Enobytes Wine Blog

I’m reminded every day that the appreciation and enjoyment of wine is a very personal experience. What you like may not be the cat’s meow for someone else. This was evident at the ‘10 Oregon Wine Industry Symposium (OWIS), “Technical Tasting: Seeking Closure & Hi-Tech Winemaking“.

Most of the attendees were winemakers, viticulturists and industry folks in the know when it comes to high-tech stuff like RO, ultra-filtration or VA (don’t worry, we’ll get to these wine geek terms in a later post) but what blew me away at this event were all the differences in opinions between the wines we tasted.

There were a few hundred industry folks locked in a room (well, not literally) for a couple of hours to taste and discuss closures and Hi-Tech Winemaking. Harry Peterson-Nedry from Chehalem Winery moderated the session with panelists Domingo Rodriguez (Winesecrets), Clark Smith (Vinovation) and David Paige (Adelsheim Vineyard).

We kicked off the technical tasting with a comparison between cork and screw cap closures, blind tasting two white wines – identical in every way except one was bottled using cork, and the other under screw cap.  So what’s the verdict? Read the rest of this entry »

Holiday dinner pairings…if you fret the challenge of finding the perfect pairing, you’re not alone. It’s daunting to think about what goes with what; turkey is sort of like chicken, so should I serve it with a Chardonnay? Can I serve the same wine with oyster dressing as I would a sausage dressing? What about smoked meats? Sauces? Candied yams? Pumpkin pie?

These decisions would make anyone go nuts. Holiday meals are usually so varied when it comes to flavor, texture, sweetness level, acidity and oil content that it’s almost impossible to find the perfect match as the combinations are endless. If you’re looking for a few really good versatile wines that will pair with a myriad of foods, check out my recommendations from the slideshow below. There’s bound to be a few wines you’ll love and your guests will be impressed with your wine-savvy knowledge.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you love Pinot noir as much as I do, you won’t want to miss the 23rd Annual International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) happening July 24 – 26 in McMinnville, Oregon. It’s the crème de la crème of all Pinot festivals showcasing premium Pinot noir producers from Oregon, California, Burgundy, New Zealand, Austria, Champagne and Alsace.

This will be my first year attending the event and I am very much looking forward to it. Not only is this a unique opportunity for Pinot producers to show off their wines and for chefs to showcase their exceptional cuisine, it’s an opportunity to mingle with those in the industry including a number of highly regarded media guests.

This year, Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine, will be the 2009 Master of Ceremonies, joined by speaker David Schildknecht from The Wine Advocate. Read the rest of this entry »

Today on Wine Bytes, my wine blog on OregonLive, I talk about the recent trade tasting I attended for the Chehalem Mountain Vintner’s Association in Oregon. The thing that surprised me was how many of the wineries pouring also belong to many other location specific organizations – it finally dawned on me that because of the many locations these wineries source their fruit from for a lot of their vineyard designate specifics and cuvees they will belong to a lot of different appellation organizations.

Most of the wineries I have worked for made their wine from estate-grown fruit. Nevertheless, it was a great opportunity to meet a few buyers and a number of great winemakers.

I also go into detail about some of the trends I’m seeing for Oregon Viognier and Riesling which is a surprising twist to what you’d expect.  See how these varieties fair on my latest post here…and be certain to check back soon for the full report on what we tasted in the coming weeks.

Somehow, it takes a pretty serious jolt like a death or a tragedy to make you take worth of the things around you. Sometimes that tragedy is the landmark event that solidifies a movement, a thing, and sometimes even a varietal.

Today on Wine Bytes, my wine blog on OregonLive, I discuss how Oregon Pinot noir now has a landmark event in its history. This event overshadows all the achievements (and there are many) that have come to pass in this young industries’ long road of recognition. We all enjoy Willamette Valley Pinot noir but do we realize the vision and commitment it took to convince distributors and consumers we have something special here? This post is in commemoration of David Lett, a man who started the groundwork that would insure his vision of Oregon wine would continue long into the future. Check out my latest post here.

2007 was a bit of a challenge for Oregon Pinot noir growers – just as the grapes were reaching ripeness, Mother Nature decided to dump up to eight inches of rain during harvest season, forcing winemakers to make decisions on whether to pull the fruit or risk fungus growth. Despite these challenges, most of the regions winemakers overcame these obstacles – although acids are a bit higher than normal and the alcohol levels are a bit lower, many of the wines are generating fragrant and vivacious wines worthy of cellaring.

Showing notes of earth and spice, clone 115 was Marc’s favorite. It’s quite evident that the ‘07 really fits the 115 clone profile, which produces well structured wines with good aroma and flavor characteristics. Texture is also an attribute this clone seems to provide in a style that is luscious and sexy. The wine was aromatic with flavors of blackberry fruit picked at the perfection of ripeness – a facet that will contribute heavily to producing a balanced wine with good integrated tannin structure.

The final tasting comes from the 777, a high quality Pinot noir clone coming from the Cote D’Or region of Burgundy. What I love about this clone is its ability to generate strong and intense aromas and flavors with round and supple tannin structure. Tasted from barrel, Panther Creek’s 2007 vintage is showing just that; rich and round with great balance and structure. Panther Creek’s ’07s will definitely be worth waiting for; be on the lookout for their future Freedom Hill release once blending activities are complete and the product makes it into the bottle.

Panther Creek barrels

The hospitality provided at the winery will impress all who visit, making the quality of the product and the warmth of the tasting room staff a combination that will reward enophiles in every way.

"Here’s what can be so frustrating about Oregon pinot noir: The wine rarely lives up to the hype. Ever since an Oregon pinot kicked booty on some fancy French wine in a blind tasting back in the late ’70s, we’ve been hearing that the state could be the next Burgundy", says SpokesmanReview.com, August, 1998.

It’s hard to believe those were the words coming from Journalists back in the ’90’s. Since then, Oregon has come a log way to prove they can make great Pinot. Now it’s time for a new debate: Read the rest of this entry »

You may not have heard of Fulcrum Wines, but their inaugural 2006 Pinot Noir release delivers a captivating wine that represents Anderson Valley at its finest. David Rossi, the founder of Fulcrum, is gravitating towards a more restrained style of California Pinot Noir, producing a wine that is complex and genuinely elegant.

Watch the Fulcrum Video – David Rossi from Fulcrum discusses his brand

The ‘06 is a blend of three Anderson Valley vineyard sources, which equally contribute distinctive characteristics to the mix. Fifty percent of the grapes come from Akins Vineyard, which produces high-quality fruit in the classic Pinot Noir style. Twenty-five percent of the fruit comes from the organically farmed Hein Family Vineyard, where the fruit has finely grained tannin structure and carries black cherry and earthy notes. Rossi sourced the other twenty-five percent from the 10-acre organically

farmed Wentzel Vineyards, which overlooks Goldeneye in Anderson Valley. Its fruit produces great color extraction and yields wines that have great structure and depth.

It’s amazing how the uniqueness of each vineyard shines through in Fulcrum’s final product, which produces a classic style Pinot with divinely scented pomegranate and violet aromas. Intense cinnamon and spice flavors compliment the opulent cherry flavors that dominate the palette. It’s a well-balanced wine with a complex, earthy, spicy finish with a beautifully integrated tannin structure; simply a superb representation of what the Anderson Valley fruit can produce.

In this interview, Rossi answers questions about his new brand as he shares his passion for his endeavor. Read the rest of this entry »

As I was wandering the wine isles of a local grocery retailer the other day, I was happy that they were now carrying the Echelon label. When this label first came into existence in the late 90’s it represented above average quality wine from respected growing regions at below average prices and their Pinot Noir and the Merlot were standouts. My first instinct was to grab a bottle and check out the information on the label. Much to my surprise, the Pinot Noir lists French fruit but the wine is blended and bottled in California.

Many other American producers seem to be on this ‘source Pinot Noir from anywhere‘ mission. Beringer’s founders reserve Pinot Noir is now made from grapes coming from the Lombardy region of Italy. Pepperwood Grove’s Pinot Noir started this year with French Vin d’ pays grapes then it went to Chilean fruit, changed again to join Beringer bringing it’s grapes from Lombardy, Italy, only to change once again bringing the fruit from Australia.

Grapes from three different continents and four different viticulture regions all with the same label all within one vintage – I hope you Pepperwood Grove drinkers like change.

If you go to the Pepperwood Grove website after reading this article, you might be a little confused because the website lists the appellation as California. I have not seen any of their Pinot Noir from California on the shelf since 2006. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have not seen or heard of Eric Guerra wines, you soon will. Inspired by passion, his new line offers prestige small-lot artisan wines that represent the diversity of what Sonoma County wines have to offer. In his lineup, he offers wines that balance between elegance and intensity.

Guerra’s 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, also released this month, is rich and complex with fruit picked from Demattei Vineyards on Pine Mountain. The estate is located on the southwestern slop of the Mayacamas Mountain Range. The Pinot Noir eludes delicate yet complex characteristics, which displays how this varietal can thrive in a microclimate produced at JMT Vineyards in Russian River. The Pinot Noir is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2008.

Entering into the professional wine business as the Brand Manager at Kendall-Jackson, it was there where Eric gained a phenomenal amount of experience in the wine industry. It was also there where he experienced a moment of inspiration; a revelation that would change his life forever. His journey leads him to an ever-challenging venture of opening his own winery and creating wines that inspire.

In this interview, Guerra answered questions about his journey leading up to building his own brand as he shares his passion for his new endeavor. Read the rest of this entry »