Belle Pente Dundee Hills
Pinot Noir

If you are wondering how to pronounce the name, it is Bell - Pont.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Another Oregon Trail


I must apologize. I totally spaced and did not got to my locker for the 2003 Brick House. I suspect, that despite the vintage, this would have been a very fine wine.

Beyond that, the 2002s were great. And I think we confirmed that all the hype about 2006 is ... well marketing bull. Well at least until the top wines are released.



  • 2006 Cristom Viognier Estate - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
    My first Oregon Viognier. A nice wine but far from inspiring. A bit of cream on the nose and some heat. The palate was more Roussanne like. Not much complexity on the palate. I enjoyed this and for the price was not disappointed but I was not wowed. Drink soon.


  • 2002 Belle Pente Pinot Noir Estate Reserve - USA, Oregon, Yamhill County
    Wow. This was great from the first taste to the last taste. All the way through the lunch I loved this. So smooth and seamless. I loved how it was getting comments about dark red fruit and bright red fruit. nice complexity. All about balance. Nice tannins on the finish. Should continue to improve. I really liked this.
    4 First place votes, 1 Second place vote and 1 Third place vote = 24 points - 1st PLACE WOTD

  • 2002 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Seven Springs - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    This wine is exceptional. I would guess that in 5 years it would clean up in this tasting. At first pass I got a lot of oak and and empty mid-palate. Much darker than the Belle Pente and much stronger tannins. But despite being a bit vacant on the mid-palate the wine still showed complexity and nice structure. At the end of the lunch the wine really started to blossom. The oak seemed to creep into the background and the complexity of the palate filled out. I loved the 02 Belle Pente but part of me found this wine the most interesting. Hold! for at least 3 years. 2 First place vote, 3 Second place votes and 1 Third place vote = 23 Points - #2 Wine Of The Day (92 pts.)


  • 2005 Coelho Pinot Noir Paciencia - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    I must say I didn't write a single note on this wine. Nice but... wanting. Nothing to grab you but not a bad wine. It is even steven. I brought the wine home and had a small glass with dinner and it was quite pleasant. Nice acid and a fair amount of tannin. Although this wine showed very little complexity it did have a few qualities that may make it last. With that in mind I could foresee new elements developing. 0 votes.

  • 2005 Belle Pente Pinot Noir Murto - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
    Okay, so this wine had some funk. Some hated it. It did not bother me in the least. This is why I love Pinot. A very nice wine and despite the funk, I thought the fruit was very clean. The finish was short and somewhat boring. But this wine, like the St Innocent, certainly improved and grew on people as the day went on. Tough to say much. This wine was very young. 2 First place votes, 1 Second place vote and 2 Third place votes = 15 Points - #3 Wine Of The Day.

On to the 2006 wines. The Scott Paul was the clear class of the field IMO.
  • 2006 Scott Paul Cellars Pinot Noir CuvĂ©e Martha Pirrie - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    A very tasty wine. Even though this is supposed to be the early drinker, I think this wine needs 6-12 months. Toasty oak. Simple and tasty. That seems like what the vintage has to offer. 1 Second place vote, 2 Third place votes = 5 Points #4 Wine Of The Day. (88 pts.)

  • 2006 Siduri Pinot Noir Beran Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
    Another wine I took no notes on. Out of place. So abrasive. Lots of stink and a very heavy mouth feel. More of a cocktail but while drinking multiple glasses of wine I could not handle this. Later the wine did mellow a bit. I would wait 12 months on this and plan on having the wine with some nice BBQ. 1 Second place vote = 3 Points

  • 2006 Erath Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    The nose was "pretty". I am no fan of Erath but this smelled nice. The flavors were all over the place. Tart cherries, flowers, earth etc ... but it was completely disjointed. This was a case of tasting a wine and saying ... hmmm complex yet bothersome. Time my meld these flavors an take this wine from a solid B to a solid A. 1 Third place vote = 1 Point.

  • 2006 Auteur Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, McMinnville
    Wow ... this was by FAR the biggest disappointment of the day. I have been waiting to taste an Auteur wine after all the praise ... well this wine missed it. Again no notes on this one but I did bring it home to try it again. Blah... that would be my tasting note. Blah oak and blah mouth feel. Granted this is too young to be judging an Oregon Pinot ... so I am hoping ... despite my disparaging comments, Jim will let me try this again in 3 or 4 years. My guess is the wine is too soft. 1 Third place vote = 1 Point

Another great tasting. I do love Oregon Pinot, it is a way back from Burgundy but for price and reliability .... hmmm I love it. I love Cali pinot too but it was nice to have a tasting with some very fruity wines but no cloying candied fruit. I am very glad I can drink Pinot most nights of the week and have nice variety.

1st Place - 2002 Belle Pente Estate Reserve - 24 Points
2nd Place - 2002 St Innocent 7 Springs - 23 Points
3rd Place - 2005 Belle Pente Murto - 15 Points

Thanks everyone for another great tasting!

J

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Interview w/ Scott Paul Wright

Very timely since we'll be tasting one of his wines on Friday. I think very highly of his wine and he is a great guy ... which always adds to the enjoyment. And I believe that is Martha Pirrie in the picture.

HERE WAS MY LAST VISIT W/ SCOTT

J

Friday, April 11, 2008