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November, 2008 Membership E-Newsletter |
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Vintners Like the '08 Harvest
The winter rains appear to be settling in, but they held off long enough to give mid-valley residents some spectacular Indian summer weather - and give mid-valley wine grape producers a spectacular harvest.
"The fruit came out really nice," said Dan Chapel of Cardwell Hill Cellars near Wren. "We're looking to have a really good wine out of it."
All over the region, growers are raving about the unusually high quality of this year's grapes.
The crop got off to a slow start because of cool spring weather, delaying the bud break. Then, in August, an early cold snap accompanied by heavy rains had growers sweating bullets, thinking they might have to harvest early.
But the weather took yet another turn, with plenty of late sunshine to help the grapes ripen slowly, bringing out all the potential flavor.
"It looked really miserable at first," said Dai Crisp, who manages several vineyards around the valley and owns Lumos Wine Co. near Wren. "But it turned sunny and mild, and we were able to let the fruit hang until the last minute."
That's important, said Merrilee Buchanan Benson, the winemaker at Tyee Wine Cellars south of Corvallis. It allows the sugar content to build up in the grapes, while the acid levels drop off.
"It gives you optimal ripeness. It really breaks open the aroma of the wine, and the flavor's a lot more complex that way," Benson said. "Pinot noir did really well this year, and so did chardonnay."
Pinot noir is Oregon's signature wine grape, and it makes up the bulk of production for most mid-valley wineries. And area winemakers seem to agree this could be a very good year for pinot noir, with some comparing it to the banner vintage of 1999.
"It's a true Oregon pinot noir vintage," said Matt Compton, a partner in Spindrift Cellars in Philomath. "I'm very optimistic and excited about this vintage. We haven't seen one this good in quite a few years."
-- BENNETT HALL The Albany Democrat-Herald
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 The Sideways Effect is Real
Conventional wisdom was right about the effect the movie "Sideways" had on wine consumption, according to a new economic study.
Ever since the wine-centric film was released in late 2004, winemakers have credited it with a surge in the popularity of pinot noir, highly praised by the film's protagonist and the signature grape of Oregon's wine industry.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards.
"Our tasting room sales skyrocketed," said Jim Bernau, founder of Willamette Valley Vineyards, in a Salem Capital Press article that year. "It's almost like the tourist season. That shocked us, because January is usually a slow month."
Such tales have become folklore in the wine industry but, up until now, haven't been supported by numbers, according to economists from Sonoma State University and Sonoma Research Associates.
Their research through the American Society of Wine Economists largely corroborates the "sideways effect" in the wine industry.
In the film, the main character, Miles Raymond, repeatedly praises pinot noir. Merlot, on the other hand, is derided by Raymond, who at one point proclaims, "If anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving."
The researchers found that prior to 2004, the growth rate of pinot noir and merlot production was dropping. That was also the case for "control" wines -- cabernet sauvignon and syrah -- not singled out in the movie.
After 2004, however, production growth for pinot noir soared. Merlot saw declining growth among non-promoted brands and only moderate growth among promoted brands marketed more aggressively, although many wine drinkers sip merlot without knowing it. It is an important blending grape used in some varietals.
The control wines also saw production growth after "Sideways" was released. Their growth outpaced merlot but at a lesser rate than pinot noir.
Price changes for pinot noir, merlot and control wines also document the film's impact. Prices for all three were dropping in the two years before 2004.
After the film's release, pinot noir prices began climbing while prices for the control wines were stable or grew proportionately, depending on promotional efforts. Merlot prices, meanwhile, generally continued to decline, regardless of whether the brands were promoted.
-- Associated Press excerpt. Read the full story.
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Ken Wright Shipping, Cold Weather, Patty Green On the Way
At this time, all packages held over the summer have been shipped out. That said, cold weather in the upper Midwest has the potential to disrupt shipping to the Northeast before too long!
In other shipping notes, the 2007 Ken Wright wines have arrived. We will be assessing shipping charges and sending the wines out starting late this week. If you have address corrections to provide us, please do so immediately.
We also anticipate the arrival of the '07 Patricia Green Futures very soon, and will ship them as soon as practical.
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WORLD CLASS WINES
 2006 Roco Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
Price: $40
Drinkability: Good, getting better all the time
Availability: In stock now, but selling fast
Let's say that you are Rollin Soles, head winemaker at Argyle winery for the past twenty years, and you want to do a little side project. So, you buy some land in the hills, plant a vineyard, and make a bit of vino. And you call it Roco.
Chances are, that wine will be good. And so it is. Here's the story, from the winery literature:
"Rollin and Corby Soles planted their small Wits' End Vineyard, located on the southwest slope of the Chehalem Mountains, in 2001. Two years later they produced their first vintage, four barrels of the 2003 Private Stash Pinot Noir. They were so delighted with the wine that they decided to produce two separate ROCO Pinot Noirs each vintage: the Private Stash and Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Rollin brings more than twenty years of Oregon winemaking experience, a passion for Pinot Noir and insistence on the highest winemaking standards to this private family venture."
This Willamette Valley bottling is great stuff. It has fruit that tends towards the red end of the spectrum, with loads of cherry and plum flavors, but it also has black fruit flavors, fine tannins, and just the right amount of classy oak seasoning. Overall, the wine has a real sense of harmony, balance and just seems . . . complete. It'sneaky dense right now - there is a lot of flavor packed into this wine - and a bit of bottle age will only help. But it is certainly approachable now, as the empty bottle in my kitchen can attest. Buy a few bottles and try one now while laying a few more down for later.
Also, this was already awarded a Wine Spectator 92 points, with these notes: "Supple, silky and remarkably open-textured, this just glows with beautiful plum, currant and a hint of lime in the background, delicately framed with oak. The fruit wins in the end, and this lingers for days. Drink now through 2016.-H.S"
>> Buy the Roco
 2005 Jacomus Cellars Pinot Noir "Amatorius"
Price: $60
Production: Dinky
Drinkability: Good, will age
Availability: Not much at all
Bergstrom Alert! Josh Bergstrom really gets around these days, making wine with such licentious abandon for so many people and that it is getting hard to keep track of all the labels. Luckily for us, it makes getting a Josh Bergstrom wine just a little bit easier.
Jacomus Cellars is the project of Michael Denton, who has joined with several West Coast winemakers to produce small amounts of cabernet, syrah, and of course, this pinot noir. Just a few barrels of this wine were made with Shea Vineyard fruit, and it is virtually unavailable anywhere else.
It's a big wine, with substantial tannins that are soft and nicely integrated, and with a solid core of acidity. All that structure supports a beam of juicy, focused fruit that tends to fairly dark flavors, even hinting tar, but that still remains lithe and even at times ethereal. Overall, it is a compelling wine that I found quite absorbing. Now, the tannins are soft, and the wine is approachable, but my palate tells me another couple of years will integrate the wine further and allow the fruit presence to expand a bit. Drink now, but consider also cellaring this for 1-3 years.
>> Buy the Jacomus
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PREMIUM CLUB WINES
 2007 Scott Paul Pinot Noir Martha Pirrie
Price: $24
Drinkability: Tastes great!
Availability: Good for now
So, Scott Paul has it all figured out. Really.
He started is stint in Oregon as the GM of Domaine Drouhin Oregon, a somewhat high profile job here. Then, he left to start his eponymous winery, and became a terrific small producer with a very strong lineup of pinot noirs. This Martha Pirrie bottling is his entry-level wine, and he also produces the La Paulee and Audrey bottlings at higher price points.
Finally, he's also figured out how to import a line up of excellent Burgundies from France. This is groovy, because the prices on his French portfolio are very fair for excellent quality. You may not know this, but in Oregon us wine folks drink a lot of Burgundy.
His winery is located in an old brick building in Carlton, a backwoods whistle-stop that has inexplicably turned into a tiny little hotbed of wine activity. The town is now home to at least a dozen producers, a variety of tasting rooms, and even a restaurant that is worthy. Not bad for a place with a main street that is three blocks long.
Back to the wine. This Cuvee Martha Pirrie is Scott Paul's entry level wine, and delivers a big bank for the buck. Here's a blurb about the winemaking:
"We make three Oregon Pinot Noirs: Cuvée Martha Pirrie, La Paulée and Audrey with a total production of 4-5,000 cases, and no plans to grow the brand any larger. Our mission is to hand-craft small lots of exquisite Oregon Pinot Noir. To us that means wines of elegance and finesse - wines imbued with sensual qualities. We don't try to make wines that will hit you over the head. We want to make wines that will seduce you. Think Audrey Hepburn, rather than Pamela Anderson.
"Our winemaking regimen is hands-off, gentle, and non-interventionist. Our techniques and philosophy are shaped by Burgundian tradition: no must-pumps, no inoculation, no enzymes, no additives. New French oak is kept to less than 20%"
That philosophy, combined with the natural elegance of the '07 vintage, has resulted in a very pretty, open-knit pinot noir with fresh, juicy fruit flavors. It's an elegant wine to be sure, but it still shows off lots of pure pinot noir flavor, with lots of mid-palate detail and a long finish. It's the kind of pinot you can enjoy over several glasses, without being knocked upside the head with excessive extract or too much new wood. In a word, lovely. Drink now.
>> Buy the Scott Paul
 2006 Soter Pinot Noir North Valley
Drinkability: Good now
Availability: Not long for this world
"Pinot Noir is the most appropriate vehicle with which to study winegrowing, precisely because of its demanding nature, but also for its delicacy and transparency." - Tony Soter
"Inspired and encouraged by a chance meeting in his cellar with Lalou Bize-Leroy in 1980, Pinot Noir has long been a source of fascination for Tony Soter. It is through Pinot Noir that the voice of the earth - a vineyard's terroir - is transmitted most clearly. The goal of Soter Vineyards is therefore to produce elegant, complex, emotionally thrilling Pinot Noirs that express the individuality of their sites."
So, there you have it. Wine philosophy by Tony Soter, who was one of the cultiest of Napa Valley producers, back before there were so many cult wines. The guy practically invented the genre.
But now he's in Oregon, making Oregon pinot noir, and doing a terrific job of it. Soter has sold off his original Beacon Hill vineyard here, and is now proud owner of Mineral Springs Vineyard, his estate planting at his new estate winery on a hill not too far from Carlton, Oregon and across the road from Lemelson.
This North Valley pinot noir is his blended wine, and offers considerable value on a pinot with real pedigree. This stuff is rich, darkly-fruited, and gushes with ripe pinot noir flavors. The texture is plush and silky, with lots of mid-palate detail and a long finish. It's also quite open-knit now, as are most of the '06s, and can be enjoyed now or over the next few years. Here's some notes from the Soter literature:
"We do not buy finished wine for the North Valley blend - rather, we secure contracts with growers and pay them by the acre, not the ton. This method allows the grower to prune for low yields - a practice that hastens the ripening process and enhances flavor concentration in the grapes - without losing money. Our viticulturalist Joel Myers and his team from Vinetenders ensure that our pruning and crop-thinning instructions are followed, and that these vineyards are farmed sustainably. Myers and his team pick the grapes on the date and time that we specify. From that moment on, the wine is made using similar methods as our estate wines.
"North Valley Pinot Noir sees less new oak than the flagship wines. It is made in a more accessible and versatile format that will give pleasure early and over the medium term. The wine features notes of orange blossoms, cranberries, blackberries, sweet cream, cocoa, minerals, and has a markedly silky and supple mouthfeel. Long and lush, the wine leaves big, thick tears in the glass and its soft entry invites sip after sip. Pour this wine alongside its peers at the same price - you'll be taken in by its winsome charms and remarkable price/quality rapport. Better yet, pour it against your favorite single-vineyard Oregon Pinot, and understand why North Valley is already featured at some of the finest restaurants in the country."
>> Buy the Soter
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Robert Wolfe
Oregon Pinot Noir Club · 1-800-847-4474 |
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