Oregon!
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. Then there is the Columbia Gorge (pic above), where hipster meets hippy. Wine made from interesting grapes, from interesting wine makers, the Gorge finds the eclectic and organic growers. Lets dig into the Willamette Valley and try a sparkling wine of Pinot Noir, Cab Franc Blanc!, and the classic Pinot Noir, then to the Gorge for a unique Zinfandel!
Humble Vine
Wednesday, May 7th
2-8 PM
Wine Tasting: $25
Iris, “Arete" Blanc de Noir Brut Willamette, Oregon $38
Areté Blanc de Noirs truly represents the excellence of Pinot Noir as grown in the cherished Iris Estate vineyard. In making this wine they realize the full potential of this varietal. Fermented in French oak barrels this wine offers aromas of grapefruit, fresh bread, and butterscotch with flavors of honey dew, white peach and lemon, giving it a refreshing bright acidity with a persistent mousse. 100% Pinot Noir.
Leah Jorgensen, Blanc de Cab Franc Blanc Willamette, Oregon $49
This medium-bodied wine typically has delicate nuances of “early blush” apricot, golden raspberries, Meyer lemon, blood orange, white tea leaf, tarragon, and hazelnut - making up a pretty, complex white wine from red grapes. This vintage, the wine also offers subtle botanical notes of elderflower, jasmine, lime blossom, sweet pea shoot, even a hint of ground cinnamon, with flavors of clementine, lemon meringue, light honey leading into a creamy and nutty mid-palate that finishes with refreshing salinity.
Patricia Green, Pinot Noir Reserve Willamette, Oregon $35
A very intense wine all the way around. The color is dark ruby and has a particular gleam to it that makes it seem like it shines. It is a darker, deeper and denser version. Pomegranate, Chinese Five Spice, cassis and a sweet earthen quality form the complex aromatics. The palate responds equally with dense, sweet blackberries, licorice, red plums and red spices that are well-integrated and float on a finish of well-defined tannins.
Cutter Cascadia, “Come On Come On” Zinfandel Columbia Gorge, Oregon $34
Cutter Cascadia, “Come On Come On” Zinfandel Columbia Gorge, Oregon $34
A highly original, small-production wine crafted by Michael Garofola. This wine stands apart from typical Zinfandels, especially those from California, by emphasizing freshness, savory notes, and restraint rather than ripe, jammy fruit. An unusually aromatic and high-toned Zin made with fruit from mature, own-rooted vines planted in The Dalles in 1983, Michael Garofolo's latest release is complex and mysterious. Full cluster semi-carbonic maceration, followed by 9 months in old neutral barrel before being transferred to slightly newer barrels, where it remained for another 8 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It's bright and faintly juicy with a restrained earthy undertone all held together with a chiseled backbone of fine tannins and woodsy spice notes; it drinks less like a West Coast Zin and more like an alpine Nebbiolo.
