Enobytes Wine Blog

We interrupt this program to bring you a few highlights from the Walla Walla Wine Blogger Conference ’10.

Speed tasting – I was ousted by some dude named Steve Paulo. #twitterfail #twitterfail #twitterfail #twitterfail I demand a rematch!

Controversy over the ’09 Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz – Time to throw a red flag here. At $180 a bottle, I expected more. Did price influence bloggers?

Private barrel tasting at Basel Cellars: Winemaker Justin Basel of Basel Cellars rocked it with a private barrel tasting of the ’08 Malbec which happens to be some pretty tasty juice.

…and listening to Chad Johnson from Dusted Valley – talking about evacuating Basel Cellars Cellar… Hilarious! Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve attended Oregon’s International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC), you are well aware of the event’s long-standing Salmon Bake tradition.  It’s among one of the many world-class meals and tasting events held during the annual celebration in McMinnville, Oregon.

This year, Oregon Chef Jason Stoller Smith will travel across the country to recreate the Salmon Bake on the White House lawn. The idea was inspired by White House Food & Beverage Usher Daniel Shanks, who’s attended IPNC in ’05 and ’07.

Shanks suggested that the First Lady invite Chef Stoller Smith to recreate the Salmon Bake on the White House Lawn to showcase the Pacific Northwest region. His creation will be one many regional foods highlighted at this year’s annual congressional picnic scheduled for June 8.

Chef Stoller Smith will represent the Pacific Northwest region by roasting salmon over a custom-built fire pit with alder stakes.

Wild salmon roasted on alder stakes. Photo: Andrea Johnson

According to Mr. Shanks, “…the Pacific Northwest Salmon Bake will be a visual centerpiece and will be located on the South Lawn near the Oval Office.”

Those of us not lucky enough to attend the congressional picnic still have an opportunity to attend the IPNC event scheduled July 23-25 in McMinnville, Oregon.

As of today, à la carte tickets for the IPNC Salmon Bake are basically sold out, but you still have an opportunity to buy the full weekend package which includes a ticket to the Salmon Bake.

Tickets are limited, so if you’re interested in attending,  I’d recommend making your plans soon. The full weekend event is $975 which includes all seminars, tastings, vineyard tours, afternoon activities, the salmon bake and a sparkling brunch finale. If you’d prefer a shorter version,  they also have a half day “Passport to Pinot” pocket-sized version for $125. For details, contact the IPNC at 800/775-IPNC or www.ipnc.org.

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 »

If you’re in Seattle on Sunday, June 14, 2009, don’t miss an exclusive opportunity to meet the wineries that participated in the Seattle Wine Awards. Tickets start at just $85 and include dinner, a Riedel Magnum Tasting Glass, and an opportunity to meet winemakers and winery reps at Seattle’s historic Rainier Club, the city’s most elegant private club!

You won’t want to miss the first inaugural North Willamette Wine Trail weekend! Local wine lovers and the lucky few enophiles that happen to be visiting the Willamette Valley in early April have the opportunity of a lifetime. If you’ve ever dreamed of immersing yourself in the heart of Oregon wine country, your dreams have come true. On April 4th and 5th, the North Willamette Valley Vintners are sponsoring a perfect event to help you find what you like and learn why those wines are so special. Today on Wine Bytes, my wine blog on OregonLive, I talk about this not to miss event – purchase your tickets soon!

Oregon is celebrating its 150th birthday in 2009, and to celebrate, Willamette Valley is throwing a party!

The lineup, which will kick off on Valentine’s Day continuing through Labor Day weekend, will offer unique activities that are sure to please any enophile. Head on over to Wine Bytes, my wine blog on OregonLive, where I list some of the great events going on throughout the Willamette Valley region. Check out my latest post here.

The 18th Annual Boston Wine Expo is taking place January 23-25, 2009. The event is the largest trade and consumer wine event in the country and it offers wine enthusiasts an unparalleled experience in wine and food. This year, the Grand Tasting will offer over 440 international and domestic wineries from 13 countries pouring over 1,800 different wines.

New to the program, the Italian Trade Commission will feature Vino 2009, where they will pour hundreds of Italian wines that have never been poured at the Expo. This will be their first annual Industry Convention of Italian Wines in America featuring nearly 100 wines from regions including Toscana, Lombardia, Abruzzo, and Calabria as well as other U.S. importers of Italian wines. Read the rest of this entry »

If you were fortunate enough to have an industry invite for the Monterey Wine Festival, you were invited to attend a very private event that took place at the Monterey Plaza Hotel on Friday night titled "Jazz and Juice".

This event was different in style and was held for the wine industry. The lovely room at the Monterey Bay Plaza Hotel with the ocean view and doors that opened out to the balcony overlooking waves breaking on the beach was a perfect venue choice. Besides the wines, there was significant presence Read the rest of this entry »

Almost forty years ago after being involved in a motocross racing accident that landed me in a full cast on my left leg, I made the bold decision to hitch hike to San Francisco. Three days later, I was enjoying the California sun and the Golden Gate Park lifestyle. That plaster cast grew tiresome and while on the beach in Monterey I cut that thing off, built up my strength trudging through the sand and eventually hobbled back to Memphis. Read the rest of this entry »

On November 10th, I attended the Northwest Food & Wine Festival’s 2nd annual Grand Food & Wine Tasting event held at the Portland Memorial Coliseum. This was my first time attending the festival and as Alder from Vinography can attest, public wine tasting affairs can vary greatly between the services they offer and the quality of products they bring to the table so I was a bit apprehensive at first. As I entered the Coliseum, my concerns soon diminished as I scanned the room consisting of 80+ quality vintners intermingled with 50+ local restaurants offering delectable food options.

Unlike my counterpart who was busy socializing and looking for the next great story :), my intent was to sample as many Oregon and Washington wines in a four hour period and then report out on my findings. Most wineries at public wine tastings will offer (on the average) 3-4 wine samples per vintner, so I expected to hit at least half of them in the four hour timeframe, which seems reasonable if you consider visiting 10 booths per hour.

To my amazement, many wineries offered 5-7 wine samples, which is great because it allows the winery to showcase their flight and it allows tasters to find something they really enjoy.

I spent more time than expected at each booth (due to the extra samples) so unfortunately I wasn’t able to visit but a third of the vintners, but it doesn’t matter because I thoroughly enjoyed tasting all of the wonderful wines offered by our gracious vintners and I am looking forward to next year’s event.

As for the reviews, I’ve divided my tasting notes into white and red categories and grouped them into our 100-point scoring system.

RED WINES

Scoring between 90-94 (Exceptional)

2004 Nicholas Cole Cellars "Camille", Washington
2005 Zerba Cellars Columbia Valley Syrah, Washington
2005 Zerba Cellars Merlot, Washington
2005 Michael David Earthquake Syrah, California
2005 Michael David Petite Petit, California
2006 Seufert Winery Pinot Noir Momtazi (Maysara), Oregon
2004 Quenett Zinfandel, Oregon

Scoring between 85-89 (Very Good)

2006 Erath Pinot Noir, Oregon
2005 Erath Pinot Noir, Estate Selection, Dundee Hills, Oregon
2004 Maryhill Syrah, Washington
2005 Tertulia Cellars Merlot, Washington
2005 Nicholas Cole Cellars "GraEagle Red Wing", Washington
2003 Roza Ridge Syrah, Washington
2005 Girardet Wine Cellars Grand Rouge, Oregon
2005 Girardet Wine Cellars Baco Noir, Oregon
2005 Zerba Cellars Cabernet, Oregon
2006 Dalla Vina Sangiovese Terra Madre, Washington
2005 Dalla Vina Cabernet, Washington
2005 Dalla Vina Syrah, Washington
2005 Zerba Sangiovese, Washington
2005 Zerba "Wild Z", Washington
2005 Michael David Earthquake Zinfandel, California
2005 Michael David Incognito Rouge, California
2005 Mannina Sangiovese, Walla Walla Valley, Washington
2005 Mannina Merlot, Pepper Bridge, Washington
2005 Mannina "Cali", Washington
2006 Seufert Winery Pinot Noir Bishop Creek, Oregon
2006 Seufert Winery Pinot Noir "Pinot-Licious", Oregon
2005 Kana Winery Lemberger "Old Vine", Washington
2005 Kana Winery "Dark Star", Washington
2005 Kana Winery "Scarlet Fire" Reserve Red, Washington
2005 Kana Winery "Workingman’s Red", Washington
2005 Kana Winery Yakima Valley Syrah, Washington
2005 Cascade Cliffs Nebbiolo, Washington
2005 Cascade Cliffs Syrah, Washington
2004 Quenett Barbara, Oregon
2004 Quenett Merlot, Oregon
2004 Quenett "Redd", Oregon
2004 Quenett Sangiovese, Oregon
2004 Quenett Syrah, Oregon
2004 Quenett Cabernet Sauvignon, Oregon
2006 Alexandria Nicole Quarry Butte Red, Washington
2004 Anam Cara Pinot Noir, Nicholas Estate, Oregon
2005 Anam Cara Pinot Noir, Nicholas Estate, Oregon
2005 Anam Cara Pinot Noir Reserve, Oregon
2005 Chatter Creek Syrah, Lonesome Spring Ranch, Washington
2006 Chatter Creek Grenache, Washington
2003 Chatter Creek Cabernet, Alder Ridge Vineyard, Washington
2004 Trentadue Petite Sirah, North Coast, California
2005 Trentadue Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California
2005 Waving Tree Estate Syrah, Washington
2004 Waving Tree Cabernet, McKinley Springs Vineyard, Washington
2004 Wind River Cellars Merlot, Washington
2005 Wind River Cellars Lemberger, Washington
2004 Wind River Cellars Syrah, Washington
2005 Dry Hollow Vineyards Estate Merlot, Oregon
2005 Dry Hollow Vineyards Estate Syrah, Oregon

Scoring between 80-84 (Good)

2000 Girardet Wine Cellars Cabernet, Oregon
2005 Dalla Vina Silo Vino Cabernet Merlot blend, Washington
2005 Kana Winery Tempranillo, Washington
2005 Waving Tree Barbera, Washington
2005 Wind River Pinot Noir, Washington
2005 Wind River Tempranillo, Washington
2005 Dry Hollow Vineyards Cabernet, Oregon

WHITE WINES

Scoring between 85-89 (Very Good)

2006 Erath Pinot Gris, Oregon
2006 Erath Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, Oregon
2006 Tertulia Columbia Valley Viognier, Washington
2004 Girardet Wine Cellars Chardonnay, Oregon
2005 Girardet Wine Cellars Pinot Gris Late Harvest, Oregon
2005 Dalla Vina Silo Vino Riesling, Washington
2006 Kana Winery Cuvee Blanche, Washington
2006 Alexandria Nicole Viognier, Oregon
2006 Maryhill Pinot Gris, Washington
2006 Maryhill Rose of Sangiovese, Washington

Scoring between 80-84 (Good)

2006 Dalla Vina Chardonnay, Washington
2006 Maryhill Viognier, Washington
2006 Maryhill Sauvignon Blanc, Washington

~ Pamela Heiligenthal