I tried two different pinots this week (so far), so I should probably report on them. And I made lots of yummy pizza! Three different ones in two days. For the record, one was cheese with marinara, one was sausage and onion on pesto base and the last was sauteed mushrooms on a pesto base. Good stuff all around, but let's talk about the vino!
Tyee Cellars pinot noir 2005:
- picked this up on a really good sale. It's one of the few 2005's that are still hanging around (there are even some 2007's). I hear that they tend to make more robust pinots, bigger in style and such. I wanted to give it a shot because I tend to go for the bigger wines myself. It was certainly aged in oak a bit more with medium tannins. The fruit was ok, but even on a great sale of $17/btl I wanted a bit more. Pass.
Foris Rogue Valley Pinot Noir 2006:
- So I was recently turned on to this wine by a customer who brought in an article from the WSJ. This article listed three different wines that I carry (Ponzi pinot noir 2006, King Estate pinot 2006, and this wine) that were suggested as ones to check out. I had tried the 2005 pinot from Foris and wasn't blown away. It was OK be all measures but that was about it. The 2006 is defintely worth checking out. It is solid value for the money in Oregon pinot land, where a bottle of wine can easily reach over $20. Do yourself a favor, pick one up this weekend. Good fruit, solid tannins that give it nice structure (which differentiate it from the cheap OR pinots that to me taste like raspberry iced tea), overall it is a really solid made wine for the price. This is one I'll be picking up for the holidays and knowing my family we'll tear through a couple cases before I even get off of work!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
One Day, Two Tastings
Last Monday played host to two seperate tastings (that I knew of). One was a total book tasting, from Oregon to California to the Old World. The other was focused 2005 french, champagne to bordeaux.
Let's start with the total book tasting from Galaxy Distributing! some highlights
- Abacela Vineyards
I've mentioned this winery before, based out of southern oregon in Roseburg. One of the owners, wife Hilda (I believe) was there pouring, which was pretty cool. They were pouring mostly everything they make. Highlights were Vintners Blend #9 which has a darker profile with a nice core of dark fruit. On sale at Safeways for ~$15/btl. The nose is really nice. I always like their tempranillos but they were also had their 2006 port. It smells like silk berries! It's very young but I'm a sucker for young vintage ports. Great frutiness and a hint of something extra.
A-Z Wineworks' new pinot gris 2007 was on show, along with their other wines. It's something like $11 or less and I was pleasently surprised. It had good mouthfeel and a nice nose. Good fruit there, too. Solid value worth trying. I wasn't as crazy about the pinot noir 2007. It was alright but a bit on the light/lean side. Still, not a bad value I suppose.
Elk Cove pinot gris 2007 was available, too. Melons and peachiness that follow through in the mouth with a bit of richness. .5% residual sugar backed up with good acid. Check it out.
And now a quick note from 2005 France. Duval-Leroy 1996 Vintage Brut impressed with hints of caramel and coffee, which I love in champagnes. The finish is there and it has this lemon/lime thing going on too. A good splurge and more fun than a lot of the big name mass produced champagnes that I've tried (Cristal and Dom Perignon included). Now while bordeaux is the 2005 star I had tasted a lot of wines by the time I passed the champagnes. I'm thinking 40 wines at this point, which is a whole lot of spitting. So I focused my efforts, stopped taking good notes and headed to southern France. Domaine Lucien Barrot Chateauneuf de Pape 2005 is made in the traditional style, no new oak. Real rich nose, lots of cherries, some strawberries. Medium tannins on the finish, a standout. Domaine Bonnefond Cote Rotie Cote Rozier 2005 had a real nice nose and was more rustic in style. Strong berries and a hint of tar. The midpalate was rockin' and the finish was right there, too. Yummy yummy.
That's it for now!
Let's start with the total book tasting from Galaxy Distributing! some highlights
- Abacela Vineyards
I've mentioned this winery before, based out of southern oregon in Roseburg. One of the owners, wife Hilda (I believe) was there pouring, which was pretty cool. They were pouring mostly everything they make. Highlights were Vintners Blend #9 which has a darker profile with a nice core of dark fruit. On sale at Safeways for ~$15/btl. The nose is really nice. I always like their tempranillos but they were also had their 2006 port. It smells like silk berries! It's very young but I'm a sucker for young vintage ports. Great frutiness and a hint of something extra.
A-Z Wineworks' new pinot gris 2007 was on show, along with their other wines. It's something like $11 or less and I was pleasently surprised. It had good mouthfeel and a nice nose. Good fruit there, too. Solid value worth trying. I wasn't as crazy about the pinot noir 2007. It was alright but a bit on the light/lean side. Still, not a bad value I suppose.
Elk Cove pinot gris 2007 was available, too. Melons and peachiness that follow through in the mouth with a bit of richness. .5% residual sugar backed up with good acid. Check it out.
And now a quick note from 2005 France. Duval-Leroy 1996 Vintage Brut impressed with hints of caramel and coffee, which I love in champagnes. The finish is there and it has this lemon/lime thing going on too. A good splurge and more fun than a lot of the big name mass produced champagnes that I've tried (Cristal and Dom Perignon included). Now while bordeaux is the 2005 star I had tasted a lot of wines by the time I passed the champagnes. I'm thinking 40 wines at this point, which is a whole lot of spitting. So I focused my efforts, stopped taking good notes and headed to southern France. Domaine Lucien Barrot Chateauneuf de Pape 2005 is made in the traditional style, no new oak. Real rich nose, lots of cherries, some strawberries. Medium tannins on the finish, a standout. Domaine Bonnefond Cote Rotie Cote Rozier 2005 had a real nice nose and was more rustic in style. Strong berries and a hint of tar. The midpalate was rockin' and the finish was right there, too. Yummy yummy.
That's it for now!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
B-day wine: Del Dotto Cab
Del Dotto Cabernet 2006:
My parents just picked this bottle up during their recent trip to Napa. If you have seen pictures of their cave and tasting room, by all means, check it out tonight! Pure opulence, Italian marble, ornate everything. The cool thing is that in this super fancy setting the owner Dave Del Dotto was pouring at the tasting bar! He struck up conversation with my parents, talked about his favorite place to get oysters in Portland (Jake's) and then called my parents out on pinot noir. It went something like "So you Oregonians think you can make good pinot huh? Well I'll show you something!". He ran into a back room and grabbed a bottle of their pinot noir which was even on the tasting list and popped it open. "Take that Willamette Valley!".
Anyways, the wine was tasty tasty (yes, two tastys). Very young but accessible already. It is super full of spice and oakiness. There are a lot of layers of flavor going on here. A solid core of fruit is there all the while. I enojyed it because it wasn't over the top fruity like a lot of higher end Napa cabs can get. It should be fun to see how this develops, but I doubt the other 2 bottles are going to last that long! I might have the opportunity to crack open a bottle of their Cab Franc for my dad's b-day, which is coming up in a few days. I'll surely report if and when we do...
My parents just picked this bottle up during their recent trip to Napa. If you have seen pictures of their cave and tasting room, by all means, check it out tonight! Pure opulence, Italian marble, ornate everything. The cool thing is that in this super fancy setting the owner Dave Del Dotto was pouring at the tasting bar! He struck up conversation with my parents, talked about his favorite place to get oysters in Portland (Jake's) and then called my parents out on pinot noir. It went something like "So you Oregonians think you can make good pinot huh? Well I'll show you something!". He ran into a back room and grabbed a bottle of their pinot noir which was even on the tasting list and popped it open. "Take that Willamette Valley!".
Anyways, the wine was tasty tasty (yes, two tastys). Very young but accessible already. It is super full of spice and oakiness. There are a lot of layers of flavor going on here. A solid core of fruit is there all the while. I enojyed it because it wasn't over the top fruity like a lot of higher end Napa cabs can get. It should be fun to see how this develops, but I doubt the other 2 bottles are going to last that long! I might have the opportunity to crack open a bottle of their Cab Franc for my dad's b-day, which is coming up in a few days. I'll surely report if and when we do...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Beast: a few thoughts
A real fun dinner. 2.5 hours long. For the money ($55) it's a real nice treat, going with the full 6 courses. Here are some quick thoughts on the various dishes.
www.beastpdx.com
CARROT SOUP WITH WASHINGTON MUSSELS
& SAFFRON CREAM
- a nice surprise and not something I would normally order. Not overpowering carrot flavor, had a hint of brininess from the mussel (which was huge and super tender). Almost seemed to be a hint of orange in the mix. Little bits of shallots give a little bit of texture and are a nice touch.
CHARCUTERIE PLATE:
FOIE-GRAS BON BON, SAUTERNES GELEE
STEAK TARTARE & QUAIL EGG TOAST
PORK, PORK LIVER, PRUNE & GREEN PEPPERCORN PATE
CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE WITH CASSIS, HOUSE CRACKER
- very yummy, little bites of all of the above, including some house made soppresata and house-pickled veggies. Everything was quite good. My first foie-gras experience: it just melts in your mouth. The richness of the foie with the sauternes gelee and a hint of salt all played well together. A pleasent surprise was the chicken liver mousse.
BRAISED LOCAL BEEF SHORTRIBS
ROUGE D’ETAMPS PUMKIN, GOLDEN RAISIN AIGRE-DOUX
MUSTARD GREENS WITH CHILI & GARLIC
- the serving size of the shortribs was actually pretty substantial, which was a nice surprise. The roast pumpkin was so-so, could've had more flavor but the shortrib and sauce totally made up for it. Mustard greens gave a nice hint of bitterness. Very good.
WEPPLER FARMS FRISEE
LOCAL APPLES, HOUSE PANCETTA
& CANDIED HAZELNUTS
- A nice salad, the house pancetta was a good foil to the apple slices
~SELECTION OF STEVE’S CHEESE~
TOMINI-COW & SHEEP (IT)
GABICTON- RAW COW & SHEEP (FR)
BLU DEL MONVISO-RAW COW (IT)
CRACKED BLACK PEPPER SHORTBREAD
MARS-VENUS GRAPES & CHAMPAGNE POACHED APRICOTS
- The cheese plate was good, but didn't blow me away. The raw cow/sheep cheese was the best in my opinion. Served with local honey. The champagne poached apricot was ridiculous. Seriously, apricots shouldn't be this good!
CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRÈME
COCONUT SORBET
ALMOND FLORENTINE
- This being my second dessert at Beast (the first at brunch) I realized why I like their desserts while I usually don't care for them. They aren't super sweet like so many molten chocolate lava cakes or other way overdone/oversweet desserts out there. The flavors flirt with each other, in harmony with each other. The coconut sorbet was full of flavor and went great with the chocolate pudding, which wasn't real sweet. The almond biscuit threw in some nice texture. Good stuff.
www.beastpdx.com
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Beringer Third Century Pinot Noir
Pretty solid on the nose. Nice fruits and some of that 'pinot quality' coming through. Some of those berries follow thru on the palate, with a hint of spice. It's a decent finish for the price on a California pinot. Might be worth checking out if you're not married to Oregon pinots. Widely available. 86 pts.
Birthday Dinner = Beast!
It has been decided, made official with reservations. Thursday night at 8:45 I will be dining at Beast in Portland, home of Naomi Pomeroy. I've been there for brunch (see post below) and am really excited for dinner. I'm definitely going for the full 6 course meal (cheese and dessert). I'm contemplating going with the wine pairings too. Why the heck not?! It's my b-day dinner! Here is their menu for this week. Hopefully I can follow up and post some notes afterwards!
CARROT SOUP WITH WASHINGTON MUSSELS
& SAFFRON CREAM
BARGEMONE COTEAUX AIX EN PROVENCE ROSE-2007
CHARCUTERIE PLATE:
FOIE-GRAS BON BON, SAUTERNES GELEE
STEAK TARTARE & QUAIL EGG TOAST
PORK, PORK LIVER, PRUNE & GREEN PEPPERCORN PATE
CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE WITH CASSIS, HOUSE CRACKER
LARREDYA JURANCON SEC-2007
BRAISED LOCAL BEEF SHORTRIBS
ROUGE D’ETAMPS PUMKIN, GOLDEN RAISIN AIGRE-DOUX
MUSTARD GREENS WITH CHILI & GARLIC
DOMAINE BRANA IROULEGUY ROUGE OHITZA-2005
WEPPLER FARMS FRISEE
LOCAL APPLES, HOUSE PANCETTA
& CANDIED HAZELNUTS
CLOS DE LA ROILETTE FLEURIE-2006
~SELECTION OF STEVE’S CHEESE~
TOMINI-COW & SHEEP (IT)
GABICTON- RAW COW & SHEEP (FR)
BLU DEL MONVISO-RAW COW (IT)
CRACKED BLACK PEPPER SHORTBREAD
MARS-VENUS GRAPES & CHAMPAGNE POACHED APRICOTS
LOUPIAC-GAUDIET-2003
CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRÈME
COCONUT SORBET
ALMOND FLORENTINE
BLANES MAURY LATE HARVEST GRENACHE-2005
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