A Bit Of Merlot Advice

I recently received an e-mail reproduced here with all identifying information removed:

Mr. Wadlow:

First let me say I am not a wine drinker at all. I've met a very special lady a couple of months ago, and I am going to stay with her and her parents in a week. I know her mom drinks merlot and was planning on bringing a bottle to dinner. Could you suggest some brands that they might find enjoyable. I am a college student but can probably come up with 50 bucks. Thanks. This means a lot to me.

Merlot Seeker

Besides being confused about who Mr. Wadlow was, I was impressed that Mr. Merlot was being diligent in getting this thing right. Here was my answer:

Wow, thanks for asking. Generally people who prefer Merlot like it because it is a softer, fruitier version of cabernet with the nice structure but less in your face tannins. So while it is very difficult for me to suggest a brand and expect you to be able to find it in within a week in (non-identifying college town), I would suggest a couple of things. First I have found the merlots from Washington to be consistently delicious. You should be able to find a couple of examples at a wine shop nearby, and if you can find one of the following labels I wholeheartedly recommend it:

Januik

Andrew Will

Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells

If you want to go California you may get something that has a bit less acid and a touch more fruit forward. Great merlots in California are generally from Napa Valley, and I might suggest:

Shafer

Duckhorn

And finally if you find out she is more in to French style wines you must go with a wine from France's Pomerol region in Bordeaux. These are the finest merlots in the world. However, if she is used to American wines this is not a good bet. My only other word of advice is that you do not need to go overboard in what you choose. For the best bet pick a $30-$40 merlot from Washington and trust that she will be moved by the sentiment (and the very good chance that it will be delicious)

Good luck and I would love to hear what you choose and how it goes.

I have since realized that I left out the best advice I could have given him. Mr. Merlot, go ye to a wine shop and ask the people who work there. Make sure it is a shop that is dedicated to their wine selection (by this I mean not just any old liquor store or grocery market). These are the only people who will know what they have in stock, and is drinking well now. I'm sure they will be thrilled to help you select a $50 merlot.

So now I ask for your advice to Mr. Merlot. I have personally found that there are still a lot of merlot drinkers out there, they just tend to be the crowd that does not discuss wine frequently or think about wine a lot. So what higher end merlots have you enjoyed lately, and what advice would you give to a very polite, respectful college kid who is going to meet a family that he considers quite possibly very important in his future.

Most Memorable Wines of 2010

I can't resist. I should probably resist as every other wine publication or blog in the world does this article, but I can't. We humans love to categorize, love to say what was better or worse, worth it or not, you get the picture. So I must scratch that itch and present to you the most memorable wines of 2010. As I look back through my notes and rack my memory these are the wines (presented in no particular order) that stuck with me, changed my perceptions, or accompanied a great moment. They are not necessarily my top rated wines (although many are) but all come highly recommended.

2002 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenhur Auslese - I had no idea that sweet could be so incredible, so complex, so beautiful until I had this wine. Like floral liquid honey with brilliant acidity, I didn't shut up about this wine the whole time it was being shared.

2006 Ridge Mazzoni Home Ranch - One of only two wine clubs I belong to, Ridge's ATP sends small production zinfandel blends and the occassional Rhone to the house monthly. This zippy, fruity, earthy pleasure was full of high-toned blueberry and made me sure that I wanted to commit to another year of the club.

2007 Amalie Robert Oregon Syrah - The link is to the 2008 syrah, but I hear rumors that a bit of the 2007 remains if you call. This syrah was incredibly deep, brooding, and complex. It was clearly grown in a cooler environment (right there on the Willamette Valley floor) and offered savory, herbal elements that were simply elegant.

2007 Qupe Chardonnay Bien Nacido Block 11 - With 22% roussanne the aromatics on this chardonnay are astounding. It also possesses enough acidity and structure that I believe it will take some age and become a beautiful thing in the bottle. This was the wine that made me keen on defending California chardonnay and remind me that it comes in a huge variety of styles.

2009 Nessa Albarino - While I may have had some albarino this year that was more intense than the Nessa, or offered more salinity, more seashell minerality, this bottle was just overtly pleasant and varietally correct. It offers a great introduction to the floral, mineral, and complicated citrus aspects of the grape and simply tastes good.

2009 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Riesling - Meeting Wendy Stuckey the white wine maker for Chateau Ste. Michelle while in Woodinville last summer was a real treat. It also opened my eyes to the quality of wine that this large producer makes for under $20. Here is a classic example of a very fine wine, with great pedigree, and generally available for around $15. It rivals its more expensive cousin Eroica, but maintains a style all its own.

2006 DeLille Cellars Grand Ciel - DeLille Cellars was also a highlight of my trip through Washington. As I stood with co-owner Jay Soloff and tasted this wine I was reminded what a difference fruit selection and care in the winemaking process can make. Absolutely stunning, huge, and impeccably structured I now seek out bottles of wine made from Red Mountain fruit with confidence, and anticipation.

2008 Betz Family Winery Syrah La Cote Patriarche - Tasted in the same setting as the Grand Ciel above, Bob Betz and his daughter Carmer poured me this syrah and I could honestly barely get through it. It was so full of intense flavor, so rich, so dark, and so very young. But it was also mind blowing. Washington syrah is among my favorite discoveries this year and Bob Betz makes the best ones available. Get on his waiting list, as his cabernet sauvignon is also near perfection.

2007 Fielding Hills Cabernet Franc - I would be remiss to not include a Washington cab franc, as they were uniquely delicious. Offering similar lucious and ripe red fruit, but often with interesting hints of green olive and herbs. The Fielding Hills was my favorite and chock full of chocolate covered cherries and a subtle smokiness.

2009 Dry Creek Vineyards Dry Chenin Blanc - Another great value, this wine took me by surprise with its clean pleasant fruity flavors. I have enjoyed chenin blanc from South Africa, Vouvray, and even Washington but was glad to find an inexpensive, widely available California version that I could highly recommend. The citric aromas and peachy taste will be a hit with most palettes and the dry nature and nice acidity will lend itself to many weeknight meals.

2008 Willamette Valley Vineyards Founder's Reserve Pinot Noir - A beautiful and reasonably priced Oregon pinot, the earth and smoke on this wine is what made me fall in love. That doesn't even begin to describe the classic almost Burgundian texture. While this wine may be less of a wine than some other Oregon pinots I tried, it would be my fall back example when introducing people to the wonders of Oregon pinot, hands down.

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel - Tasted early in 2010 this wine probably made me realize that for a bit of time and money investment I could find wines that are truly beyond what I get at the grocery store (or the BevMo $0.05 sale) It is simply the complexity, the balance, and the ageability of this Rhone inspired blend that make it so special, and so deservedly acclaimed.

2006 Keenan Mernet Reserve Spring Mountain District - This wine was tasted at Family Winemaker's tasting right in Pasadena. The winemaker was very humble about this stunning wine, a wine that had huge aromas and yet an intense elegance. I did not experience a lot of Napa this year, or a lot that I would say warranted those Napa prices but this is a GIANT exception to that statement. 50% merlot, 25% each of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, I am clearly in line with Parker on this wine and while I did not rate it in a review this would be one of very few wines I would give a 5 out of 5.

2006 Lone Madrone Old Hat - Lone Madrone is the personal brand of Tablas Creek winemaker Neil Collins. This wine is a zinfandel blend with about 22% petite sirah. Yes, it is massive and fruity, but it is built with care. There are also tobacco and white pepper flavors that are very interesting, and a delicious factor that sends you back for more. A well made and tasty example of Paso Robles zinfandel.

2004 Ysios Reserva (Rioja) - I fell in love with tempranillo this year for its suede like texture, and Old World musty aromatics. Plus it is so easy to drink, and so unique to its region (I'll avoid terroir discussions for now). Not the most complex or structured of options, the Ysios is widely available and affordable. It certainly shows the sensibility that I love in Rioja, and has the minerality that I also crave.

2006 AALTO (Ribera del Duero) - In my love affair with tempranillo I would be remiss to leave out the more intense versions just down the way in Ribera del Duero. The 2006 AALTO is a prime example that offered more fruit, more smoke, more...massiveness than the Riojas I loved and offered it well.

2009 The NPA Sauvignon Blanc - I'll never forget my afternoon with Hardy Wallace at the NPA tasting room and winery in Santa Rosa. Along with Jennifer and Kevin Kelley these guys are making as natural (read funky) of wine as possible with some interesting results. Part whole cluster, all with no filtration or fining, you get a nearly orange cloudy glass of real sauvignon blanc juice. This is not what I want to drink every day but it is interesting, tastes really good, and has feeling and emotion in it that translates in the drinking experience.

Looking back across my choices for this year helps me define where I want to head in my continued wine exploration in 2011. The list is highly dominated by US wines, and West Coast wines at that. It is where I live, and it is where I have travelled this year. Conspicuously absent are wines of Italy and France, two areas that have been getting my attention lately, but are still a bit overwhelming and mysterious to my growing wine knowledge. 2011 will also have me look back at Australia, and other Southern Hemisphere New World locations. I was underwhelmed this year by South Africa and Argentina, but intrigued by a few pinot noirs from Chile and New Zealand so there may be some attention there.

Please feel free to comment on what wines you most remember from the last year below.

Well Isn't That Sweet

Apparently gathering somewhat of a reputation I was recently asked to choose and provide the wine for a party of about 40 people. Happy to do so I went out and got such crowd pleasers as Argentina Malbec, Santa Barbara Chardonnay, and some general California Zinfandel. Trying to stay at around $10 per bottle, I gave myself big pats on the back for finding wines that were delicious but recognizing that at a buffet style party with dancing and a d.j. the wine was not the focus and was meant to accompany. For the love of all socially awkward company Christmas gatherings, it was likely that these wines were going to be drunk out of American supersized translucent green and red Solo cups. Then I got a call that made my snobby wine soaked heart sink. 'Just a quick reminder that the majority of the people attending the party only like sweet wines.'

(This image was what I hoped for, but not indicative of the party I was invited to)

What? Who are these people? Don't they know better? I felt cheated. I felt like Bruce Sprinsteen hired for a gig and then told I can only sing Born in the U.S.A over and over. I can't walk back into the wine store and trade in a beautiful Santa Lucia pinot for a couple bottles of white zinfandel and orange muscat. I have a reputation to protect. I made up my mind to do my damndest to find sweet wines that were worthy of the title of wine, that would expand many of these peoples experiences. I decided to turn this thing around and make the wine snobs who 'don't drink sweet wines' the ones who were surprised. So what follows is a couple of sweet wines that actually bring it, actually are drinkable or even elevated. And just like The Boss when he gets the E Streeters to cut out and lets the audience go acoustic awhile, you just can't help but join in when pouring these little beauties:

Moscato d'Asti - In particular we poured the Brovida Cadara Moscato d'Asti. These are lightly sparkling, sweet wines from Italy. The bubbles, acidity, and very low alcohol (generally 5-7%) keep the sweetness in fine balance and the flavors of these things are undeniably delicious. Fruit coctail, peaches and cream, and a fun factor that can not be denies make this a highly quaffable beverage that surprises and delights most people who are completely taken unaware.


German Riesling Spätlese - Be a bit careful with this one as it literally means late harvest but can be made in a dry or sweet style. Generally a low alcohol content is indicative of some residual sugar being left in the wine, but this is not always the case. However it is generally safe to assume that if it is imported into this country as a Spätlese it will be off-dry. If you feel the need to correct that assumption I can give you an address and you can send me all the dry versions you can find. I will subsequently post a retraction. What is generally so wonderful about these sweet wines is the minerality, petrol aromas, and tongue slicing acid that accompany the residual sugar. They remain so interesting, so serious, and so delicious.


Gewürztraminer - Also produced in both dry and off-dry styles, this white wine has similarities to riesling in its ability to balance acid and complex flavors/aromas with hints of sweetness. There is nothing austere, no tannins or robust earthy flavors to put off your 'sweeties' but there can be balance and interest to carry through your 'snobs' A recommended bottle that brings the sweetness and beautiful lychee boquet, but also the acid is the Ventana Gewürztraminer out of Monterrey.


So I brought the sweetness and went home a winner. People expanded their palette a bit, I opened my mind to the sugar, and everyone had a great time. What do you bring when a friend asks for you to provide the wine, and then slips in a comment that nobody at the party really likes dry wine?

Exploring Burgundy: Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire

The story: Continuing in the exploration of Burgundy quickly leads one to pinot noir. While I can't resist an auster chardonnay I am severly interested in the pinot noirs of Burgundy. One of the reasons I am exploring Burgundy is because it seems mysterious, vast, and overwhelming. The same can be said of the pinot noir grape for me. It has grown immensely in popularity in the United States over the last ten years, and arrives in my glass in such a wide range of quality and styles that I often shy away rather than become adventurous. It is with this curiousity that I peek into the world of Burgundy red wine.

Like the white wines of Burgundy the vast majority of pinot noir is produced as rather simple, daily wine to be drunk with meals and little thought. However, possibly more than anywhere else except for Bordeaux, Burgundy also has small villages and vineyards that are reverred and loved with a rervence akin to the followers of Jim Jones. The wines from these Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards sell for a lot of money and are often described as sensual, bursting with complexity, offering unparalleled texture, and considered among the finest wines produced in the entire world.

I am not going to begin my exploration with these expensive bottles of wine, but expect I will be lead in that direction out of interest alone. My intention is to seek out value bottles of Burgundy that are enjoyable, affordable, and indicative of French pinot noir.

The wine: The 2007 Domaine Joseph Roty Bourgogne Grand Ordinare comes from a producer with a legendary reputation for being difficult, paranoid, and eccentric. He produced many wines out of his holdings in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin and Marsannay, from single vineyard wines down to his Grand Ordinare, the most generic. Unfortunately Joseph himself passed two years ago, but his widow and sons continue to run the Domaine. This Domaine's wines are known for their quality, and are regularly in high demand. His reputation for being difficult only seems to lend to the mystique and play into the story of this Domaine that has been around for nearly 300 years (an interesting reality when comparing Burgundy to New World wine).

The wine pours a beautiful ruby red, truly the color of burgundy, and rather translucent. It has a nose that I would unwittingly describe as Burgundian with hints of barnyard funk, potpurri spice and crushed raspberries. The nose is generally subtle. Drinking the wine I find it rather light bodied, and slightly thinner than I anticipated (we are talking 12% alcohol here though), full of sour berries, followed by a rather boring transition to a velvety finish of cranberry and pastry.

The verdict: After all that I must say that the wine was slightly disappointing. The flavors of the wine are nice but not particularly interesting. The aicd and tannins in the wine are present but not awe inspiring. However it was just slightly too thin, slightly too boring, slighty too...well...ordinaire. For $21 there are bound to be better examples (I've had them), and for a couple of more dollars I know there are better examples of why Burgundy holds many of the world's citizens slightly captive. A wine that will certainly not get dumped out, was worth a try and a few thoughts, but will not be purchased again - 2.5/5

Exploring Burgundy: Mâconnais

The story: California and Oregon are easy to understand. Well at least as far as their wine production goes. You have warm areas, you have cooler areas, and from a law standpoint you can pretty much produce what you want, where you want to. Memorize a handful of AVA's and what grapes do well there, then memorize a handful of well respected wineries and you are in business. I feel comfortable in California and Oregon. The same can not be said for Burgundy. Take some of the finest, most expensive wines in the world and throw in the incredibly complicated system for classification, labeling, and production and things get very, un-simple, very quickly. I see this a challenge and one that is going to taste good to tackle. I'm going to explore Burgundy a bit, figure a few things out, get my feet under me. I'm going to start small, and inexpensive and we will see where it leads.

Burgundy is an infinitely complex region of France that produces primarily pinot noir as a red wine and chardonnay as a white. A familiarity with five major regions is a start, and these are Chablis to the far north, Côte-d'Or about 60 miles to the south (broken further into Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune), Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais, and Beaujolais (which produces gamay, not pinot noir). Chablis and Mâconnais produce almost entirely white wines from chardonnay, while Côte-d'Or and Côte Chalonnaise produce both white and red wines. To further break Burgundy down you get into specific villages, crus, and vineyards in which the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming.

The majority of what is produced out of Burgundy are every day wines of decent quality. These are earthy but simple pinot noirs with a nice velvety structure, light to medium bodied, intended to be drunk with dinner and without much thought. The whites in this category are generally very minimally influenced by wood and are instead mineral driven with crisp fruit flavors of green apple and citrus. This is a HUGE generalization to say the least but a generality none the less. As quality increases so do prices, but you will find outrageously aromatic and complex wines with textures and aromas that many describe as almost sensual. These are the wines that give Burgundy its reputation, and will cost you a fortune. The reds get into spices, licorice, pine, barnyard, truffles, and other surprises, while the whites can be laced with honeycomb, nuts, and vanilla.

I have to start somewhere, and to learn I am going to start cheap (probably therefore missing the truffles and honeycomb, but we'll see). First off to the Mâcon, a rather large district that produces almost exclusively white wine. The Mâconnais region produces simple wines, as well as Mâcon-Villages, Pouilly-Fuisse, and St. Veran. These wines tend to be rather austere and focused, and many claim that they lack the finesse of the fine white wines produced to the north. However they can be imminently drinkable, very food friendly, and enjoyable.

The wine: The 2009 Eros Mâcon-Village Recolte Christian Vergier (see how quickly it gets confusing?) was a light straw yellow in the class, very different in texture and color from the California chardonnays I more frequently drink. It had a simple nose of lemon, quince, pear and a distinct clean crisp aspect that reminded me of crystal clear mountain creek water. I know, I know, this is one of those notes that sounds rather pompous but there was a distinct aroma that came across as very cold, very clean, and very focused - not sure how else to describe it. On the palette the wine was very pear driven up front, turning to tart lemon curd across the mid-palette and washing away to a nice minerally, acid driven finish. The wine was a bit simple, there were certainly not layers of flavor or complexity but it was very in balance, and very tasty.

The verdict: The wine retails for around $13, and while I have found some other crisp balanced chardonnays for slightly less, this one does not disappoint at this price point. The balance is really in focus, and the flavor profiles would marry brilliantly with a wide variety of food. This was a great introduction to the white wines of Burgundy, a diverse bunch of which this wine may or may not be indicative, but a great introduction however you look at it. I highly recommend this wine, and give it a score of 3/5.

My Pinot Moment

Just a quick post on this fine December 9th to help celebrate 'Pinot Moment' day. For me I spent several years in wine no man's land. I liked wine, and would have told you I liked pinot noir, but that really meant nothing. I could not have told you what it was supposed to be, or why I liked it. This hearkens back to my youth. I grew up smack dab in the middle of Oregon's Willamette Valley, turned 18 and headed south. I had no idea for those 18 years what was going on around me. We just were not a wine drinking family, and it all just passed me in a blur. This continued as glass after glass of plonky pinot accompanied the meals of my 20's. Wine lists everywhere (and especially in Southern California) added cheap pinots to appease the newly invigorated Sideways revolution, and I drank right along.


Several times a year I pilgrim back to Oregon to see family, smack my brothers around, or play with the nieces and nephews. On one trip I decided to swing into Amalie Robert Estate for a quick appointment. As I walked through the very familiar hillsides of my childhood it struck me how many times I had driven past vineyards filled with pinot vines, and just took it for granted. I started to get excited to taste what was coming out of the soils near my home. The vineyard tour ended and we began to taste. The winery's Vintage Debut (their simplest and least expensive pinot noir) was my pinot moment. I understood the restraint, the acidity, the velvety feel that makes pinot unique and completely irresistible. I tasted elements of pine and earth, and found it so appealing. I was a convert, and I've never looked back.

What was your Pinot Moment?

Wine Flaws

Me discussing wine flaws, and pretending I know the least bit about them, feels a bit like the good old habit of screaming from your couch what plays the million dollar salaried coach should call next. I am so far removed from the wine making process in my day to day life that I only know what I have tasted, smelled, or spit out all over myself, and what I have learned about these less than pleasant experiences in the wake. But today I offer a few common wine flaws to look out for:

Brettanomyces - Often referred to simply as Brett this is a wild, yeasty, slightly washed up metal singer that once it gets into your wine, or on your favorite reality show, can make things simply smell bad. The scents range from sweaty socks to straight horse stall, depending on the greasiness of his hair that day. Many actually enjoy a small dose of Brett, while others consider any trace of the strain a major wine flaw.

Sulphur smell - Sulphur smells can appear in wine as both a rotten egg or a burnt matchstick. In both cases it is can be the presence of sulphur dioxide or cigarette ash from the cellar lab guy. On the decrease throughout the eighties and nineties since the negative effects of smoking have been highlighted, but recently also on the rise since so called natural wine making frowns on many previously lauded stabilization techniques. Ironic.

Trichloroanisole - TCA, or cork taint, is a large government agency that has recently been criticised for vigorously assaulting drinker's tongues with a wet newspaper. This is only done about 1% or 2% of the time a bottle is opened, but has been frequent enough to keep the presence of cork taint alive in the 24 hour news cycle for awhile now. While it is a literal problem with the cork, and has been addressed by the cork industry, moving to all screwcaps is frowned upon as an insensitive and ultimately ineffective version of stopper profiling. Cork taint, or TCA, is most heavily discussed among conservative uncles at the Thanksgiving table who don't really even drink wine, because they were whipped into a frenzy about it by their favorite pundits.

There are many, many more wine flaws that occur and lessen the quality or enjoyability of the wine. That said some minor flaws are found, by some drinkers, to be interesting or to add a flavor profile that is not profoundly unpleasant. A bit of green character may be due to under ripe grapes, but may also taste good. A touch of barnyard funk might take you back to your days in Cahors and be exactly what you are looking for. I guess that brings us back to the upbeat, but overplayed truth that wine is only important when it is something that you enjoy drinking and buying, flawed or not.

Sorry for no funny picture. I Googled 'dirty wine' on Google images and was a bit taken aback by the Jamaican head dance.... I just couldn't go on.

You Don't Have to Choose Between Red and White Wine

The story: I cringe when I hear someone say that they only drink red wine. That seems bigotted. If you are guilty of saying this, or even thinking it, this is an edict from me to you: You can prefer red wine. You can drink red wine 90% of the time. But to outright say you do not like white wine makes you seem like a person of poor character to me. I'm sure this translates into only listening to important music and refusing to eat at McDonalds as well, and that is just questionable to me.



Here are the benefits of white wine, in case you need that final push:



1 - Because of people like you, they tend to be less expensive in a price to quality ratio.


2 - They offer a completely different spectrum of flavors ranging from apples and pears, to melons, to tropical fruits, and come on, it is not feminine to think that a Bosc tastes good.


3 - The acidity and crispness of many white wines makes them incredibly friendly to a wide range of food, generally lighter fare but not always. This offers a whole new world of exploration in pairing great wine with whatever you are eating.



Don't be a douche bag, explore white wine. Here is a great one to start with:

The wine: The 2008 Fuente Milano is a blend of 50% verdejo and 50% viura. These are expressive white grapes grown in Spain. This particular wine comes with the wide designation of Castilla y Leon, a large are in Northern Spain. The wine is a pale yellow gold, and a reasonable 13% alcohol by volume. The nose is very nice filled with ripe golden apples, citrus and lime, and some savory herbs. Light bodied and dry it brings similar flavors to the palette washing through with apples and minerality, followed by a crisp citrus and nutmeg finish that lingers for just the right amount of time. This wine is most similar to a sauvignon blanc, but the orchard fruit aspects keep it distinct.


The score: The wine retails for around $9 and has more going on than many wines in a similar price range. It was crisp, refreshing, and tasty. The wine itself is not going to change your life. It is not probably the wine that is going to get you to say that you are a complete convert and have changed your close minded ways. But it will be something that in the privacy of your own home, where you can not feel judged (although no one is juding) you will realize that you have been missing out on a whole category of pleasure. 3/5

A Day in Oregon Wine Country

During a recent trip to visit family in Oregon I casually announced that I wanted to reserve some time to visit a couple of wineries. Within minutes I had 11 volunteers to accompany me on this half day whirlwind tour. Literally siblings, siblings of sibling's spouses, cousins, everyone wanted to join. Whether it was the allure of the tasting room, or the agreement from Grandma and Grandpa to provide an afternoon babysitting the cars were full in the blink of an eye. Since for me wine is about family and friends I was excited to be with them all. So we piled into a caravan (no literally, a Dodge Caravan) flannel, Birkenstocks, pioneering/libertarian attitudes and all, this was Oregon after all.

First stop was Soléna and Grand Cru Estates tasting room in Yamhill. Having met the good people of Soléna previously, and reviewed some of their Southern Oregon warm weather varietals here I thought it would be a great place to start our tour. Lynette Shaw, the Carlton tasting room manager showed our group around the winery where wines were finishing fermentation and being put into tanks and barrels. Overall there was a general excitement about the 2010 vintage, a difficult year that required a tremendous amount of harvest to be done all at one time through the valley, but one they expect to make tremendously restrained and balanced wines. It was abnormally cool allowing grapes to come to full ripeness at a lower brix than normal. Yields were a bit lower than expected as well, all of which could lead to some tremendous wines.

The tour ended back in the tasting room with a run down through their beautiful Pinot Gris and Pinot Noirs. The group was split based almost entirely on their level of exposure to red wine, with half preferring the 2007 Guadalupe Vineyard Pinot Noir for it's rich berries and caramel toastiness, and the 2008 Grand Cuvee Pinot Noir. While I was in the second camp, the Grand Cuvee is a great Oregon pinot for $25, something Solena is committed to continue offering. The wines that get my vote, and the vote of the other half of the group are the 2008 Hyland Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2007 Domaine Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir. Both of these wines offer impeccable structure to frame their complex fruit and tertiary flavors. It was fascinating to watch the group split, and how it lined up almost directly with those who would say they are 'red wine' drinkers and those who are less so. Either way everyone found something they really liked and enjoyed themselves tremendously. This stop was the highlight of the day, both for the experience and for the consistent quality of wines. I would be remiss to not mention that the Pinot Gris was also delicious, a bit round and rich in comparison to some other Oregon pinot gris that I have had but really a beautiful wine.

Next up was Cana's Feast located just a few miles down the road in the quaint town of Carlton. This winery makes a couple of wines from Oregon grapes, but focuses on Italian varietals sourced from some of Washington's finest vineyards. The tasting room itself is located behind a restaurant that looked delicious, and was quite busy when we visited. While the tasting room was crowded, allowing minimal interaction with the staff, they were very attentive and kind. The tastings, for my taste, did not start out so well. The 2009 Rosato is made from the bleeding of 11 grape varietals, and was too fruity and all over the place for me. But that is simply my biase towards immensely crisp and minerally rosé. Many in my group loved and purchased this wine finding it a great opportunity for a refreshing and simple wine on a hot Oregon day (and they do have them a few months a year.) Following the rose were a Pinot Noir that was very green (asparagus-city) and a Nebiollo that had my hopes up but fell a bit flat. Then the tasting turned around. The 2007 Sangiovese was full of rich, ripe fruit, showing the Ciel du Cheval Red Mountain power, and balanced by that Eastern Washington acidity. A very delicious wine, at a very reasonable price. Finally we tasted the 2007 Mountain Cuvee, a beautiful cabernet franc and merlot blend with a bit of structure added in the form of cabernet sauvignon. These final two wines were both big, ripe, and delicious, topping off another great stop. Cana's Feast was an inviting location and offered a change of pace from the pinot dominated rooms in the area.

There was a quick final stop at Erath in Dundee. Specializing in single vineyard pinots that truly express the terroir and style of Oregon, Erath is sort of an institution of Oregon wine. And to be honest it felt that way. I found the tasting room to feel more like a retail space than a destination in itself, and found the wines to be enjoyable, expressive, in a couple of cases even beautiful, but also expensive. The quality and attention to detail is there, and the 2008 Prince Hill Pinot Noir showed quite well. Overall I just did not feel encouraged to stay, to ask questions, or to savor what Erath had to offer. For me this is not a must stop when in Oregon wine country.


We safely navigated our way back to Portland in time to save Grandma and Grandpa from the post-nap kids. Everyone had a great time exploring their own backyard, and in particular said that Soléna was a true highlight. As a side note the media was WAY down on 2007 Oregon pinots, and WAY up on the 2008 (as in it will be called a 100 point vintage). The 2008 wines are bigger, more expressive, and more consistent from what I have tasted. You should feel confident when purchasing wines from this year. But don't discount the 2007's. The careful winemakers, in my experience so far, have also crafted some beautiful wines from this year that should not be dismissed out of hand. That said, seeing that I have 11 people who can go out on a whim in the mid-Willamette Valley I'm sure I'll be back and exploring further through one of the United State's greatest wine regions soon. Another great day.