2018 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir Old Vine Pommard Lewman Vineyard
Marcus knocked this one out of the park. Complex perfume of dried blackberry, raspberry, cherry cola, tea leaves, creme de violette, and rose petals with smoky minerality, black pepper, and baking spices wafting from the glass when coaxed with some air. On the palate the wine is expansive, with a purity of tart black and red fruits supported by silky tannins and bright acidity. There is an impressively long finish of black cherry, raspberry, mocha, black pepper, and a touch of smoke.
With no decant this wine is surprisingly open for early drinking pleasure, but Iâm sure it has a long life ahead of it.
2015 Trathen Hall La Chenaie Vineyard Pinot Noir:
Certainly a teeny tiny producer by case size but not by experience or spirit. Blair Trathen was the winemaker at Shea Wine Cellars from 2013-2018 and worked many more Oregon and New Zealand (heâs native) harvest and Arabella Hall who has worked many Oregon harvests for a number of wineries have this as their private label. This is a delicious bottle. Racy acidity especially considering the vintage. Duels with the ripe fruit to give a spiced red apple skin and red plum flesh note to the aromatics and flavor. Mild but persistent and elegant tannins carry the flavors. Pretty long if not super-complex. Drinking really well and while itâs not at apex itâs certainly enjoyable. Good stuff and great people. Blair worked the 2020 harvest with me and my crew. Wish I had results to show for his efforts.
Thank you for doing this David, both for choosing Oregon and Berserkers, and donating to Dakin Humane Society.
2020 has obviously been unmatched in society wide challenges, but I have come to marvel at this years ability to add personal âeff youâs to us individually. We began the year with three fuzzy friends and have lost all three this year. Itâs just strange not having cats, or a dog and I really appreciate a chance to give the bird back to 2020(even if itâs only in my own head).
Weâll match the donation on any TNs on wines from producers in the Deep Roots Coalition.
This is a great reason to pop corks on some Oregon Pinots Iâve been meaning to openâŚfor animal charity. Thanks David (and Jim & Marcus)! Very sorry to hear about losing the fur friends, Marcus. Always enjoyed seeing them.
Iâm sticking to a Heater Allen Blanc Pils tonight, but will soon open a 2008 Matello Whistling Ridge PN, 2008 Biggio-Hamina Zenith PN & 2010 PGC Four Winds PN.
Deep Roots is a group of Oregon wineries producing wines solely from dry-farmed vineyards. Admittedly, almost every single one of my favorite Oregon wineries is a member.
Weâll start with bubblesâŚtwo labels helmed by people that I am very happy to support, and who do really good work. Both wines wanted 20 minutes to open up, but both show the potential in Willamette Valley sparkling wines. FirstâŚ
Mellen-Meyer Blanc de Blanc NV Johan Vineyard disgorged 2/2/17
Stony nose, almonds, ocean water, a hint of nuttiness/marzipan(cellared for a year this is evolving well.) Gains richness, a little grilled bread, nectarine, apples, hint of guava, but still nicely taut. Excellent length and balance. Excellent breed and layering, and a very solid effort. Full disclosure, Bobby Rowett, the winemaker, used to work for me.
SecondâŚ
2014 Lundeen Blanc de Noirs La Canterra vineyard. 42 months in tirage, disgorged summer 2018. This took a bit to knit together, but wowâŚit has, and I am impressed. Floral, leesy, light red and white fruits, all in a startling delicious package. Palate is perfectly balanced. I drink a lot of grower Champagnes, and am simply jaded when it comes to bubbles from other regions, but this wine is delivering everything I would expect from good grower fizz. My only knock is that the mousse dissipates a bit more in the glass than I like over time in the glass, so I would definitely recommend tall slender glassware.
2011 Jadot Beaune 1er Cru
Not much on the nose. Red and dark fruits mix up nicely if not in some sort of complex way. A little dustiness in there and some acid and tannin. Itâs good but like in that âhow do you like your bran muffin? Oh, itâs, you know, good.â sort of way. Little palate density. Itâs good. Like a decent glass pour kind of good but not something youâre wicked excited about. If you were having appetizers with a business colleague (pre-Covid) and you had to talk about blueprints to a small warehouse you were building and what sort of light fixtures you needed to order this would be a good wine to order a glass of.
Not sure what is going on with the mobile and adding photos. Itâs been a struggle and this one was especially weirdly difficult for some reason and Iâm not going back to figure out how to fix it.
2017 Biggio Hamina âBiHaâ Van Van Deuzer Corridor AVA Pinot Noir
Per Todd Hamina: All Holmes Gap vineyard, 100% pommard, 100% whole cluster, 20% new French oak. The BiHa AVA bottlings are intended as more as ârestaurantâ wines than vin de garde. Natural cork. $17 retail.
A very light red color. Nice red fruit on the nose without being sweet. Light bodied, soft on the palate, and an easy drinker while still retaining delicious earthy substance and character. A sneaky wine, if you pay attention, it keeps getting richer and deeper, but the bottle might get quaffed too quickly to matter. I can see this wine appealing to a wide range of people. It is what it is meant to be. Charming and friendly. A sweet kiss. But if you wanted a wine that throws you down on the couch and has its way with you, this is perhaps not that wine.
A thing that really impressed me is that I have had 2007, 2011, 2013, and 2017 BH AVA wines and they have all had remarkably consistent character. Todd never had an identity crisis. Well done.
Decanted four hours. Remarkably this wine has a deeper color than the 2017 AVA. All around more substantial. Lots of dark scents leapt from the glass with this one. My wife insisted there was a sootiness as from a charred wood. I never really got that. But I did get fennel root. She harrumphed me. We agreed on Marionberry and worn saddle leather. Later her soot comment changed into French toast, as in the smell of a griddle. I got very nice cigar tobacco on the finish. And we both got that lovely fresh scent of forest path after a rain. Still surprisingly tannic for its age. This had a twist top. Perhaps that has retarded aging? I still have two bottles and will drink them over the next two years as I think it is in its peak drinking window.
2018 Patricia Green Cellars Freedom Hill Dijon 115
Iâm still learning how to identify things, so not sure how accurate this is. Day 1, super tight, swirled in a Zalto Burgundy for about 2 hours through the William Kelley chat and itâs not moving much. Dark fruits, but not sure what. Smells a little like the Christmas tree I donât have this year. Iâve got nothing beyond that, hoping I can hold the other bottle for 5 years or so. Just wish it wasnât too big for the slots in my wine cellar.
Trying to sort out some new house Pinot for my wife.
2019 Four Graces Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley very primary still, no surprise, red fruited in a raspberry sort of way, moderate + tannins at this point, and a bit of youthful juiciness. Nose has a touch of spice, but still too young to really sparkle.
2018 Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley is much more serious in nose and palate. More power, a touch darker fruited, good spice, acid and persistence.
2019 Adelsheim Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley is lighter bodied than the Four Graces, more cranberries and cedar, with a pretty nose of bramble and flowers.
Thanks for taking the time to donate David. I had a great rescue named Buddy who lived to be 18. Will check in on them tomorrow for day 2.
Popped and poured, this is stunning. This is why you drink Oregon pinot. Wow. Aromatically light on its feet with lighter red tones, spice, dirty forest. The palate shows terrific structure and red crunchy skinned cranberry fruit that finishes smooth, light and with great acid. A terrific bottle of wine from a shitty vintage. Most excellent job, Jim and Patty.
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