8th Annual Post-IPNC Bob Wood Memorial Throwdown, July 30th 2018, Salem OR

Berserkers,

The 8th Annual Post-IPNC Bob Wood Memorial Throwdown once again features the 2007 Oregon Pinot Noir Vintage. I did not open this to the broader group as past-attendees more than filled the event!

Date: July 30th 2018
Time: Tasting starts NOON sharp, but please arrive 30 minutes early so we can prep the double blind tasting.
Where: Lingua Franca Vineyard, 9675 Hopewell Rd, Salem, Oregon 97304
Hosts: Winemaker Thomas Savre
Format: Double-blind. 30 unique Pinot Noirs from the Oregon 2007 vintage. Every attendee brings one magnum or 2 750’s.

-Steve


Attendees

Past hosts marked with (h). Without your wonderful support, this event wouldn’t happen!

Andrew Turner
Andy Steinman (h)
Boyd Pearson
Brandon Johnsen
Brent Braun
Colleen Prince
Doug Ackerman
Durstin Selfridge
Erik McLaughlin - repping Todd Hamina (h)
Gaironn Poole
Greg Malcolm
Harry Kamin
Ian Burch (h)
Jack Tregenza
Jeff Hoofard
Joe Schenck + 1
John Grochau (h)
Kevin Chambers
Marcus Goodfellow (h)
Morgan Hall
Paul Cunningham
Paul Willenberg
Peter Hickner
Ryan McBrayer
Steven Miller
Thomas Houseman (h)
Thomas Savre - Lingua Franca Host Winemaker
Todd Hansen
Tom Pavlik
Vincent Fritzsche
Will Hamilton

Wait-list:

Wait-list cleared

Rick Allen
Joe Schenck+1
Brett Braun
Tom Pavlik
Harry Kamin

Wait-list cancels

Tom Mortimer
Geoff Harvey

Cancels
Rich Trimpi +1
John Osburn
Kara Johnsen
Thomas Monroe
Ken Pahlow
Tim Wilson
Mark Stevens
Rick Allen
Sue Steinman
Jim Diven
Dan Rinke

For those new to the Throwdown you can follow our history here.

1st Annual - The shitty 2007 vintage retrospective, August 1st 2011 held at Patty Green hosted by Jim Anderson
The thread that started it all. The Bob Wood (RIP) defense of the 2007 vintage.
Another Shitty '07 Oregon Pinot Noir

2nd Annual - 2005 vintage retrospective, July 30th 2012 held at Biggio Hamina hosted by Todd Hamina
Post IPNC Oregon 2005 Tasting

3rd Annual - 2004 vintage retrospective, July 29th 2013 held at Matello hosted by Marcus Goodfellow
2013 Post IPNC Tasting of 2004 OR Pinot at Matello

4th Annual - 2002 vintage retrospective, July 28th 2014 held at Bjornson Vineyard hosted by John Grochau
Post IPNC 2002 Oregon Pinot Noir Throwdown! Bjornson Vineyard, Eola-Hills July 28th

5th Annual - 2008 vintage retrospective, July 27th 2015 held at Walter Scott hosted by Andy Steinman
Post-IPNC Oregon Pinot Noir Blind Tasting, 2008 Vintage, 7/27/15

6th Annual - 2010 vintage retrospective, August 1st 2016 held at Scott Paul hosted by Ian Burch
Post-IPNC Oregon Pinot Noir Blind Tasting, 2010 Vintage, 8/01/16

7th Annual - 2011 vintage retrospective, July 31st 2017 held at Anne Amie hosted by Thomas Houseman
Post-IPNC Oregon Pinot Noir Blind Tasting, 2010 Vintage, 7/31/17

Since the waitlist is empty… and it’s possible one or two more might drop. Feel free to add your name to this thread.

I’d like to add a friend of mine. They are not on WB. Her name is Allison.

Very sorry to miss it this year. It’s a great event and tradition. Steven, well done maintaining the momentum!

RT

Added Will Hamilton (Violin Wines) and Kevin Chambers (Oregon Wine Board, Koosah Farm).

Kevin Chambers is a great guy.

Added Andrew Turner, Valley Wine Merchants.

Will be an awesome tasting tomorrow!

Holy Moly, what a crew!!!

Wear your Wine Berserkers t-shirts if you got em! PHOTOS please

Today’s flights

Flight 1 - WV + Chehalem Mountains
Anne Amie L’Iris
Longplay Lia’s Vineyard
Adelsheim Bryan Creek
Antica Terra Botanica (Magnum)
Grochau Cellars Cuvee des Amis

Flight 2 - Marine Sedimentary Soils
Belle Pente - Belle Pente Vineyard
Lemelson Stermer
Willakenzie Aliette (Magnum)
Matello Whistling Ridge
Johan Nils Estate

Flight 3 - Dundee Hills
The Eyrie Vineyards Reserve Original Vines
Arterberry-Maresh Maresh
Baptisa Maresh
Scott Paul Audrey (Magnum) [ Maresh Vineyard Barrel Selection ]
Cameron Abbey Ridge

Flight 4 - Winemakers +
Vincent Meredith Mitchell Vineyard
Anne Amie Estate
Evesham Wood Cuvee J
Johan Three Barrel
Eveningland Seven Springs La Source (Magnum)

Flight 5 - Whole Cluster + 1 WV
Biggio-Hamina Deux Vert
Matello Souris
Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée (Magnum)
Bergstrom Nysa
White Rose Quiotee’s Lair

Flight 6 - Dundee Hills Redux
DDO Laurene (Magnum)
St. Innocent White Rose
J. Christopher Dundee Hills Cuvée (Magnum)
Stoller JV Estate
Thomas

Thank you to Steve for putting on a great event. Generally the wines disappointed me. I love the 07s I’ve had recently but these weren’t them. There were some really F’ed noses showing lots of cinnamon from stress. I noticed alcohol from the chaptilization. On the other hand there was often really nice fruit and great tart finishes with just the right acidity. I think these wines were most often ruined in the winery, not the vineyard.

Flight 1 - WV + Chehalem Mountains
Anne Amie L’Iris a bit baked on the nose. some barbecue, some Earth. a nice nose aside from the barbecue. not very interesting on the palate. a bit hot. simple finish.
Longplay - Lia’s Vineyard oxidized nose, tangerine, fennel. terrible palate, lingering oak. chocolate
Adelsheim Bryan Creek very nice nose of mocha and chocolate, some Earth too. rich palate but not cloying. in a great place. some lavender, sweet cherries, good acidity. a well balanced wine.
Antica Terra Botanica big and primary nose. really nice. lots of power and tannins. a bit hot.
Grochau Cellars Cuvee des Amis bretty Lambic.

Flight 2 - Marine Sedimentary Soils
Belle Pente - Belle Pente Vineyard pretty and lifted nose. pure fruit. a bit hot but really nice acidity. some orange peel. a great wine. love it.
Lemelson Stermer toasted nose. dark color. a bit rich with some slightly overripe fruit. finishes ok with some cola.
Willakenzie aliette a bit past prime. oxidized, cooked. hot. slightly bitter.
Matello Whistling Ridge slightly oxidized nose. menthol. finishes ok but without much excitement.
Johan Nils Estate pretty nose with a bit of alcohol. cinnamon. nice tart finish.

Flight 3 - Dundee Hills
The Eyrie Vineyards Reserve Original Vines some reduction in the nose. good fruit looking through. good fruit. soft and pretty. some funk. lingering pretty finish.
Arterberry-Maresh Maresh some hot and VA on the nose. really primary with lots of candied fruit. nice clean finish. well made and a nice Expression of Oregon.
Baptisa Maresh oxidized. tangerine. stewed. plums.
Scott Paul Audrey funky nose with cigar box . menthol. deep cola. coming together after a terrible opening.
Cameron Abbey Ridge reduced nose. pure fruit though. really nice. pure.

Flight 4 - Mix of great wines
Vincent Meredith Mitchell Vineyard funk on the nose. Cameron? VA. seaweed. really pure fruit.
Anne Amie Estate maillard. funk. the palate is actually quite nice. some tightness on the finish. tart. bitter.
Evesham Wood Cuvee J cigar box on the nose. cinnamon. some decent fruit. iron. earth.
Johan Three Barrel cinnamon. good fruit. simple finish. tart.
Eveningland Seven Springs La Source poopy. oxidized. oak on the palate. piney. disjointed finish.

Flight 5 - Whole Cluster + 1 WV
Biggio-Hamina Deux Vert cinnamon, soy, bretty tart finish. disjointed.
Matello Souris VA on the nose. soft nose but really pretty. good fruit. tart clean finish.
Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée stressed cinnamon. deep nose. enticing. earthy. I was expecting a more tertiary wine given the nose but the fruit is pure and excellent.
Bergstrom Nysa coffee. deep rich. olive. beefy.
White Rose Quiotee’s Lair slightly funky nose. nicely fruited. tart. really nice fruit. cherry. watermelon. on the palate with a good finish.

Flight 6 - Dundee Hills
DDO Laurene cinnamon, stressed, hot. VA. nicely fruited. a really nice finish.
St. Innocent White Rose bretty. refried beans. cedar. bretty finish. horse mane.
J. Christopher Dundee Hills Cuvée lifted nose, every so slightly corked. nicely fruited. good cherry and acidity. finishes simple with good tartnes.
Stoller JV Estate Franciose freres toasted marshmallow. nice dark cherry fruit. someone with lots of money. cherry cola finish.
Thomas DPIM

I didn’t take any detailed notes, instead just highlighting what stood out for me about each wine.

Flight 1 - WV + Chehalem Mountains

We started off with a strong flight. Some gems here.

Anne Amie L’Iris - Pretty.
Adelsheim Bryan Creek - Rich. Needs decanting if not simply more time in bottle.
Antica Terra Botanica (Magnum) - Young. Young. Young. This wine has decades in front of it.
Grochau Cellars Cuvee des Amis - Lovely.

Flight 2 - Marine Sedimentary Soils

I only cared for one of the 4. Thomas correctly guessed the theme of the flight as sedimentary soils.

Belle Pente - Belle Pente Vineyard - Star of the flight.

Flight 3 - Dundee Hills

A solid flight and the best of the 2 Dundee Hills flights.

The Eyrie Vineyards Reserve Original Vines - Gorgeous.
Arterberry-Maresh Maresh - Loved it.
Scott Paul Audrey (Magnum) [ Maresh Vineyard Barrel Selection ] - kept changing. If I had another mag, I would decant and serve after a few hours.
Cameron Abbey Ridge - Not my favorite Abbey Ridge. Needed some brightness to lift the palate. Otherwise solid.

Flight 4 - Winemakers +

Vincent Meredith Mitchell Vineyard - For one of Vincent’s last home wines before launching his label this worked well. Despite his saying he didn’t get the best fruit.
Anne Amie Estate - Another rich big wine that needs time. Decant to drink now.
Evesham Wood Cuvee J - My fave of the flight. Tx Jim Diven for letting us taste this despite your having to cancel.

Flight 5 - Whole Cluster + 1 WV

This flight was supposed to be all Whole Cluster, but with a missing wine, I plugged Souris in.

Matello Souris - was the best to enjoy right now of the 5.
Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée (Magnum) - Big & brawny. Needs time. Serious decanting to drink now from Magnum.

Flight 6 - Dundee Hills Redux

Perhaps my palate was done, but none of the wines in the last flight were singing today.

The 30 wines from today’s Throwdown.
IMG_6484.jpg

Thanks Steve for organizing and Lingua Franca for hosting!

I really enjoyed the wines, with a few exceptions. Willenberg doesn’t know what he’s talking about. :wink:

The Anne Amie Liris was lovely, showing some maturity in a good way.

I really liked the Matello Whistling Ridge but the Johan Nils Reserve was my fave of flight 2. Tons of density and finesse.

The Eyrie Original Vines was the head of flight three, so much finesse. Arterberry Maresh was very nice too.

I recognized my own wine, from fruit barely 20 brix picked in the middle of October. I’ve always liked it for its ashy red fruit and pepper qualities. Seemed fresher than I expected, was out of a mag I decanted into two 750s to obscure it better from myself. I really liked the Evening Lands Seven Spring La Source in this flight. Deep and toasty but in a good way, not heavy.

I really liked the Biggio Hamina Duex Vert. Go figure, maybe whole cluster is the way to go!! Love you Toddy. The Matello Souris and Cristom Mt. Jefferson were also lovely.

Final flight, yeah either I was done or these wines were flat. The Drouhin Laurene was the best, so fresh and cool.

In all, I very much enjoyed the tasting.

Let’s remember why this event began. Is 2007 shitty? Yes. But is that good or bad? The event began as a throw down to find out.

At 11 years of age, I was impressed by how fresh some wines were. Others showed maturity but in a good way for the most part, only a couple wines seemed done. Is 2007 great? I’ve never though so but they can be so pretty, so fragrant and delicious if you didn’t push too hard, saignee too much or force the extraction to make sure you got everything out of the grapes. A few wines seemed stuffed into form fitting outfits, but to their credit even the more burly wines seemed fresh and no where near done.

I was vocal years ago that people who thought 2007 was a great cellar vintage were maybe overdoing it. I still feel that way, the wines trade prettiness for stuffing to age a long time. And yet these wines are largely still showing well and have time to go. I was impressed.

A big +1.

Back in the mid-80s when I lived in Eugene for three years, I was in a tasting group with Kevin. To this day it’s the best group I’ve tasted with. Kevin was so knowledgeable, had a great palate, and was a gem of a person. I imagine all those things remain true. I tried to hook up with him about five years ago when I was in McMinnville, but it turned out I had the wrong email address, which I didn’t realize until months later. I should have tried again when I was up there a few weeks ago. I’ll be sure to do it next time!

Steven, sorry I had to miss the tasting yesterday. While it’s not 100% whole cluster, I would guess that the Matello Souris is as much whole cluster as the Mt. Jefferson. Steve tends to do quite a bit of 50% whole cluster ferments, and the majority of the 07 Souris came from similar percentages.

Big abrazo to you too Vincent. And that Deux Vert was 70% whole cluster. Remiss to be absent again, I hope Erik represented.

Paul,

Do you mind enlightening me as to what you mean by cinnamon flavors caused by stress?

The stress I typically encounter is vine stress, and most often in younger vines. 2012 was the last time I saw it in the cellar, but it’s flavor profile is peanut shell/skin, tequila, and/or wet cement.

Your statement though is that the wineries received good fruit and then “ruined” the wines. So I am assuming you are talking about a stress in the cellar and I would like to know more.

Regardless, I view cinnamon as a desirable flavor, and two of my favorite wineries, Brickhouse and Cristom, are wineries I fell in love with for the structure and balance of the wines, and beautiful aromatic qualities often having cinnamon in the profile. I find cinnamon most typically in red fruit wines made with a significant amount of stems. Sometimes Whistling Ridge is cinnamon, sometimes menthol/mint/fresh herb. All are things I find very appealing in the wines.

After several years, I definitely understand that you and I like very different things in wines. That said, I’d still like to know which stress on the fruit the wineries are responsible for?

Also, 2007 was a very warm summer before the weather change. I picked all of my Pinot Noir at 22.5 Brix or better. Dilution and rot were the worries, not Brix. So saignee yes, chaptalization no.

I meant Cinnamon flavors caused by stems. Sorry. I just don’t love the taste, especially when it borders on spicy Red Hots. Looking more closely at where I called it out, it isn’t anything new for the producers where I noted it, so perhaps my comment about overworking in the winery is unwarranted. My general impression of these wines though was there was some really nice fruit and great finishes which got obscured by stems and sugar. On sugar, a couple winemakers said they did indeed add sugar in 07. If they hadn’t, then it was the heat of the vintage causing distracting alcohol.

I think I ruined myself by opening an 07 Evesham Wood La Grive Bleue the night before. It set my expectations way too high.

Big +1. Love baking spices and cinnamon in Oregon Pinots. And such a nicely succinct 2007 vintage recap too! Sorry to miss the fun.

RT