The nose was dust, red cherry, and very strong pepper. Later there was a subtle vanilla and bitter sweet chocolate. And something else too. Ahhh, there's rose lives under all that pepper, but it's hard to break on through because the spice is so strong.

The body is medium. And the taste? What else: pepper! Oh, and cherry and currant. And it's very smooth. The finish is currant and a little blueberry ... and PEPPER. Then, the fruit fades, and the pepper gives way to more of a cayenne. Long finish (as the spice lingers).

Very good wine. I opened this following a 2006 Domaine Drouhin, and this was generally preferred by the drinkers. For me personally, I couldn't really decide which one I liked better. So I'm a bit skeptical that it's worth $60 (the Drouhin was only $45). But, if you search for that super-spicy Oregon Pinot, this is that.

Correction: see comments below. This bottle is only $20, not $60. Sorry for the mistake.

Cost:   

Rating:    8.5

After having a fabulous Alsatian Gewürztraminer recently, I've been on the prowl for a decent Oregon version of the varietal. And this is one that I really liked. Even Denise liked it, and she doesn't normally like white, let along something that even hints of being sweet. Though, that's not to say this was sweet; it was not.

The nose was passion-fruit and rose — sweet fruit and floral. The taste was herbal and floral — with a great passion-fruit flavor. And honey (but not in a sweet way). The finish is floral — rose. We had this along with another Alsatian Gewürztraminer, and this one was a bit thinner, but in a good way. This is not at all syrupy (whereas the Alsatianwas just slightly syrupy) . And it's not sweet — though I think it has a subtle sweetness, but perhaps that's just the fruit flavors themselves. And helping this not be sweet, there's a bit of tangerine at the end. Not bitter, but just enough acid to give it depth and structure.

Cost:  

Rating:    8.5

I have yet to actually ever go out and visit the Medici Vineyards, so I can't help with how they pronounce "medici". Is it ME-de-chee? Or maybe me-DE-chee? Or perhaps meh-deh-CHEE? Someday, I'll find out.

Either way, I really like the wines from Medici Vineyards. Back before we started this blog, we drank a fair amount of their 2000 vintage. The steward at Zupan's back then was a fan and turned me on to their great tasting wines.

Apparently, they've kept some stock of various vintages and have been releasing them over the last year. A year ago, you could find some 1999 and 2000 bottles of theirs on the grocery store shelves. I think those had just peaked; they were just lightly thin (but not overly so) and really earthy. So when I saw this 2002 on the shelf and Fred Meyer, I had to try it -- especially at $22 for the bottle.

The frst impressing of the nose was all-spice -- and it was hard to smell anything else. That changed over time to more cinnamon. And then later still it was a combo of spice and fruit -- plum. The aroma also included: dust, cayenne, and chili spices . Not sharp at all. Denise said it was organic potting soil mixed with dark red spices.

The taste was predominantly black cherries. The finish turned to pomegranate, and a little but of that apple dryness. The fruit at this late point turned to a distinct prune, with subtle black currant.

We both really liked this wine, especially for the cost. Denise really liked the spiciness, and added: "This is the wine that the wolf would drink while he ate the Gingerbread man". However it's said, this was an exceptional wine for the price.

Cost:    

Rating:    8.0

Boy, here's something you don't see everyday: wine from Japan. And no silly, I don't mean sake. I mean real, honest-to-goodness red wine. In this case, it's a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon mix (the label doesn't specify the ratio). It appears that the alcohol is 11% -- pretty low. Funny to see Japanese on the back label, and then "Mis en bouteilles au chateau" on the front (basically, "it's bottled at the chateau" in French). Temples: yes. Shrines: check. Castles? Yep. And now, apparently there are chateaus in Japan too!

To start, this wine had a great nose. Vanilla. Licorice (maybe anise). Dust. Pepper. Bark. Currant. And no chemical smell at all. Just lovely aromas. The body was medium (about the equivalent of 2% milk). The taste was plum, and a bit of a Nectarine -- but without the citrus. I mean without any strong acid taste. That, with under-currents of red cherry and  cayenne. It then finished just slightly lighter than expected (but not in a bad), with red cherry, and cayenne. All very subtle.

This wine was really smooth. It had a lighter finish, and was no that overly oaked and creamy. It wasn't at all sweet, and it finished with just the right amount of dryness for my tastes. I am really impressed with this considering how long it usually takes to produce high quality wines. Though, honestly, I'm not sure how long they've been at this endeavor, but I would guess that it's safe to say that the Japanese -- at least generally speaking -- are new to making wine (at least out of grapes).

Cost:   

Rating:    8.5

I drank this wine the night I found out that my good friend and business partner of 11 years had been killed in a car accident. So this wine was consumed in deep sadness and melancholy with friends. And yet, we wanted to celebrate our friend's life with something good.



It's also worth divulging that we had drank a lot of wine that night, including these gems:



So, I deliberately kept some and re-tasted it the next day to be fair to this wine (and this review).

My god, this was an insanely deep and cold wine. If I drank this blind, I believe I would have had a hard time guessing that this was a Pinot Noir -- and I drink a lot of Pinot. It reminded me more of a really good and old Bordeaux. It totally had that cold dark lake thing going on -- cold, smooth, and deep in the feeling you get from it. I guess it's hard to explain, but that's what Denise and I call it. Normally we only get this with 10+ year old Bordeaux, yet this had it too. Interesting.

The nose was just dank, with pepper, blueberry, ocean, plum, and salty deep ocean smells. And later: burnt with olive oil and roasted red pepper. And then: musty and mushroom.

The taste was like tar (but I mean that in a good way, if you can imagine that). It had almost a saltiness to it, but again, I don't mean to say it was bad -- that's just the best way I can describe it. And then, it evolved into a dark chocolate taste. Yum. Later still, the taste changed to a raspberry with salt, along with dirt and blackberry.

The finish was very smooth. Not necessarily that velvet hammer Pinot thing, but smooth like an old Bordeaux. I know I keep going back to that, but that's what it was like. The berry flavors faded into Pepper and a little cayenne. And then leather. And then a little black cherry at the very end. Yes, this had a long finish.

This was an incredible and memorable wine. I would imagine that this bottle, especially the vintage is hard to come by. But if you do, or if you have one, I would bet this could cellar for another few years, at least. This was surprising to me to see a 2003 Pinot with such depth as 2003 was hot and usually they peaked a bit early with all that ripe fruit. But apparently not this one. This was a very fitting tribute to my friend.

Cost:   

Rating:   9.0

The label was intriguing. Red. Trotsky. A hammer and sickle. And words running down the side: "PEACE! BREAD! LAND! WINE!"



Okay, the Russians never added that last bit. The back label insinuates that this the a rogue barrel that rolled away -- apparently in the dark of the night and into a nearby creek. Hence: "runaway red". Okay, so that all sounds gimicky. But, I know the Brooks name -- yet I have never actually tried a Brooks wine (weird, but true). And then the sign at Fred Meyer's said the Wine Steward liked it. So, it was literally an impulse buy.

First off, the color was indeed red. Sure, it's "red" wine, but it's really pretty darn red. It was semi-translucent -- on the lighter side of the color of Pinot. And taking a sip, it's indeed lighter. No, not thin. For lack of a better description, it's Burgundian. This wine reminded me of the 2006 Phelps Creek Pinot that we liked so much.

The nose was a really enjoyable mix of hay and dust, veggie, a little vanilla, dirt (just slightly dank), and tobacco. Yep, definitely tobacco. All of these aromas were subtle. Really nicely done.

The taste is a really nice balance of flavor -- not too sour, and not sweet. It was just the right amount of oak to give it that balance (that's my guess anyway). It starts with cherry and then fades into a blueberry. The finish leaves you with that predominant blueberry -- maybe a little leechie too.

So whether or not you believe that Trotsky embodies a communism that never was, or blame him for inspiring the Neo-cons -- this is a really nice Pinot for such an inexpensive price (about $16). No ice-pick, and no Kronstadt. Well done.

Cost:   

Rating:    8.5

I drink this wine with foreboding — it's gone likely never to return. This is another of the "lasts" from Seven Springs, and (this) Anden vineyards. It's very sad, but the wines that made these grapes will now be hard to obtain, and much more expensive. If you want to read about the tragedy, you can get the full story here. Alas, they are gone, so enjoy the last while you can.

And this is a great bottle of wine for $20 — that's how much I paid. Though, now that it is known as the "last", I've seen it recently for $28. Either way, it's still a great bottle — if you can find it. Really, nostalgic.

The nose is cedar, dust and violet. Yeah, it's strong floral. Past that is clove — strong — and a little chemical smell. Boy, this is a rich and creamy one.. It's vanilla and red cherry. It goes down with a little citrus on the swallow. Citrus flashes, yet the acid is subtle on that quick finish. It's not a spicy finish. In fact it's quick. And then you're left with that cream. It sounds funny to write, but it's tasty and satisfying.

Cost:    

Rating:    8.0

So after hours at Red Ridge Farms, Domain Drouhin, and White Rose, we were hungry and headed towards Carlton.

We went to Cuvee and despite showing up at nearly 2:30pm, they sat us for lunch anyway. Cuvee is a fantastic place to have lunch or dinner. It's run by a Alsatian who makes incredible French dishes. We all started with mushroom-in-bree-sauce appetizers that were as rich as they were delicious. Caleb and I had Crepes avec Fruits de la Mer — basically shrimp, scallops muscles and other goodies with cheese inside a crepe. Yum. Denise and Cheryl had the Salomon salad that was more like Nicoise salad — eggs, tomato, potato, dill and other goodies. Our 4 year old ordered the most memorable dish: the French pizza (if you can call it that). Goat cheese, bacon and onion (sans onion for the kid). Wow! Rich and yummy stuff on almost a pastry crust.

But our Carlton plans were twofold, we also wanted to visit The Tasting Room in Carlton as our final wine destination. And helpfully, it's only about a block or two from Cuvee.



So Carlton is this quaint little town. Lots of wineries, antique shops and other interesting (if not touristy) destinations. However, it wasn't always this way. They used to have normal small town amenities: stores, shops and banks. And the Tasting Room is literally the old bank:



It's not like it's a big place. It's a nice size. Yet, there's no tables to sit and hang out. It's just bar, and a lots of wine bottles and cases.



The good stuff gets special treatment in the vault, literally:



And be careful, they don't actually know the combination to the vault (I asked). They purposefully put all those cases in front of the door to impede any chance the door could actually be shut and locked. But still, it's fun to see wine superficially treated with such reverence.

The neat thing about the Tasting Room — beyond the wine of course — is all the neat old wine stuff you just can't see elsewhere. Christie — the proprietor — knows a lot about Oregon wine. And she has this old map from 1997 of the vineyards back then:



The same map today would have many more times as many vineyards. Some of those were penned in on the map. Nysa here, something else there. And then there was this treasure:



Boy-o-boy, if only I had an extra $800! This set included Beaux Freres wines from 1995 through 2002. Wow. Apparently, it's the last set she has. And at about $135 per bottle — funny to say — but that's not too bad actually. Needless to say, I had to pass; so if you're interested, high-tail it out to Carlton ...

Anyway, we were there for the wine tasting. So we paid the fee and tried a number of wines. I hate to say it, but they were not all that memorable. Though, admittedly, we had been tasting all day, so maybe I just ran out of steam.

 

I came pretty close to picking up some of that Ayres Ribbon Ridge, yet I had spent way too much that day already at White Rose and Cuvee.

The sad part, I suppose, was when I asked about the economy and its affect. Christie admitted that it had, and that she was now pouring wines that cost up to about $50 per bottle, instead of up to $75/80 that she had last year. Consumers just aren't buying the higher-end wines. Wines under $30, and especially under $20 are much more popular these days. And that's just talking about Pinot Noir.

In fact, a number of wine producers are now cheating a bit with their brands in order to cope with the economy. Take EIEIO for example. In fact, we tasted a couple of the EIEIO wines (hint: don't try and pronouce that, just read each letter and you'll get it). They now have a "Swine Wine" offering. This is essentially a re-brand of their bottom-end wine. And instead of $35 per bottle, it's $25. Yes, I did pick up some of that (and it's quite good; I'll have a more formal review soon).

And I think a lot of producers are doing things like this. It's a little safer to re-brand at the lower price, than hurt the brand itself with the price reduction. Sad, but true. And worse, I hear that many producers are sitting on more wine than they'd like. Apparently Domaine Serene has a ton of their 2006 wine. In fact, I noticed it was a recent addition to a local restaurant we frequent, so perhaps they're doing deals to get this stuff out there because those 2006 won't last too long — not like the 2007 can (assuming it's necessary).

Anyway, not to end on a depressing note. On the other hand, now's a great time to pick up some great deals on wine. Especially Oregon Pinots. That is, assuming you can afford to do so.

I think we got really lucky on the next choice. But I think I have to tangent for second ... I've had the St. Innocent "White Rose" Pinot Noir — twice. And both times, it was not worth near the money I paid for it. Now, I must qualify this. First, I'm a big fan of St. Innocent wines, and have bought many cases of their wines over the years and enjoyed my purchases. Second, I really suspect that both bottles that I had of their 'White Rose' were not kept well. I've read too many other reviews — raving reviews — so I really have to believe I was just unlucky in my sampling (albeit twice). I've been curious about White Rose ever since (was it my bad luck or not?). So off to White Rose we went.



Most vineyards are very majestic, and White Rose is right up there with the best of them. We had called ahead to be sure they would be open, and they assured us they were. Yet when we arrived, there was very little space to park; the road with the sign to the tasting room was blocked by barrels.



But we didn't despair. We found some gavel on which to park, all piled out, and entered the fermenting room. And alas: a table with wine bottles (hurray), yet no one else in sight (are we in the right place?)!



Turns out it was a slow day; they were in fact there, and a-tasting we went.

Dreamcatcher, Vista Hills Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2007

First up was the "Dreamcatcher". This is not an official "White Rose" wine. It's made by one of the wine makers there (in fact the dad of the guy pouring the wines). Just a personal project, and only two barrels made in total. This wine had a strong cinnamon, dust, earth,cherry, and white pepper. This was really good, and it was only $30; we picked up a few bottles in fact.

    8.0

Mercotti's Milieu, Pinot Noir, 2007

The "Mercotti's Milieu" is a blend of various local blocks, including Durant, Vista, and White Rose. Wow, this was really smooth! The flavors were a little less spicy than the "Dreamcatcher"; it was more jammy and exhibited more fruit. We were thinking this would be a great with chocolate! 

   8.5

Quiotee's Lair, Pinot Noir, 2007

"Quiotee's Lair" also had that cinnamon, dust, and cherry like the "Dreamcatcher". It had a great balance to it. It was just ever-so subtly sweet (vanilla) – just perfect sweetness to it. And the finish was pepper.

   8.5

Dragon's Bluff, Durant Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2006

"Dragon's Bluff" (Durant) was my personal favorite. It was really exotic and mysterious. Was it sweet orange? Mango and kumquat maybe. Orchid, begonia, and yet tropical. It had just a luscious taste, it was super smooth, and had great fruit. Yes, I bought some of this too.

   9.5

White Rose Estate, White Rose Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2006

The "White Rose" was insanely smooth and well balanced — it's the flag ship bottle. It was subtle and elegant in every way. It was slightly less intriguing right after the intense Dragon's Bluff — I personally liked the taste of the Dragon's Bluff better, yet the quality here was really higher.

   9.0

Dragon's Bluff, White Rose Vineyard, Pinot Noir, 2007

We had another wine — a wine that was only supposed to be available to the wine club members. It was also called "Dragon's Bluff", but this one was sourced from White Rose proper (instead of Durant). This one also was intense, but was more earth than exotic or tropical. Truffle, dust, hay, musty, nutmeg, manure, lavender, leather, and tobacco. It was also super smooth, yet it had a slight tartness at the end. Though, it was just released days earlier.

   9.0

I have to say that I honestly found these wines on this day to be more enjoyable than the ones we had at Domaine Drouhin (blasphemy!). But that's the honest-to-god truth. I receive a modest amount of "free" wine — wine shipped to me for reviewing — yet I joined the Wine Rose buyer's club on the spot as well as buying a number of bottle then and there. Just saying, I'm putting my money where my mouth is. And yes, I hope to go back again this summer just to ensure I wasn't crazy. White Rose was really exceptional.

Our first stop was a little impulsive. Denise was looking forward to a quick side trip for fresh lavender. But when she saw the Red Ridge Farms sign, and that they also had olive oil tasting — she (and thus we) had to stop.



And there, they also had wines (it's Dundee after all). These were Durant Vineyard wines, which we found out later also is a source for Wine Rose wines.



This selection included a Pinot Gris, a Chardonnay, and a Pinot Noir (of course). Their Pinot Gris was interesting in that it has a raspberry smell (good nose Cheryl!). It had a lime and pear taste and was quick and crisp. Their Chardonnay was more on the Burgundian style; Caleb found it to smell like 'mushroom funk', with some burnt sugar at the end. The Pinot had a strong nutmeg smell, along with dusty raisin and a hint of vanilla. The taste was dusty, earth, pepper and very little fruit. What fruit there was as dark. The finish was dark and earthy -- bark and almost a prune.




The second stop was Domaine Drouhin.



We've been there many times, and it's always a beautiful place to visit. It has just an incredible view of Mt Hood. The estate is just gorgeous. They have places to sit at tables, and a large grounds with perfect spots for a picnic.



They were pouring a Joeseph Drouhin Chablis, the Arthur (Chardonnay), the 2006 and 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs, and the 2005 Laurene (Pinot Noir). I won't re-blog all the wines here — some we have reviews of, and others we will review later. But I will mention that I really like this year's Arthur. It's mossy. It starts with a hint of a slight sweetness then goes perfectly dry. The taste is mainly pear and a little lemon. Caleb described the finish as biting into unripe apricot (in a very good way). This had just great balance.

We went out wine tasting during the Memorial Day weekend recently. In fact, we went both weekends — many wineries and vineyards are open Memorial Day proper and usually one day the weekend before. During those trips we visited Domaine Drouhin on the single day for their 'Louise' release party, and the second trip included Adelsheim, Bergstrom, Trisaetum, and Beaux Freres (Memorial Day Weekend on Ribbon Ridge). I mention this because it was notable how different this trip was from those.



The most conspicuous was how sparse the traffic was. The dreaded 99W isn't bad (or near as annoying) when it's not a parking lot. We breezed past King City, Sherwood, and even straight through Dundee. For those who haven't been stuck there, Dundee is still a very small town, and converts into virtual parking lot when it becomes congested. Apparently there's been talk of a bypass, but certainly there are pros and cons to such a thing. Either way, take away the crowds, and traveling 99W isn't so terrible.

And it wasn't just the roads. All the places we stopped were slow and sleepy. It was really nice not having to fight the traffic, the parking, and the crowds. We just moseyed on in and enjoyed ourselves. Just about everywhere we went, there were only a handful of people at each stop.

But of course there's a flip-side to this: non-special weekends leave you with a lot less wineries and vineyards to choose from — not nearly as many are open regularly as you'll find on the Memorial Day or Thanksgiving weekends. We went with some friends eager to visit Beaux Freres — nope. Brick House — nope. Stag Hallow — nope. So we scrapped our first thought of a return to the north valley (Ribbon Ridge the Chehalem mountains, and north Yamhill areas).



Instead we decided on a cluster of places that were open that included: Domaine Drouhin, De Ponte, Sokol Blosser, and White Rose. We knew we wouldn't hit them all, but having so many, so close together allowed us to keep our options open. It's worth noting that this cluster is just past Dundee — almost to Dayton (most of these vineyards have Dayton addresses in fact, though they're all in the Dundee AVA — technically speaking). So it's a bit of a gamble on a more popular weekend if you hate traffic. As it turns out, we visited Red Ridge Farms, Domaine Drouhin and White Rose (and totally lucked out on the traffic). And finally we finished up in Carlton with lunch at Cuvee and more tastings at the Carlton Tasting room.



There's too much here to put it all in a single post. So instead of a very long post, this will end Part 1, and several more parts I'll post over the next few days.