St. Innocent, Vitae Springs Vineyard, Pinot Gris, 2006
This was a great wine to drink here in Portland while the weather was so hot. Portland is very mild normally, but this week it hit 101 F after being more miserably cold and wet than usual for the last few months.
Anyway, this wine was quite nice. The nose was lemon! Citrus, and a bit of green apple, pear and peach.
The taste was very much: pear. Slightly buttery. A bit of lemon. Slate. And vegetable: peas, kale and arugula. Kind of spicy -- maybe a bit of lemon grass. Definitely fresh. Just what I wanted for dinner on a warm night!
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Hamacher, Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir, 2005
Smells of vanilla and oak and cayenne pepper. Smells like velvet and roses and blueberry. Smells and tastes like your grandmothers dress in the closet with some old rose perfume. Hint of Crisp apple. Antique armoire in a dusty attic.
Very smooth. Definitely tastes of raspberry at the beginning. Then later, the taste was a strong red cherry. Hints of anise.
Finish is so calm (cold lake thing). Though, not the velvet hammer. Soothing. Just a bit on the acidic side. Cayenne and anise on the finish too.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Louis Latour, Montagny, Premier Cru La Grande Roche, 2005
Honestly, I'm more used to drinking the lighter whites like Pinot Gris -- if white at all. So, it's hard for me to judge as well as others with a Chardonnay from Burgundy. I found this to be a little buttery (but not overly), and crisp. The flavors included lemon, kiwi (tangy), and cantaloupe. There were also some subdued vegetable flavors: pea pods and bell pepper (again, very crisp). And lastly, there was a definite granite (mineral) taste. Very enjoyable on a warm day!
Cost:
Rating:
7.5
Marlborough, Oyster Bay, Pinot Noir, 2006
I've read a lot about the up-and-coming New Zealand Pinots, and yet they're always (or just about) as expensive as Oregon or French Pinot. Why gamble on my limited budget? So it was nice to get this as a gift. However, my fears were realized. It wasn't horrible Pinot. In fact, it was very drinkable. Yet, it was overly oaked-up. Tons of vanilla. So it's a bit of a "pop" Pinot, if you will.
The flavors were not bad, but not in the least complex. Basically, it's super-red-cherry. On the nose there were hints of something -- maybe squash, maybe dry hay -- but overall it's cherry. Lastly, the mouth-feel was, well, not exactly syrupy -- and not biting -- but it was thicker than it ought to be. On the other hand it wasn't too thin either. And definitely not exciting.
Cost:
Rating:
5.5
Sebastien Roux, Volnay, 2005
Strangely, I found this bottle at Trader Joe's for about $20 -- which is about half of what you'd normally pay for Volnay.
In the bottle, we found a lot of flavors. Sea water and muscles. Raspberries and currant. Slate, mineral. Dry and tart. Dry hay.
However, I oscillate between liking and disliking this wine. On the one hand, the flavors and smell are very intriguing -- gamey for sure. On the other hand, it's a bit thin (lighter body) for my tastes. It's good if that's what you're in the mood for.
I still haven't decided if I'll pick up another bottle or not.
Cost:
Rating:
7.5
St. Innocent, Villages Cuvee, Pinot Noir, 2006
This wine is usually a good buy, and I would say that this year is no exception. In fact, I think this 2006 is nicer than I remember the 2005. Though, I really liked the 2004 too. It's usually about $22 to $24 a bottle, depending.
It's not thin, and has a dark berry taste -- black cherry, plum, and currant. It also has a strong wood flavor, but not oak or vanilla -- it's more like branches and earthy rotting wood. A lot of Pinots that I've had recently have been a bit sour, but this one is not. Though it's not sweet either. The nose has yeast, mineral and some kind of vegetable -- maybe a dark green lettuce. The taste is smooth; approximating a 2% milk mouth feel. The finish is good, leaving you with the plum and currant, and a more of the earthy wood.
Yummy.
Cost:
Rating:
7.5
Our 2008 Wine Bacchanalia, Part 2
This is the dinner the second night of our gluttony extravaganza (see Part 1). With all the reviews and such, I think the best we can do is provide lots of picts (below).
Dinner (this dinner lasted seven hours):
Wine:
Dinner (this dinner lasted seven hours):
- Elizabeth's deviled eggs
- raw oysters with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges
- vichyssoise
- twice-baked baby potatoes
- crab and avocado salad
- lobster and asparagus spears with melted butter and garlic bread
- chocolate stout cake with milk chocolate ganache and strawberries
Wine:
- Chateau Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac (Grand Cru), 1990
- Domaine Bois De Bouteille, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2003
- Brick House, 'Select' (Ribbon Ridge), 2006
- Petrus, Pomerol, 1975
Posted by Jason on June 23, 2008 4:04:17 PM PDT
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Petrus, Pomerol, 1975
We decided that if this wine were a person, it would be crazy. It's a total chameleon wine. At first, the Petrus smells wild and gamey. It smells like you are going to get into trouble. It tastes like beets, green beans, pepper, caramel and vanilla. Then additional flavors of clove and tobacco arrive. It is soooo very rich! Like a seven-course meal in itself. Every sip is a different experience. Later, squash and pumpkin flavors emerge with a finish of tobacco and cigars. But wait! More distinct tastes hit your mouth! Mushrooms and vanilla creme! Oh, don't stop... Now it smells floral--roses, it's roses! Oh! A hit of black cherry with a smokey finish. Go on... Here comes moss. And pipe! Ohhh, such a complex wine... Another hit of tobacco! Now aloe! It just keeps hanging on, never giving up... Oh, thyme! Now the scent of spearmint! OH! A bold taste of spearmint! SPEARMINT! SPEARMINT! Ahhh... Thank you, Petrus...
Cost: (don't ask)
Rating:
10.0
Brick House, 'Select' (Ribbon Ridge), 2006
We blogged this wine earlier, but it deserves a little mention during our bacchanalia weekend. It is a very summery wine--like we should be wearing wide-brimmed hats and cotton dresses. Intense strawberry flavors. It would be excellent with chocolate cake.
Cost:
Rating:
8.5
Domaine Bois De Bouteille, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2003
This wine has nectarine and huckleberry flavors. It's spicy--the taste of cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Smells like bananas and nutmeg. It's a Jamaican-style wine--tropical goodness and fun. Unfortunately, it just couldn't stand up to the Pauillac we had just before it.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Chateau Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, Pauillac (Grand Cru), 1990
This wine first hits you with a tobacco, celery and parsley smells. It initially tastes like cigars, tobacco and roasted red peppers. Then flavors of carob emerge. It has that river rock, deep lake thing going on. There is a flavor of cayenne pepper with dirt and blueberry. It's chalky, the dryness of chalk with that sour apple pucker in your mouth. There's a rotting smell -- decomposing. After 40 minutes, the wine was much richer and thicker. It was a bit thin at the beginning. Now it is very full-bodied and tastes of root vegetables. Beets! And something pickled -- like Japanese pickled roots. It has the flavor and smell of Asian pickling. There's also a parsley/mint/cilantro flavor. And a woody green bean smell.
Cost:
Rating:
9.0
Chateau Laufaurie-Peyraguey, Sauternes (Premier Cru), 2003
It tastes of apricot, honey, caramel and earth. Just a hint of honey, not strong. This wine is REALLY good with chocolate cake. Have some more chocolate cake and take a sip. Yum... We thought it would be too sweet for chocolate cake, but noooo. Now there's a hops and hay smell. Also some sort of yeasty, farm smell. Not poopy though. Tastes like buttermilk biscuits, beeswax candles and butter. With clover, too. Smells like honeycombs and baby-powder.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Stags Leap, Petite Syrah, 2000
Oak -- smells like oak and heavy, heavy wood. There are cinnamon, nutmeg and cedar tastes. Then dirt and manure. This wine is quite gamey and earthy with a hint of black cherry. A heavy vegetable flavor emerges. Kale. This wine tastes like earthy, gamey kale. And bark. It's a wild forest. Totally uncivilized. But it the finish has the taste of dusty dirt road running through it.
Cost:
Rating:
9.0Beaux Freres, 'The Upper Terrace', Ribbon Ridge, Grenache, 2006
Peachy! Peach! Begins with cherry. The nose has heavy pepper and finishes with heavy pepper. It is a spicy peach wine. The fruit mellows as it opens up. It definitely gets more spicy and the peach flavor dissipates. Green apple emerges with a slight overtone of peach, but the nutmeg spice overrides the peach. Now lavender! It begins to taste like the Parma violets candy. Has a great smell to it, like a spring field. Like spring rain in a spring field. Whoa, it's Laura Ingalls running down a hill! We all loved this wine!!!
Cost:
Rating:
9.5
St. Innocent, 'Temperance Hill Vineyard', Pinot Noir, 2004
This wine first hits you with its smell -- they oaked it up pretty well. Really oakey and a tad sweet. It has cinnamon and nutmeg flavors. A heavy currant taste with hints of black cherry. It gave us that mouth-shrinking aluminum-metallic flavor, too. The men liked it, the women were searching for something else.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Our 2008 Wine Bacchanalia, Part I
When President Bush told the nation that citizens needed to help this great country by going shopping, we said, "HUH???" But our economic stimulus check eventually showed up in the mail. The smart plan would have been to save the cash--create a little nest egg for an unpredictable future or start a college fund for our son. But the check stared us down.
And so this once, we actually did what Bush told us to do.
My first response was, "Curtains! Miles and miles of pretty curtains!" Jason's response was, "Gadgets! Upgrade by downsizing! Smaller gadgets!" In the end, our plan morphed into death and an auction. Specifically, a benefit for the local nonprofit, The Dougy Center for Grieving Children.
It was a win-win situation. We spent our economic stimulus check by donating it to The Dougy Center, and in return we ended up the winners of four incredible bottles of wine: a 1990 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac, a 1983 Chateau Pichon Baron Pauillac, a 1983 Chateau Gruaud Larose, and the grand-daddy of them all, a 1975 Petrus Pommerol.
You're probably wondering how one measly stimulus check won this bidding feat. It didn't. We went halfsies with another couple who also spent their stimulus for the glory of owning of a Petrus.
And so all four of us planned a three-day beach retreat in a quaint little corner of the Oregon coast called Neskowin. We stayed at a beautiful ocean-front beach home, and filled its refrigerator with four lobsters, two pounds of clams, two pounds of crab, and 18 oysters. Also in tow were two three-year olds, stacks of animated movies, Goldfish, animal crackers, and a bag full of toys. Children be damned! We were intent on drinking this Petrus in style!
Bacchanalia Partners in Crime:
Kenny: Kenny works in construction finance for Kaiser. He volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and his hobbies include golf, soccer, the outdoors and music. This "Weegie" is originally from the west coast of Scotland.
Elizabeth: Elizabeth is a commercial real estate investor. She is active in many Portland nonprofits and is busy raising her three-year old daughter.
Thing One and Thing Two:
Dinner:
- Elizabeth's deviled eggs
- mushroom shrimp Rockefeller
- steamer clams with rustic baguette
- roasted red bell pepper soup with crostini and olive oil
- salad from Kenny and Elizabeth's garden
- gorgonzola crab leg tortellini
- chocolate stout cake with milk chocolate ganache
Wine:
- St. Innocent, 'Temperance Hill Vineyard', Pinot Noir, 2004
- Beaux Freres, 'The Upper Terrace', Ribbon Ridge, Grenache, 2006
- Stags Leap, Petite Syrah, 2000
- Chateau Laufaurie-Peyraguey, Sauternes (Premier Cru), 2003
Posted by Jason on June 13, 2008 9:48:37 PM PDT
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