Today was the "Louise party" at Domaine Drouhin. And seeing as we've never had the opportunity to go (and may not again soon), there was no stopping us. Sure we were tired. And dragging our 4.5 year old made things a bit more tricky. But go we did, and a great time was had.



First off, Domaine Drouhin is definitely a favorite of ours. Their 1999 Laurene was one of those "amazing wine" moments for me. And we happened to have gone there the day we first learned of the conception of our son (learned of the conception... no, not that). Anyway, you can pump "drouhin" into our search and discover a number of notable bottles.



The Louise party is special because it's not open to the public. It's a "members only" event. And the Louise is therefore sort of like a Chateau Petrus; you can hear about it, but it's not easy to acquire. We walked away with three bottles. A review of that will follow later; this post focuses just on the experience of the trip. For now, you can read the wine maker's description:

“The 2006 Louise presents so many layers all at once, both on the nose and on the palate. The beautiful Dundee Hills qualities, the red fruits and spice, are here in abundance. The silky tannins reinforce the sheer pleasure and presence of the wine. The texture is amazing, rich but with balance and good weight.  The finish is long. This is a wine that will age beautifully for at least 10 years or more, but it is already very enjoyable now. Santé!”
 
-- Véronique Drouhin-Boss

And adding a little authenticity to what may come off as personal marketing, is the Wine Advocate's description:

“Dark ruby-colored, the nose offers up enticing aromas of pain grille, pencil lead, mineral, violets, red and black cherry, and black raspberry. Velvety, elegant, and plush, it has loads of succulent fruit, layers of flavor, outstanding depth and concentration, and a very long finish. Cellar it for 4-5 years and drink it from 2013 to 2026.  Domaine Drouhin remains one of the standards against which other Oregon Pinot Noirs must be measured.”

-- 94 Points, Dr. Jay Miller, The Wine Advocate.

At the party, Drouhin employees were pouring four wines. The Arthur (Chardonnay), the 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (the standard-bearer), the 2005 Laurene (always a favorite of mine), and the crown jewel: the 2006 "Louise". Now, it's worth noting that these three Pinot Noirs are not necessarily so different. They are all produced in the same way. And while I would guess that the better grapes are spotted early, the fact is, tasting the barrels leads to the various designations: standard, "Laurene", and "Louise".



And frankly, I think I liked the 2005 Laurene better than the 2006 Louise (is that blasphemous?). More surprising, I have not been a big fan of Oregon 2005 Pinots -- generally I prefer the 2006s and 2007s. But then, the day was a bit chaotic, and I had a chance to compare the two only once. So ... we'll do a more thorough review later.



It was a bit chaotic because we left way too late. Note to self: never try and get to Dundee at the last minute. The event was only 12 to 3, and we barely got there at 2:30. If you're driving from Portland, 99W is no better than a parking lot now -- from 217 through King City, intermittently in-between, and especially a couple miles on either side of Dundee proper. On the way out, I decided on the more windy, yet blissfully sparse highway 219 through Scholls (shhh: don't tell anyone).





It was also chaotic because we brought our 4.5 year old, who is allergic and asthmatic. It's an early allergy season, and the fresh cut grass set him off pretty seriously today. So we really couldn't stay near as long as we would have liked (too bad). Next time, we'll leave a lot earlier (avoiding all the gridlock), bring a picnic, and make a real day of it. I really recommend that: don't try the get-in-get-out from Portland -- you really need to make a day of it to make it pleasant. The crowds really make this unavoidable. That's my advice anyway.