The Pinotguy's Wine Blog

Lucier restaurant review

2008-07-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Dining In Vegas

2008-03-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

I spent a week in Vegas recently to attend a three-day Spanish Wine Educators conference. I studied hard, and am now a certified Spanish Wine Educator. But equally as important, I had several excellent meals, including one that ranks as one of my best dinners ever. Here’s the scoop:

Mesa Grill

This is Food Network star Bobby Flay’s place, inside Caesars Palace. It’s upscale Southwest Fusion, or something. I’m not sure what to call it, but it was fantastic.

The restaurant is large, bright, and brimming with literally hundreds of diners. A spotless demonstration kitchen shows off a small army of white-coated cooks, and servers scurry everywhere. If the wait staff was just a bit over-friendly, it’s probably because everyone wants to talk about Bobby Flay and the restaurant.

We sampled a wide variety of dishes, and everything was good. Duck confit quesadillas with blue corn tortillas was an imaginative starter, with the shrimp tamale with corn and a spicy / sweet chili cream sauce was sublime. All the dishes were Southwestern or Mexican standards, but updated and dosed with some Flay-vor (I just made that up).

Since I was dining with Spaniards, ordering some beef was unavoidable. The menu promises 28-day, dry aged prime beef: A real treat! Prime beef is highly marbled, and exceptionally tender. Dry aged beef tends to become very beefy tasting, and begins to decompose just a bit, until it’s literally falling apart.

That’s why I was confused by the steak that actually arrived. It was firm, even toothsome, with a freshly-cut appearance and very little marbling. In fact, it was so lean that I’m convinced it was grass-fed beef. Those cows tend to have a harder time putting on fat, and it is virtually impossible to find a true “prime” grade grass-fed steak. My queries to the waiter were met with the answer that “it’s that way because our cooks choose only the finest steaks from the cow,” or essentially no answer at all. We at the steak anyway, because is was tasty and had a terrific spice rub, but it was not 28-day, dry-aged Prime beef.

Our wine selections were Oregon pinots, provided by your’s truly for my Spanish guests.

Minor gripes aside, however, Mesa Grill is a fine Vegas dining establishment with creative, savory fare and some celebrity cachet. After two meals there, I recommend it.

B & B Ristorante

Another celebrity chef joint! This one is part of the Mario Batali empire. He’s got books, shows, is one of the Iron Chefs of Iron Chef America (along with Flay) and he also has a string of restaurants. This one is located inside a new addition to the Venetian Hotel.

At first glance, this fairly small eatery is almost like a shopping mall storefront. In fact, it’s one of a series of restaurants along a shopping promenade inside the hotel / casino, with big windows that look out on the common areas; as you dine, you can watch the great unwashed casino crowd trundle by, along with occasional smart-dressed beautiful people who might actually be celebrities.

The menu was interesting, with an eclectic array of fairly high-end dishes that seemed in no way to give ground to hordes of burger-eaters just out side the doors. My starter of crispy trotter was as fine an example of braised pig hoof as I’ve ever eaten. A house-made stinging nettle pasta with braised lamb shoulder ragu was simply stellar. The pasta was fresh, silky, flawlessly cooked and nearly evaporated in my mouth. The meat was good, too.

The wine list is legit, and particularly deep in Piedmont, my favorite Italian wine region. I drank a ’97 Giacosa Barolo Falletto that was in perfect condition – a real treat, since I long ago consumed both cases of that wine that were once in my cellar.

You’ll pay for your pleasure at B & B, and it seems unlikely that Mario will ever put in an appearance (Flay reportedly spends real time at Mesa Grill). But for modern, high-end Italian fare with some flair and a very good Italian wine selection, this is a way-above-average choice.

Aureole

This gorgeous, classy restaurant was the site of one of the finest meals I’ve ever had, and excelled in every category: Setting, food, wine, and service. While nothing on the menu was challenging in its originality, it didn’t matter. What came to my table was impeccably prepared, and was provided with the most gracious service I have ever experienced. Aureole is a temple of essentially flawless, high-end, fine dining comfort food. It has my highest recommendation.

Special note must be made of the superb wine list. Comprised of more than 1,600 selections, the wine collection is stored in a multi-story glass tower at the edge of the dining room. “Wine angels” with harnesses are hauled up and down the tower to find particular bottles. The wine list is delivered to the table with a touch-screen tablet PC that allows the drinker to search and sort with amazing ease. My choice of a 1999 Arlaud Romanee St. Vivant was even reasonably priced for that Grand Cru (and delicious to boot).

I was dining alone at Aureole, and indicated my desire to pace the meal over a reasonable span of time – say, at least three hours; the request was easily accommodated. Fresh bacon-raisin bread and an amuse of lobster bisque kicked off the meal. Pasta and meat courses followed. During dinner, a small army of deferential waiters in very, very nice suits kept my glasses full, my table crumb-free, and whisked away the empty dishes within seconds of having taken the last bite.

The crowd was also notable. Rather than the bus-tour side show viewed from the strip mall setting of B & B, Aureole was crowded with well-dressed people who knew what they wanted, and were willing to pay for it. With all due respect to the young man on a date at the next table who ordered an amazing dessert wine with his chicken entrée most diners seemed to relish the wine list as much as I did. (“The sweeter the better,” the fellow requested. After the Sommelier attempted to redirect the misguided lad and was rebuffed, the wine was quickly provided and poured. I’m sure his date thought he was quite the wine expert.) I even had one brief glimpse of a minor celebrity with a show in Vegas that week.

The only hitch in the giddy-up was during the cheese course. Promised three blue cheeses, I was delivered two blues and a Morbier, which has a streak of blue-ish vegetable ash down the middle. It may look like a blue streak, but it’s not blue cheese. The staff literally went into paroxysms of apology, which was a bit overboard. The offending junior waiter held his head low for the remainder of my stay. I ate the cheese.

The cheese incident led to a kitchen visit to greet the chef, about which I cannot complain. The kitchen appeared to be approximately three acres in size, and gleamed with a cleanliness that would impress even Gordon Ramsey on a made-for-TV rampage.

After the coffee, cheeses with sauterne, cognac and everything else, I waddled out of the restaurant having spent more than 4 hours enjoying the meal. That’s dining, folks. Make no mistake: the weight I gained from dinner was offset by my much-lighter wallet. But next time I’m in Vegas, I’m going back to do it again. I strongly suggest you do the same.

Salud Part Deux: The Live Auction!

2007-11-15T23:45:00.000-08:00

My previous post was about the Salud! Wine Auction big-board event. The next night was the formal Live Auction. All the participating wineries poured for the crowd, and then there was a banquet and live and silent auctions.

I'm pretty sure this is the only day of the year some of these folks put on a tie. Heck, it was the first time in many years that I wore a tux! (Photo from left to right: Harry Nedry of Chehalem, Terry Casteel of Bethel Heights, and Adam Campbell of Elk Cover. This was a serious dress-up event!)

The wines were terrific, obviously. Better still was the fact that the auction raised a huge amount of money -- a total of $775,625! That's not chump change.

The success of the auction raises one question: Why doesn't the rest of the industry do something like this? If they do, I have not heard of it yet. (Photo from right to left: Steven Westby of Witness Tree with Dick Shea and Dierdre Shea - dressed to kill and pouring wine at the oral auction event of the Salud! Wine Auction.)

When various immigration reform bills were threatening to create a labor shortage in California vineyards, there was certainly a stink raised about potential harm to the crop. But paying for health care? Only Oregon has such a successful program for this obvious need.

Thus I think congratulations are due to the participating wineries, the very generous bidders, and to the team that works their keisters off preparing this event every year.

All told, the OPNC and clients donated more than $7,000 to the auction, and have some mighty fine wines to show for it. My thanks to all of our clients who participated. (Photo from left to right: Jim Anderson and go-to guy Jeffrey of Patricia Green Cellars.)

For the record, the participating wineries were: Adelsheim, Amalie Robert, Antica Terra, Arbor Brook, Archery Summit, Argyle, Beaux Frères, Bergström, Bethel Heights, Broadley, Chehalem, Cristom, Dobbes, Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Domaine Serene, Elk Cove, Erath, Four Graces, Gypsy Dancer, Hamacher, Ken Wright Cellars, King Estate, Lange Estate, Patricia Green Cellars, Patton Valley, Penner-Ash, Ponzi, R. Stuart & Co., Raptor Ridge, Rex Hill, Scott Paul, Shea Wine Cellars, Silvan Ridge, Soléna, Soter, St. Innocent, Stoller, Torii Mor, Westrey, WillaKenzie, Willamette Valley Vineyards and Witness Tree. (I cribbed the list from Wine Business Monthly).

Bidding At Salud!

2007-11-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

If it's November, then it's time for the Saud! Auction! This is a big, fun event that raises money for a great cause, and gives a bunch of us in the wine business a chance to dress up and go out.

Friday evening was spent at the annual Salud Auction Big-Board event. It's held each year at Domaine Drouhin. More than forty wineries make four cases each of special pinot, and then hold a giant tasting and auction. Folks bid on the wine -- in this case, probably five hundred people bidding on 168 total cases of special Salud! bottlings.

The proceeds of the auction go towards programs to benefit Oregon's seasonal vineyard workers. The auction has been going on for many years now, and raises a ton of money.

This year, I put together a group of clients and together we donated more than $6,000to the effort! One couple, Dave and Ann Adams came out from Minneapolis just to bid on wine with me! (That's them in the picture).

Our bidding strategy was to look for "bargains" -- that is, cases of wine for under $1,000. It wasn't easy, as many wines took in more than that. Stuff like Beaux Freres and others were bid up to more than $1,700 per case. But in the end, we succeeded in getting a few things, including Salud! cases from: Amalie Robert, Dobbes Family Estates, Witness Tree, and Lange. The wines will be divvied up among all of the clients who contributed -- and they get a tax deduction, too!

The other fun part of the event was tasting all the wines and seeing all my winemaker pals. The other photo is a picture of Patty Green, pouring her Salud! Cuvee for the crowds.

Saturday night we are all going to a formal dinner and oral auction. I'm going to wear a TUXEDO! it will be the first time since about '88. Perhaps I'll post photos of that, too . .

Ken Wright is In the House!

2007-11-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year -- when our huge pile of Ken Wright pinot noir gets delivered. This is all '06 vintage wine that was purchased in December, 2006 as futures. It's all sold except perhaps for a mixed case for Bob's cellar.

We also tasted through a bunch of the wines. After five hours of decanting, the wines are showing intense fruit, great length and overall excellent balance. We tasted them alongside a half-dozen other top releases and, as usual, Ken's stuff was in a league of its own.

Caution! They are really too young to drink. That said, the Abbot Claim and Savoya were the most approachable after about 7 hours in a decanter. If I were to drink another bottle, I'd decant it for a full day first.

Riedel Oregon Pinot Noir Glass - Critical Accessory or Pure Crap?

2007-04-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

When I first heard of the new Riedel Oregon Pinot Noir Glass, I was of two minds. "This will help cement Oregon's claim to a unique terroir and single us out as a pinot noir with distinctive character," I thought to myself, already imagining being quoted saying so.

My next thought, of course, was: "This is a crap. Now, because of the hype, I'll have to buy a bunch of new wine glasses."

Let me be clear here: I love Riedel glasses, and am a true believer. The size and shape of the glass you drink your wine from makes a critical difference in how the wine tastes -- period. That part is beyond debate.

But do we really need a glass specifically for Oregon pinot noir? I was skeptical. So, I assembled my Ad Hoc Tasting Panel (defined as whoever shows up) and we tried five Oregon pinots in three different glasses each: A ten ounce wine bar glass; a 25 oz Riedel Pinot Noir / Burgundy glass (the standard to date) and the Riedel Oregon Pinot Noir Glass. The panel included two winemakers and a host of experienced palates.

Here's the short-version of the results: The glasses are the best stem for Oregon pinot noir I've ever used. The new stem enhances both the aroma and the palate of Oregon pinot noir to such a degree that I'm buying dozens and dozens of the new glass for use in my wine bar as well as for use at home. It's that good.

The flared top requires that you tilt either the glass or your head to such a position that the wine hits the back of the palate first. The wide rim also sends the wine cascading down the sides of your tongue. The result is an enhanced fruit impression and much less emphasis on structure. The wines simply taste more open-knit and fruit-forward.

The tried-and-true Riedel Burgundy stem, by contrast, forces the taster to nearly pucker up to receive the wine, and directs the wine onto the front of the tongue and straight down the middle. The tongue ends up cupping the wine. This clearly puts an emphasis on darker fruit flavors and enhances the impact of any tannins.

We tried the glass also with a young, structured Burgundy with similar results: the Burgundy tasted more open-knit, too.

Will it work for mature wine with a fully developed bouquet? Or will this stem enhance those mature aromas so much as to make it overwhelming? I'll be testing that theory this weekend . . .

A few words of description:
It's a bit wider at the waist than Riedel's Burgundy stem, and narrows to a smaller opening near the top before flaring out at the rim. It appears quite similar (but smaller) to Riedel's Burgundy Grand Cru stem from their very expensive Sommelier series -- but this new glass is currently available only in the Riedel Restaurant Series. Its a solid 25 ounces, and will hold a full bottle of wine if you fill it to the brim.

Oregon vs. British Columbia: Pinot Noir Smackdown

2007-04-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

If I say “Pacific Northwest” you’re likely to think “Oregon and Washington.” But there is more to the region than just those two states – we share a common landscape and climate with British Columbia, too!

In fact, the Okanagan Valley in central B.C. is technically a desert, and enjoys plenty of sunshine, twenty-hour days in mid-summer, and enough heat units to ripen syrah and pinot noir!

In the past, the region has suffered from some of the same problems all emerging wine regions suffer – excessive yields, low ripeness, misuse of oak, modest attempts at sanitation, etc.

But over the past ten years, the Okanagan industry has advanced to the point of producing excellent wines – particularly aromatic whites, pinot noir and syrah. My visit to the Whistler Wine Festival last fall made this abundantly clear. So, I resolved to host a wine tasting.

First, I called The Northwest Palate Magazine and wrangled an assignment to write about the rise of British Columbia wines. Then, I contacted my posse in Canada – a group of wine educators, sommeliers and restaurateurs – and enlisted them in the cause. Eventually we all agreed to meet for a B.C. versus Oregon pinot noir tasting on neutral ground in Seattle.

Eight wine professionals tasted through twenty five randomized pinots, about one-third from B.C. and the balance from Oregon. We discussed the wines as we tasted, and each participant tried to guess the country of origin. The results were illuminating.

First, it is clear that B.C. pinot noir has come a long, long way. The wines are well made, clean and varietal, and worthy of notice.

Secondly, there were some flavor differences, too. The B.C. wines tended towards tart red fruit flavors – wild strawberry and cranberry dominated – while the Oregon wines were black-fruited: black cherry and black currant.

Finally, style differences were noted. The B.C. wines had more apparent acidity, in general, and somewhat more tannin than is now common in Oregon wines. My first thought was that it was climate driven – the Okanagan can’t be as warm as Oregon, right? And cool-climate grapes tend to have harsher tannins and higher acidity. But the alcohol levels of the wines are exactly the same – in other words, the grapes up north are getting just as ripe as the fruit in Oregon.

Thus the additional tannin and acidity may be a style difference – or a winemaking technique difference. In either case, it’s noticeable in the bottle.

That said, many tasters picked several of the best B.C. wines as being from Oregon, and vice-versa! Considering that the tasters from each country have well-tuned palates for their own products, this was a surprise ending for all.

The other surprise was which Oregon wines I liked best, and which I did not. The ’05 Bergstrom Cumberland Reserve performed badly, and was my least-favorite wine among 25, even though it was easily the most expensive. My two Oregon favorites? The ’05 Hershey’s Red from Ankeny Vineyards ($18) and - the best of the tasting by unanimous consent – the ’05 Bethel Heights Amity-Eola Hills Cuvee ($25). Go figure! From Canada, I really liked the ’04 Kettle Valley Reserve ($27) and the ’04 Cedar Creek Platinum Reserve ($36)

In summary, it’s clear that pinot noir from the warmer parts of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada are getting better all the time. The best can compete with very good wines from Oregon (though they lack the sheer concentration and body of Oregon’s very best). When it comes to Pacific Northwest wines, it’s worth looking beyond the borders of Oregon and Washington for top-notch wines.

Judging the Indies

2007-04-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Over the past five years, more than 150 new wineries have sprung up in Oregon. Many are very small – 500 to 2000 cases, tops. The term “indie winery” has come into wide usage here, and a festival has been developed to highlight the new wines from these microproducers: The Portland Indie Wine Festival(tm).

The Portland Indie Wine Festival(tm) is a two-day affair that involves scores of wines, the top chefs from around the region, and other festivities. It’s a fantastic event, and well worth attending if you’re going to be in Portland. Check out www.indiewinefestival.com

I was privileged to be a judge at the festival this year. For me, it was a very efficient way to try wines from the newest, smallest producers all at one time. Some of the wines were, of course, palate-searing crap. Others were just – okay. But a few stood out, and have the potential to find real success in the top ranks of Oregon wine.

The tasting began in the morning, and judges were grouped at tables of four. I was sitting with winemaker Andrew Rich, a Master Sommelier, and a wine blogger to go unnamed. The blogger woman was from New York, and apparently has had some publications somewhere, which made her worthy of judging. More on that later. Other judges included Oregon winemakers, retailers, and a few additional out-of-state folks.

The wines were brought out in flights. My group tasted aromatic whites, several large flights of pinot noir, a flight of “other reds” – primarily syrah and merlot from Southern Oregon. We finished up with a flight of dessert wines.

Remember, most of these wineries are new, small, and inexperienced. Predictably, many of the wines were bad-to-average. A few were not of commercial quality. One wine smelled so bad that we decided to not taste it – flawed juice. In fact, on a ten point scale, no wines qualified for my highest score. But, few do when tasted blind. There were a goodly number of 8 – 9 point wines, however, particularly pinot noirs.

My highest score went to the ’05 Amalie Robert Pinot Noir Dijon Clones. This is a label that I’ve championed since their first vintage in ’03, so it was nice to see that they are continuing to do well. Other excellent labels that I had never before tasted included Monk’s Gate, Coelho, Boedecker, and Twelve Wine.

Wine quality aside, I was thrilled to be a part of the event. I think that the new energy and passion that small producers bring to the industry is vital. Some of these wines will clearly become the next big thing – lurking in this group is the next Bergstrom or Beaux Freres, I’ll stake my palate on it.

Now, more on the out-of-state writer issue. While she seemed to have some wine knowledge, her palate was completely unattuned to tasting young pinot noir, with an eye to how it will taste in the future. (By comparison, I do that hundreds of times per year.) One cannot judge the flavor as it IS with young wines. One must project six months into the future based on concentration, intensity, length and balance.

Furthermore, she was not tasting as if pinot noir were the wine being judged. Her comments included things like "this is all about ripe cherries and oak" (our response: that's what young pinot tastes like) and, even less in tune with reality, "I don't taste the passion here" (clue: that's not a characteristic of wine -- perhaps you thought you were tasting winemakers).

There's more! Our tasting companion gave big scores to wines that were, frankly, disgusting! One wine I recall had an extremely strong banana flavor -- a common fermentation flavor, but not desirable in pinot noir. She liked it because it was unique, conveniently ignoring the fact that it was also atypical and bad.

So, I love the Portland Indie Wine Festival (tm) but I also propose a change in the judging. Let the locals judge. We've got the palate experience to do the job well. Then, bring the out-of-state writers in on a junket for the sake of publicity. The event will still get coverage (wine writers love getting schmoozed with plane tickets, hotels, and wine) but the results won't be skewed by some no-palate pretender.

Spectator Disses Domaine Serene!

2007-03-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

What's the world coming to? I picked up the most recent issue of The Wine Spectator and found a substantial article inside about the success of Domaine Serene.

I was glad to see the piece. Domaine Serene has been a consistent, high-quality producer for years now, and their wines have become some of my favorites. They are expensive, sure, but they are usually really, really good.

(Yes, I'm critical of those ads comparing themselves to Domaine Romanee Conti, too -- I think they are designed to mislead those who don't know better. But that's another post.)

So I was quite dismayed to see a pull quote in the article that appears to attribute to owner Grace Evenstad a statement I'm sure she would never make. Here's the quote: "We were determined to show the world what Oregon was capable of. There was no one here at the time who even had that in the back of their mind."

Egads! Say it isn't so. I immediately fired off this Letter to the Editor of the Wine Spectator:

***************

Dear Editor:
I read with dismay the large-type pull quote from Grace Evenstad of Domaine Serene that "We were determined to show the world what Oregon was capable of. There was no one here at the time who even had that in the back of their mind."

Grace Evenstad knows full well that there were plenty of serious people making serious wine in Oregon before the arrival of Domaine Serene. Everyone else in the industry here knows, too -- and Wine Spectator editors either know or should have known.

Thus I am puzzled why you would print what is obviously a misquote by one of the leaders of Oregon pinot noir. It does no service to the subject of your article (who is also a significant advertiser) nor to Oregon in general to mishandle such a simple journalistic task. I think you owe Grace Evenstad an apology for the error.

*****************

We'll see if the magazine has the integrity to publish an apology. The Evenstads and Domaine Serene deserve no less.

Oregon's '98 Pinots -- Time to Pull Some Corks!

2007-03-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

If you have any ’98 Oregon pinots in your cellar, dig ‘em out and pull the cork! Based on my recent tasting of more than a dozen ‘98s, the wines are entering maturity and are in beautiful drinking condition.

'98 was the first of a string of great Oregon vintages that ran all the way through 2004 -- vintages where there was little or no rain at harvest. '98 followed weak vintages in '95 - '97, a series of rainy harvests that produced thin, tannic and lean wines in general.

'98 was also a time of a major change in winemaking and viticulture in Oregon. Since that point in time, vineyard and winery technique has progressed to the point where some believe that Oregon has become "vintage proof" -- capable of making great wine every year, regardless of weather condition (note to the optimistic -- remember the '95s).

While the '98s were ripe and fleshy, they also had substantial tannins. After their baby fat wore off in about 2000, the wines entered a dumb phase. In fact, some tasters have declared the vintage to be "over the hill" at this stage.

My tastings say otherwise; the best wines have started drinking well only in the past two years. Based on this evaluation, I recently undertook a retrospective of the ‘98s. If critics of the vintage were correct, I could expect over-the-hill wines. But if my personal sense of timing was correct, the wines would be glorious.

We assembled a dozen friends and clients and a dozen wines and sat down to taste. The wines were all upright for 2-3 days prior to the event. The corks were pulled and the wines decanted off of the sediment only 15 minutes prior to tasting. The wines were not exactly randomized – those wines scoring big from the critics were placed near the end of the flight, while less-known wines were consumed first.

The first two wines were the Brooks “Janus” and the Westry “Abbey Ridge.” Both are in early maturity, with sweet, supple fruit flavors at the high end of the flavor spectrum, showing complete integration of flavor and the beginning of those desirable sur maturite aromas and flavors. They continued improving over the next hour and more.

As we moved through other wines, the story was much the same. The Torii Mor “Eason” was lovely, as was the Hamacher, Shea “Block 21” and Lange Freedom Hill. Some of the wines, like the Ponzi Reserve and the McKinlay Special Selection, were a bit more youthful – showing delicious integration of flavors but not yet giving off the tertiary aspects of old pinot noir.

The Witness Tree “Vintage Select”, and Evesham Wood “Le Puits Sec” were also tasted with excellent results.

The youngest wines of the tasting were those loaded down with the largest dose of wood tannins. The St. Innocent “Seven Springs” and the St. Innocent “Freedom Hill” were both still quite structured compared to the less-wooded wines, showing barrel toast, wood tannins to such a degree that the fruit was strongly flavored by those optional elements. Both of the St. Innocents need more time to throw off their tannin, but I worry about the fruit lasting long enough. These two were the least of the entire tasting due to the woodiness, although the “Seven Springs” bottling still shows impressive fruit concentration.

To summarize, start drinking those ‘98s! The wait was well worth it. In fact, the ‘98s are the best older vintage of Oregon pinot to drink now, period. All previous vintages are now well past their prime (excepting individual, high-quality wines) and subsequent vintages are not yet mature.

And to those who question whether Oregon wines can age, I say: is eight and a half years long enough for you? I guarantee that many of the ‘98s I tried will be as good or even better at the ten year mark. It is now fair to generalize that ’98 was the beginning of the era of ageable Oregon pinot noir.

Harvest '06: Grape Glut or Barely Enough?

2007-02-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

In 2006, Oregon experienced the best of all worlds during the winegrape harvest: strong yields and excellent quality. And none too soon – very short crops in both ’05 and especially in ’04 left many wine lovers high and dry, without a supply of their favorite bottles. But will the big crop result in greater availability and lower prices? Or is demand so strong for Oregon pinot noir that no amount of wine can fill the need?

’06 is turning out to be a great vintage for Oregon wineries. First, there was more fruit harvested than any vintage in years. More grapes means more wine, and more wine to sell means winery income goes up. So good so far. But high yields can sometimes mean dilute fruit.

Not in ’06. Gorgeous and warm fall weather allowed for plenty of hangtime to get ripe, high-quality fruit. Now, things were not perfect – for one thing, the grapes all ripened at once, leading to a bit of a labor shortage (and some over ripe fruit). But in general, the quality of all those grapes was very high indeed.

It’s easy to predict what comes next – a large amount of good to excellent wine will begin to appear on the market starting about a year after harvest. What appears unpredictable at this time is how that flush of good wine will affect prices and demand.

In the past, when the harvest was voluminous, there was more product than needed to meet existing demand. So, wineries would lower prices, or divert a larger amount of their best fruit to value-priced bottlings. Wineries would sell wine quickly, and consumers would get higher quality for their money. All in all, a desirable outcome.

But in the past two years, demand for Oregon pinot has reached a stunning, new high point. Even unknown wines that are priced above their quality level have been selling out at a rapid clip. “Bargain price” pinots have jumped from $16 - $18 to $22+ per bottle. Producers like Bethel Heights have abandoned their inexpensive “Willamette Valley” bottling altogether; their entry level pinot now retails for $25.

So, while I expect to see a large number of wines that are good-to-great, I now believe that demand is so strong that the “glut” of the ’06 harvest may not be enough to push down prices. Instead, I predict prices will stay strong but that supplies will last longer on the market, and that there will be slightly more choice available.

I can think of one important exception to this prediction. New producers with labels that are not yet established in the marketplace must still offer up low, reasonable prices to establish their brand. With a greater supply of high quality wine on the way, I hope that price gouging by unknown producers will become a rare thing.

New AVA for Oregon Wine - Chehalem Mountain

2007-01-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Oregon wineries are now able to further define the origin of their wines with the official recognition of the new Chehalem Mountains American Viticultural Area (AVA) by the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Wines made from grapes grown within the geographical boundaries of the Chehalem Mountains AVA may now carry that designation on their label.
(For a downloadable, color AVA map of Oregon, go HERE)

The drive for a Chehalem (pronounced "Sha-HAY-lum") Mountains AVA was led by OregonWillamette Valley as our origin, but the sprawling Valley has hugely diverse growing conditions, resulting in significantly different wines," said Adelsheim. "We are pleased that we can now indicate the grape origins on our labels. It's an important step in educating consumers on our exceptional region and the characteristics suggested in a wine from the Chehalem Mountains." wine industry veteran David Adelsheim. "Until now, we have only been able to list the

(Bob’s Note: It can also be said that the Chehalem Mountain AVA is a compromise. The terroir of Chehalem Mountain is also represented by the obviously unique Ribbon Ridge AVA, but producers like Bergstrom and Adelsheim were excluded despite their protests – they are too far away from the distinct Ribbon Ridge soils. So, the much larger Chehalem Mountain AVA was devised, and now Ribbon Ridge is fully encompassed within the larger Chehalem Mountain AVA.)

Located approximately 19 miles southwest of Portland, the new AVA is home to 31 wineries and 1,600 acres planted to wine grapes. The region spans portions of Clackamas, Yamhill and Washington counties, and stretches 20 miles from the outskirts of Wilsonville in the southeast, past Sherwood and Newberg almost to Forest Grove in the northwest.

The Chehalem Mountains are a single uplifted landmass with spurs, mountains and ridges such as Ribbon Ridge, Parrott Mountain and Bald Peak, which, at 1663 feet above sea level, is the highest point within the Willamette Valley.

Pinot noir is the predominant grape variety in the Chehalem Mountains. Pinot gris and Chardonnay are also widely grown and, to a lesser extent, Pinot blanc and Riesling.

The AVA approval is the final result of a collaborative process started in 2001, when north Willamette Valley winegrowers met to define six new AVAs in the most densely planted of Oregon's wine growing areas. The TTB approved AVA petitions for nearby Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton District, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge and Eola-Amity Hills as early as 2004.

2007-01-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Oregon Pinot Noir Club – What We Like to Drink

Members and customers of The Oregon Pinot Noir Club like wine – and plenty of it. That’s obvious. But which wines do we like the most? Based on sales figures from last year, I have a few answers. This is probably not representative of the industry overall -- our clients like the high-end stuff almost exclusively. But it is a snapshot of the preferences of a large group of real pinot hounds across the nation.

Top Producer

Owen Roe / Sineann / O’Reillys top our list of favorites by quite a margin this year, based on total sales. With a product lineup ranging from $11 - $65, Peter Rosback and David O’Reilly turn out a huge lineup of incredibly popular wines, red and white, pinot and other reds. OPNC customers spent more money on these related labels than any other winery.

Top Producer – Honorable Mention

Patricia Green Cellars, of course! As a one-label house and a one-wine producer (pinot noir) Patty alone was nearly as popular as the Owen Roe / Sineann / O’Reilly’s trio all together. From her basic Oregon bottling to the rare and elite wines (Notorious, Bonshaw, etc.) Patty continues her hot streak as our most popular single producer.

Most Expensive Bottles

Domaine Serene wines by a wide margin! With their $90 Mark Bradford and Grace and the $75 Winery Hill and Jerusalem Hill bottlings, these wines cost more than anything else we offered last year. Thus, Domaine Serene scores high on total dollar sales, albeit quite a bit lower on total number of bottles sold.

Best of the Rest

Beaux Freres and Ken Wright were nearly tied for total sales, and those high numbers reflect the very strong reputations both of those expensive wines have created and maintained (and deserve).

McKinlay and Penner Ash are in the top ten, although we sold many more bottles of Matt Kinne’s modestly-priced wines overall.

Notable Newcomer

Walnut City Wineworks makes their first (last?) appearance on the list! Powered by phenomenal case sales of the delicious and perfectly aged ’96 pinot noir, WWW came close to our perennial favorites this year. Because they sold out of the ’96 and none of their other wines represent such a deal for such a price, it seems unlikely we’ll see them back on the list next year.

In Praise of the '95 Witness Tree Pinot Noir

2006-12-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Drink It If Ya Got It

On September first, 1995 I was standing at the edge of about 50 acres of vineyard up at Sokol Blosser. Winemaker-turned-golf-course-groundskeeper John Haws was standing next to me in a yellow rain slicker. It had started pouring rain that morning. Haws just shook his head and looked morose.

I didn't stop raining all month, or for most of the rest of that year. The grape crop was quite poor as a result -- thin, green, dilute wines with watery or even rotten flavors were the norm. For those arrogant enough to proclaim that Oregon has become "vintage-proof" I point to '95 as a cautionary tale.

Despite the terrible weather at harvest, a handful of very nice wines were made. One of the prettiest was the '95 Witness Tree Pinot Noir. From the get-go, it was an easy-drinking wine full of pretty, high-toned red fruit flavors and a long, clean finish.

Over the next few years, the wine continued to drink well, softening up and integrating. I used to pull bottles out occasionally for tastings to surprise folks at how well a '95 could taste.

Last night, I pulled out my very last bottle of that wine, now eleven years old. At 10+ years, most Oregon pinots from any vintage are fading badly. The Witness Tree, however, is peaking.

It has thrown off the little tannnin it had, and has integrated into a fully mature pinot noir redolent of forest floor, mushrooms, and very ripe berries on the nose; the color is a translucent dark ruby, still bright and fresh looking with only slight bricking at the edges; and on the palate it is a classic old pinot noir with plenty of fruit, earth and mineral flavors all melted into one complex, lingering flavor. Rather than the sweet red berry fruit of it's youth, the flavor is now darker and more powerful. It's one of the best 10-year old Oregon pinots I've ever had, and it seems poised to stay at its current peak for some years.

Drinking it was an intellectual pleasure. As each sip lingered long on my palate, I had occasion to recall the people and the events of that year, and to marvel about how much has happened since.
Drink it if ya got it.

Whistler Wine Festival Wrap Up

2006-12-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

It's a Grand Event with Room for Improvement

I've been back from Whistler for a few weeks now, so it's time to record my final impressions and then move on to some new material.

First, Whistler is a great place. The village is bustling, attractive, and full of great shopping, food and fun. I'm eager to go back, summer or winter.

The Whistler Cornucopia Wine Festival overall is a terrific event. That said, it has the potential to be much better.

On the positive side, the event really showcases British Columbia wines to great effect. I had dozens of excellent BC wines, and the seminars that paired BC wines with food were my favorite sessions. Riesling, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir from the Okanagan are the real thing, folks. It's too bad they are very difficult to find here in the US.

Also positive was the impeccable overall organization, the over-the-top after-parties, and the excellent setting of the conference center in Whistler.

Now for my gripes.

Many of the tasting seminars at the Cornucopia seemed to be loaded down with industry shills who were on hand to pitch their wares. For example, one seminar titled "Big Guns and their Little Sisters" purported to be about the second label wines of various high-dollar wines, and about when to drink the vin ordinaire versus the expensive stuff. But for each wine in the flight, some sales manager or PR flack happened to be sitting in the audience ready to give us the company line.

In another seminar, we were tasting older Australian wines. They were total crap -- mid-market stuff from the biggest Australian producers that were showing poorly. Instead of being attractive older wines, these were tannic, tight as a drum, and showing no charm --and no aged character, either. But the seminar leader prattled on about how the wines were so beautiful, and how they had aged so well, and other such rubbish. Later, I learned that he is in the employ of a marketing organization that represents Australian wines in Canada -- a paid flack in other words.

Thus my best advice to the folks at Whistler is this: Recruit independent wine people to host seminars, so that attendees can get information and wine knowledge untainted by a bunch of professional wine pushers. Using industry reps as presenters cheapens the event. Call me . . . I'll arrange an Oregon pinot noir seminar next year that will be your most popular event.

Let me rush to say at this point that some of the seminars were fantastic. The tasting of the '03 vintage from Chateauneuf du Pape was first-rate. Also, the grand tasting event on Saturday night -- The Crush -- was a delightful experience.

So summarize everything, I'd say that Whistler Cornucopia is a grand event with room to get event better. I plan to attend again next year, perhaps as a presenter.

The Barefoot Bistro Bash

2006-11-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

All the Rumors are True!

Let this be known throughout the land: The Barefoot Bistro afterparty during the Whistler Cornucopia is the party to end all parties.

A few highlights:

* Every alcoholic libation imaginable. There were perhaps 25 booze stations scattered throughout the party -- wine, beer, all the top shelf liqours, champagne, energy drinks, various exotic cocktails -- usually served by pouring through a huge ice sculpture or offered up a a naked girl painted with the logo of the company in question.

* Food -- fried food, raw food, huge chunks of fois gras with black truffle oil, exotic salad eaten from a rolled newspaper cone, such eaten off of another naked lady, chocolate scooped from yet another naked lady using strawberries, and more.

* Music -- folk singers, disco, DJs and a fantastic Abba tribute band as headliner. These were scattered around several rooms.

* Oxygen bar

And that's really just the beginning. Throngs of people attended, all very nicely dressed and mostly well-behaved. It was so crowded at times that I felt unable to move from place to place within the party of my own volition. Instead, the brownian movement of the people particles sort of shuffled me along to some random location after another. Luckily, there was always something amazing to eat or drink where ever I ended up. The party went for eight hours -- I left after five.

I'm sure most of you get to parties like this regularly, so I won't bore you with more details. But it was a bash of legendary proportions.

Whistler Cornucopia Wine Festival

2006-11-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

Bob On the Road in Whistler, British Columia

Howdy, all. I'm in Whistler, B.C. today for the big Cornucopia Wine Festival. This town is a famous ski resort, and it's currently snowing like crazy. They predict a food of snow by the time I leave on Monday morning.

I was privileged to get press credentials to this event, courtesy of my friends at Northwest Palate Magazine. The press junket includes a room at the swanky Pan Pacific Village Center Hotel. It's a big suite with all the amenities, including a gas fireplace in the living room, a huge walk-in tile shower, and a stocked kitchen -plus views of the mountains. It's one of the nicer rooms I've been in.

Events started last night with a reception hosted by Washington wineries. It was at the Whistler convention center, a very large room with a three-story rock fireplace and enormous wood beam ceilings. There were perhaps 750 folks, several dozen wine producers, a D.J. and tons of great food. In addition to the prime rib, I had a baked potato with sour cream, bacon, herbs and CAVIAR. Yep, a baked potato with cavier goes down just fine, thank you.

Today, three events are on tap. First, "Big Guns and Little Sisters" with pair some famous wines with the second-label or vin ordinaire from the same producer. Later today, it's "BC Wines and Food Pairing" with some Asian chefs. The big event, however, is the afterparty tonight.

Held at the Barefoot Bistro in the village, it's a huge bash with about 1,500 people. There will be four bands, unlimited food and wine and champagne (all sabered open, the Bistro's specialty). Plus, a few other surprises. Keith, my buddy here who manages the wine program at the Bistro, promises a couple of dozen naked women at the party for body painting and other pursuits. Apparently one woman will spend the night on a table drenched in chocolate so that folks can scoop the chocolate from her with strawberries. I'll do my best to get some pictures of that one.

More later!

Sabering Champagne

2006-11-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

On Using A Big Knife To Lop The Top Off Bottles Of Bubbly

When I tell folks that I'm going to saber champagne, they usually think I'm going to "savor" it. But in fact, sabering is the act of using a big knife or a small sword to lop off the top of a champagne bottle. It's one of my favorite party tricks. After I was tought the method (Thanks to Keith at the Barefoot Bistro in Whistler) I then taught the method to dozens of others. Now, I'm going to teach you!

The short version is that you use the spine of a heavy steel knife to strike the bottle at the lip, right along the seam of the glass. When done correctly, the top flies off with a loud POP and flies about twenty feet. The top of the bottle literally shears off. People cheer.

Start with a well-chilled bottle. It can be authentic champagne, domestic sparkler, cava, cheap or expensive -- it seems to work with all bottles. We're using Billiot Brut Rose here. Remove the foil and the cage.

Use a heavy steel knife. Aluminum kitchen knives seem to lack the heft -- the metal is too soft or something. The only times I have failed to saber a champagne is when using a knife that is too light and made of aluminum.

Find the seam of the bottle. It runs vertically from the punt to the lip. Grasping the fat end of the bottle, put your thumb on the seam and grip the bottle in one hand. The thumb is to orient yourself.

Now, take the knife -- SPINE SIDE FORWARD, NOT THE EDGE -- and using your other hand, apply it to the bottle, so that it is almost laying on the bottle. For practice, try sliding the knife along the seam a couple of times so that the spine touches the lip bottle right where the seam meets the lip. That's where you'll strike.

Now, here's the key. Slide the knife along the seam, striking the lip with the spine of the knife at the point where the seam meets the lip. Do this with moderate speed, and follow through past the spout of the bottle.

If you take your practice strokes slowy and deliberate, use the same motion when doing the actual strike -- just follow through all the way, slowly and with deliberation.

DO NOT a) go really hard b) go really fast c) think you have to use any strength at all. If you do this too fast or with too much strength, the knife will bounce off the lip and the attempt will fail.

That's it! Just be smooth and steady, use the back of a heavy knife and voila -- you've sabered a champagne.

Usually, we have someone with a glass waiting to catch any wine that spills out. Just don't slice the volunteer in your excitement.

Unfortunately, my digital camera does not take high-speed strobe-lit photos, so I don't have a picture of the cork actually flying off. BUT . . . you can visit this site to see that kind of photo: http://www.champagnesabering.com/index.php?id=4

That guy uses the blade end of a real saber for the job. But my way works just fine.

One thing my teacher and others empasized was that the bottle should be cold, cold, cold. I suppose that makes the glass more brittle. But, it also would reduce the internal pressure of the bottle, because the carbon dioxide would contract. I think that internal pressure is the more important factor. I frequently pull bottles straight out of the fridge and successfully saber them, no problem.

Anyway, try this at your next party. It's lots of fun, and it's a great excuse to drink more champagne!

(Special thanks to the lovely Chris, our saber model)

McKinlay Tasting at the Warehouse

2006-10-29T14:01:00.000-08:00

Matt Kinne left the farm and came down to Eugene on Saturday, bearing boxes of old McKinlay pinots from his cellar. (That's Matt, bearded in the center of the photo). A few dozen friends and customers dropped by the Warehouse and went through a flight of eight McKinlay pinots. After that, we had a terrific jazz combo play for a few hours. All in all, a good night!

Here is what we tasted

1988 McKinlay PN Willamette Valley
This was Matt's second vintage, a gold medal winner at the state fair in '89, and the highest scoring Oregon wine from the vintage in the Wine Spectator. At eighteen, it's still VERY lively, with mature fruit but tannin and acidity on the robust side. I think it still needs time, and it has the structure to keep going.

1996 McKinlay PN Special Selection
One of my favorite all-time wines from Matt. This drank good on release, and only got better. Over the years, the lean and tannic '96s have, by and large, faded into crap. Only a few have survived ten years with any class, and this is at the top of the list. Mature fruit, beautifully integrated structure, lovely aroma, stellar length. The bottle from Matt's cellar was actually tasting younger than the ones in my collection.

2000 McKinlay PN Special Selection
This is the wine that got a WS 93 and landed Matt a full-page photo with an article in the Wine Spectator. It's in stellar shape, drinking well but not even close to mature. Drink over the next ten years.

2002 McKinlay PN Ladd Hill
This blackberry-flavored pinot has begun to integrate nicely. The emphasis is on fruit, but with some trademark McKinlay brushy tannins still adding a bit of focus. Nice acidity, too. Drink now or over the next ten years.

After that, we tried all the '03 designated wines: Ladd Hill, Estate and Special Selection. The Estate is my favorite of the three, although they are all terrific. Matt's stuff is as Burgundian as Oregon pinot gets -- lower alcohol, more acidity and structure. The proof of their ageability is in the bottle.

Now, I'm heading off to dinner with friends where we are going to saber a few bottles of champagne. In one of my posts soon, I'll be adding Bob's pictorial guide to Champagne Sabering!