Smell: Peach, apricot.

Taste: Sweet snap peas, like a fresh crisp romaine salad. Peach, nectarine, and apricot again (though subtle). A hint of vanilla.

Finish: Sweet (not sour) lime.

Cost:    

Rating:    8.0

Smell: Beach. Seaweed. Wet sand.

Taste: Super smooth. Very subtle blueberry. Butter!

Finish: Liquorice. It's got that cold lake thing. Deep cold. Smooth.

Cost:    

Rating:    8.5

80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet France, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Smell: Dirt. Game. Meaty ... like liver. Pepper. Wild animals. Peaty ... Like a rodeo in my mouth. Mossy.

Taste: Lipstick and moss. Blackberry, currant. The dryness of an apple. Cinnamon. Nutmeg. And aluminum.

Finish: Peat. Nutmeg. Bark. And day-old coffee.

Cost:    

Rating:    9.0

Robin: Robin is an editor. She recently purchased some chicks to feed her urban chicken egg habit. Robin's four-year old son is the one who actually feeds the chicks.



Don: Don is a journalist for NW Labor Press and Willamette Week. He is a direct descendant of Don Quixote. Don is a lover of words and a dance enthusiast.



Dinner:

• garden salad
• butternut squash soup
• beets and goat cheese with chopped nuts, cilantro and orange wedges
• salmon with coconut curry vegetables and jasmine rice
• chocolate stout cake
• citrus salad
• cheese

Wine:

• Bethel Heights, Pinot Gris, 2006
• Daedalus Cellars, Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir, 2005

Favorite quote heard around the dinner table:

• "Amazing nose--and a nice ass!" --Don

Smell:  Caramel, vanilla, and oak. Subtle cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Smells smooth. This wine is all about the nose -- more interesting nose than most.

Taste:  Black cherry. Yummy. Really smooth. A damn good bottle of wine.

Finish:  So smooth. Really good with the chocolate cake.

Cost:    

Rating:    9.0

Smell:  Lemon and pear. Very crisp--like cilantro and parsley.

Taste:  Grapefruit, pear, and pine.

Finish:  Grapefruit, pear, and pine. A very clean taste.

Cost:     

Rating:    7.5

Back in January, I participated in a competition of sorts: Oregon versus California Pinots. I was at a business dinner, and the other company is from California, and mine is based in Oregon. So you can guess where my allegiances lie. Anyway, I lost in the first round for reasons you can go back and reread if you like.

But for this rematch, things were a bit different. First, it was my turn to have the home court advantage. We ended up at Park Kitchen in Portland. Very interesting place; the food was quite eclectic -- some of it perhaps too much so (a bit weird), and some of it was incredible.

Second, I brought my own Pinot this time around instead of having to scrounge the wine list for potential blockbusters.

Without further ado, here were the contestants:

1). Daedalus Cellars, 'Labyrinth', 2005 (Oregon)



2). Papapietro Perry, Russian River 'Leras Family Vineyards', 2005 (California)



3). Beaux Freres, 'The Upper Terrace' Ribbon Ridge, 2005 (Oregon)



We started with the Daedalus. It was absolutely silky smooth -- the velvet hammer in full effect. However, the Daedalus was very very subtle, and the flavors were a bit elusive. In some ways this bottle reminded me of a recent 2000 Pomerol I had: incredibly smooth, but not much else going on.

Then came the polar opposite. Yes, the Californian was the same Papapietro Perry ran in the last competition. And the same review then applies here: it's like someone sprinkled cayenne pepper into my glass of wine. Yes, it was that spicy.

So these two Pinots couldn't have been more different in style -- making for a rather tricky and subjective comparison. To help out with this, we (easily) talked the couple at the table next to us to join in and help us out. They were excited, but failed to provide a clear winner. The votes split down the middle, and the couple's did too. He liked the Daedalus a lot, but had to side just sightly with the Papapietro Perry. While she unequivocally chose the Daedalus. So, round 1 ended in a draw.

Then came the Beaux Freres. This bottle was as exquisite as it was incredibly complex. Interestingly, it had the strengths of both of the previous Pinots: it was smooth and spicy (but not overly so). There was honey and apricot and a bit of cayenne; sort of like a spicy Sauternes. But it was more than that: basil, liquorice, peach, leather ... and on and on. It was hard to discern it all.

Towards the end, we had all three open at the table -- and each with 3 glasses so we could compare at will. The winner was unanimous: the Beaux Freres was the clear winner, with the Daedalus and Papapietro Perry in a draw.

So Oregon was put back in it's rightful place -- at least in my humble opinion.

Smell: Honey, cayenne, anise, peach, leather, apricot.

Taste: Basil, red cherry, strawberry, currant, kiwi (not sour), blueberry. All kinds of subtle (and elusive) favors abound.

Finish: Clean, yet medium finish. Liquorish and pepper.

Sort of like a spicy Sauternes: honey and apricot but with spice.

Quotes:

• "It's all subtle, that's whats cool about it." -- Neighbors at the restaurant table next to us

Cost:    

Rating:    9.5

Smell: Peat, dark cherry, rose and other floral, blackberries, pepper and other spices. Cayenne. Chestnuts, and a pike of leaves in the fall.

Taste: Peat again, dirt, black cherry. Very mellow in the mouth.

Finish: More smooth than expected for a wine way past its prime -- despite that its also notably acidic. Mossy after taste. This wine is actually very spicy. Like red pepper flakes. Fall leaves.

Definitely thinner than it was in its prime. Still has great color (no, its not browning quite yet).

Cost:    

Rating:    7.0