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August, 2008 Membership E-Newsletter |
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BOB'S A CERTIFIED SPECIALIST OF WINE!
 I'm pleased to announce that I have been awarded the credential of Certified Specialist of Wine by the Society of Wine Educators.
The credential was awarded after I successfully passed a 100-question written test at the recent SWE annual conference in New Orleans.
The test covered knowledge of growing regions and grape varieties, viticulture and enology, wine law and label requirements across the entire world. (Quick! Name the four most widely planted indigenous grapes in Greece. Name California's North Coast AVAs in geographical order. How many years must a Spanish wine spend in cask to be called Gran Riserva? Riserva? Crianza?)
This is the Society's first level of credential. I will now begin studying for their top postnomial, Certified Wine Educator. I plan to take that test at next year's conference. It includes another written test along with a blind wine identification tasting, a wine fault tasting, and a timed essay writing section. I'll report on those results next year. | |
 What I Hate About Oregon Wine
The other day, a client emailed me with a curious declaration. "You only write good things about Oregon wine," he accused. "You never say anything bad about anyone, so I cannot trust you to give me unbiased information."
Needless to say, I was deeply hurt. Well, perhaps mildly annoyed is more accurate. The fact is, I complain about various things regarding Oregon wine quite often. I have even drawn rebukes and criticism from various industry figures because of the things I write. One notable winemaker refuses to sell me any wine, because I won't agree to write only glowing things about him and his juice. Besides occasionally making a godawful wine, I think he's an arrogant prig. Would that happen if I were nothing but a gleeful pitchman?
I'm going to guess that many of my clients read primarily the notes on the wines we send out or promote. Those notes are always quite positive. After all, I am picking those wines for special attention. Why would I choose to sell a crummy wine, mail it to you, and then pan the wine in my notes? Makes no sense at all.
I also avoid writing a bad review of a wine just to prove that I can be mean and critical. Rather than scaring folks away from bad wine, I prefer to send them towards the good stuff. Easier work, makes more friends. Email me directly or call us up, and I'll be happy to tell you about all the lousy bottles of Oregon wine that I try.
Even a casual review of past newsletters will reveal that during my positive reviews, I often take the chance to throw in a few jabs at industry trends or practices that bother or anger me.
But to make things easy, and to avoid looking like a sissified, feeble charlatan of a wine writer, here's a list of a few things I don't like about Oregon wine and the Oregon wine industry:
Too Much Bad Wine - Everyone knows that we have somewhere around 400 wineries here, now. But are you aware of how many of them make bad wine? Of all the wineries that have started up in the past five years, the majority of them are mediocre at best.
This is bad for many reasons. Most important reason it is a bad situation: People buy the stuff! Folks who hear great things about Oregon pinot are being lured into buying poor quality stuff, because that's what is available. If the wine is then terrible, it does a disservice to the entire industry. Who wants the good name of Oregon pinot noir associated with miserable plonk?
 Prices are Too High - I talked to a young fellow the other day with a new pinot noir. He was only 30 years old, perhaps, and wants $75 retail for his new pinot noir. It was decent, but not seventy five bucks decent. I told him so. He looked smug. "We have great confidence in our product and our marketing plan," he told me. I'm not going to buy the wine, though - it's a complete rip off.
Now, Oregon producers will respond with "but we are still cheaper than California pinot noir." Guess what? That horrible, gooey stuff is also overpriced - it is just more dramatically overpriced than our stuff. It's actually at the point where Oregonians who are interested in wine cannot afford the domestic product!
Whatever happened to the idea of value? Can we no longer take pride in offering a really good wine for a mere twenty bucks? A-Z's Bill Hatcher has warned of a coming market crash due to overproduction. We are already seeing pressure on the highest price tier of wine due to the weak economy. Take pride in offering good juice for less money, folks. Not every pinot is worth $50 or more. Check your ego at the door, or the market will do it for you.
 Fake Wineries - You know the kind. Some folks make a bunch of money selling computer chips or drugs or weapons of mass destruction. They come to Oregon and hire a team: Vineyard guy, consulting winemaker, graphic designer, marketing wiz, PR firm. Next thing you know, a winery is born. There's no need to own a vineyard, or a grape press, or even to get your hands dirty. Just throw some money at it, and you're living la vida vino.
Sorry, that's NOT being part of the wine industry. This type of "winery" is just a soulless management project. New Rule: You have to work harvest in a foreign wine region as a low-level cellar rat before you are issued a producer's license. Might work.
Winery Literature - Every winery in Oregon is, essentially, the same winery! Read their literature - it was all written by one person, I'm convinced. They all grow grapes with the greatest care possible, sensitive of their connection to the land, honoring the sense of place, and strive tofor minimal intervene as the noble vine produces great winegrapes, and exercise stewardship, gently, harmony, balance, family, friends and wine, blah, blah, blah.
Is it possible to come up with a new way to tell the story? "We were sitting around getting drunk with our pals, like always, and figured that making wine would be more interesting then our current, boring job." Really, just anything at all. New is good! Figure out a new way to pitch the product.
 Let's finish this up with one more pet peeve:
Too Much Oak - Okay, Mr. and Ms. New Winemaker, listen up. Putting your juice into 100% new, heavily toasted oak barrels is NOT a good idea. Nor does is qualify as a "Reserve" bottling. Nor is it justification for charging too much. Nor does it taste any good at all.
This happens all the time. I call it "new winemakeritis." Their inexpensive pinot sells for a lot less and tastes a whole lot better, because it has been treated with less new oak. The most extracted, oaky, overdone and gawdawful juice becomes the "Reserve."
Oregon pinot loves 15-20% new, medium-toasted oak. A little less is okay, too. If your wine is good, your barrels are perfectly matched to the wine, and you know what you're doing, even 1/3 or (rarely) ˝ new oak can work. But until your name rhymes with "Mike Etzell" don't even try it. Give our collective palates a break, man.
There! I hope this proves that I can be as cantankerous and irascible at the next curmudgeon.
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LUCIER, A SNAZZY NEW EATERY
Visiting Portland soon?
Here's a new place to eat that I can heartily recommend: Lucier, a snazzy new eatery on the Portland riverfront. Situated in a new $4 million dining room and featuring an 1,800-bottle, million-buck wine list, the restaurant strives to be the best big-city dining experience in the region.
 Overall, Lucier is providing a very classy, classic and service-heavy experience in a stunning setting, complete with a great wine list, terrific food and all the little touches intact. While service (or perhaps over-service) is still a bit spotty, the Lucier experience is already one of the best, and is certainly a formal high-point in laid-back PDX.
Over three visits, I've been able to try most of the menu. It's not that hard, because everything including the apps and entrees can be ordered as a tasting portion. My first visit included ten courses . . . There is also a regular chef's tasting menu, with or without wine.
The food is as good as anywhere in town. The Crab Bisque is intense and reeks of the sea. The sea bass carpaccio with foie gras is a treat, too. A dish called "The Egg" serves of a soft-scrambled duck egg folded with creme fraiche and caviar -- very rich and decadent. The salmon and lamb entrees are spot on. Oysters on the half shell are enhanced with an emulsion of cucumber skin -- adds a terrific hint of bitterness that complements the sweet / salty oyster meat. The only dish I had out of balance was the Halibut Sous Vide, flavored by too much vanilla on the accompanying greens. The cheese cart is well chosen, and the cheese is brought up to room temperature for slicing and serving! Then, there's the Wagyu .
They are serving both the American Kobe Beef, related to Wagyu, and also the authentic stuff from Japan that has 50-60% fat content. For $25 per ounce, this stuff is the foie gras of the plains. I had some as carpaccio in one visit, and it was extremely soft, silky, sweet and literally melted in your mouth (more than half the fat in Wagyu is unsaturated, and can turn nearly liquid at room temp!). On another visit I had a 2-ounce portion seared for the steak entree. Simply the most tender, flavorful beef EVER. There's not a 40-day dry-aged US Prime steak that can touch this stuff.
 The wine list is also notable. I'm told they are still getting in a lot of product purchased from various sources, but the list as-is is among the best in the Northwest, and should eclipse most when it is complete. They failed to incorporate wine storage into the restaurant, so the company owns a (rumored 1.5 million dollar) condo across the street to store the wine. It makes me worry a bit about the wine staff, who are gents clearly not accustomed to jogging much. I appreciated particularly the verticals of riesling from Austria's F.X. Pichler.
Service was the only hitch in the giddy up. There are a lot of people on the floor, and they all seem to want to chat. Understandably proud of their new restaurant, I wish I had been given more time to chat up my dining companions, instead. The brigade-style service sometimes has issues -- one dinner saw three waiters standing around with our entrees because the other waiters had not yet cleared the previous course, for example. But I suspect that with practice, they'll figure it out and it will become seamless.
A few side notes: The restrooms are gorgeous, and each slightly different. The deck out back is a great summer hangout. The lounge is exceptionally attractive, and you can get the entire menu in there, too. There's no bar in the bar -- the place where they mix drinks is hidden from view. Valet parking is provided, gratis. When you emerge from the restaurant after dinner, your car will already be there, and a valet will be holding the door open for you, having already wiped your dash clean and left a little goodie bag as well (on your first visit, anyway).
Overall, this was the kind of experience I usually get from big-name restaurants in Vegas or New York. Once everything comes together, it will certainly be among the finest of fine dining establishments in the Northwest, and could become a foodie landmark on the West Coast.  . |
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AUGUST WORLD CLASS WINES
 2006 BRICK HOUSE PINOT NOIR "EVELYN"
Price: $54
Production: 180 cases
Drinkability: Limited
Availability: Good now, getting better
I remember when the wine industry was completely oblivious to being "green" or "organic" or even the more-trendy "biodynamic." It was all about the sprays and chemicals. I was a bit of a retro-hippie twenty years ago, and tried to do the right thing and locate some wine made with organic grapes. Short version: They were all disgusting. That was back when the "organic" was much more important than the "wine."
Enter former CBS War Correspondent Doug Tunnel. He retired from the news biz and planted a fairly sizable organic vineyard starting back in 1990. At first, there was consternation about the combination of pinot noir and organic - concerns quickly put to rest as Tunnel (aided by Cristom's Steve Doerner) started making wine. The wine was good, and the rest is history, as they say.
Nearly twenty years later, things are completely different. Particularly in the past eighteen months, wineries are literally tripping over themselves in the rush to be the greenest, most carbon-neutral, and all other things PC. Some of the claims are absurd and silly. But in fact, it makes sense for most (small, artisanal) wineries to be organic or nearly so . . . it makes for better grapes. Now there are many, many wineries with wine made from organic grapes, and plenty of those wines are excellent.
None of this is news to Brick House, where the wines have been good from the first bottling. Nowadays, they have achieved real status in the wine world, and all Brick House pinot noir bottlings are subject to fierce demand. Those bottlings include a Ladybug Cuvee in years where some of the juice may not belong in the higher-priced bottles; the Cuvee du Tonnelier (cuvee of the barrelmaker), Les Dijonais (a Dijon-clone bottling, obviously), Boulder Block (a more recent selection) and their priciest offering, the Evelyn bottling that is this month's World Class selection.
The Evelyn shows great finesse, balance and focus for an '06 and retains a freshness despite the intensity and great length. Black and blue fruits dominate, and the midpalate is about detail and harmony rather than sheer power while the finish is exceptionally long. I think this will add weight as it integrates over the next year or two, but it sure is pretty and desirable to drink now. Decant and enjoy, or hold for a bit. Less than 200 cases were made of this wine, so it is quite limited.
 2006 CRISTOM PINOT NOIR "JESSIE"
Price: $52
Drinkability: Remarkably forward
Availability: Good for the short term
Lately, I've been writing about how important experience is in winemaking. Most of Oregon's winemakers who have been here fifteen or twenty years or more are making the best wine of their careers, and making great wine in every vintage.
Cristom's owner / winemaker Steve Doerner has been here since the '92 vintage - that's fifteen harvests in Oregon. Before that, he made pinot noir at Calera in California for an additional 14 years! That was back when Calera was the undisputed king of California pinot noir, notable for being planted on one of the only deposits of limestone soil in the region. Overall, Doerner one of the most experience pinot noir makers in the entire country. True to the rule, he makes excellent wine in every vintage.
Cristom was among the very first to divide their vineyard into subsections and then bottle wine based on those "blocks." These blocks are known collectively as "The Girls" - Jessie, Louise, Eileen, and Marjorie. In addition, they make a "Reserve" pinot blended from parcels of fruit from top vineyards around the Valley, and a "Mt. Jefferson Cuvee" - an entry level pinot named after the extinct volcano that dominates the skyline from the tasting room windows.
The Jessie bottling offered up this month is a juicy, fruit-forward wine that is remarkably drinkable at this stage for a big Cristom pinot noir. Typically, Doerner's single-block wines are focused, tight, and begging for a couple of years of bottle age. However, for this bottling from this warm, ripe vintage, it's awfully nice now. The wine is loaded towards the red end of the fruit spectrum, and that fruit is balanced by fresh acidity and a hint of stem tannins that add complexity and dimension. It has more extract than other wines, and when tasted alongside other, good-quality pinots it stands out for an extra dimension of flavor and complexity and length. While drinkable now, this wine has enough stuffing for medium-term cellaring, too. Drink or hold.
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 2007 IL BRUNO PINOT NOIR
Price: $17
Drinkability: Delish!
Availability: Good for now
Evesham Wood is one of those wineries that have been around for about twenty years now. Everything they make is good, and their many rabid fans buy their wine quickly - it's hard to find this stuff on the market. It only makes it harder to find when you learn that winemaker Russ Rainey has kept his prices very low, compared to other producers at the same quality level.
Casa Bruno is the distributor in Oregon for Evesham Wood wines. I like them because they are smaller, and offer personal service. They are the opposite of the huge, multi-state distributors that rule the industry overall. But, when they get some Evesham Wood wines, they sell really, really fast.
So, Casa Bruno went to Russ Rainey and offered to buy a bunch of wine - like, thousands of cases, bottled just for Casa Bruno. He agreed. That's where this wine comes from. It's a bargain-priced cuvee that is available only in Oregon, from one of the state's best winemakers.
It is also the first '07 pinot that we've sold. That vintage was quite rainy, and I'm expecting some dilute, rotten and generally poor wines (but plenty of good ones, too). This Il Bruno, however, is a great little bottling! It's pretty, pure, lithe, varietally dead-on, balanced, and flavorful. You won't mistake it for a 15% fruit-bomb, but so much the better. This kind of balanced, elegant and focused wine is delicious to drink, reflects the roots of traditional cool-climate pinot noir, and is a great example of the kind of wines we can expect from the vintage. Did I mention that it is cheap? Other wineries should take note: It IS possible to make a great, inexpensive wine if you want to. Guzzle this anytime, and consider case buys as a house wine.
 2005 ANDREW RICH PINOT NOIR WILLAMETTE VALLEYPrice: $37
Drinkability: Approachable, can age a bit
Availability: Almost gone
Andrew's Notes:
"I would rank the 2005 vintage right up there with 1999 and 2002 as among my best to date. Cooler weather along with some showers at harvest gave us balanced, elegant wines with sane alcohols (13.5 on average) and good acidity. There is a marvelous purity of fruit, both in the nose and on the palate, and just enough new oak to frame the wine without overwhelming it. "
Josh Raynolds in The International Wine Cellar:
"89 Points. Bright red. Understated redcurrant and strawberry aromas are complicated by pungent herbs, fresh rose and dusty minerals. Taut and focused, offering zesty red fruit flavors and a subtle anise quality, and picking up a touch of vanilla on the sweet, clean finish.
Wine Enthusiast:
"90 Points. Andrew Rich makes wine that stands out for the quality it delivers at its price. This is a delicious Pinot, bright, spicy and layered with raspberry, strawberry, and cherry-flavored fruit. It's full and fruity, but also substantial and hinting at further development of some interesting herbal and earthy nuances with further bottle age."
Bob's Notes:
"This is softer and more engaging than many '05s now, with bright red flavors that have integrated somewhat into a delicious mélange of sappy fruit flavors tinged by a light touch of oak. The balance of the vintage and the more-traditional style of Andrew Rich shine through on this crowd pleaser. Drink anytime."
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Robert Wolfe
Oregon Pinot Noir Club ˇ 1-800-847-4474 |
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