Last Bottle...

Last night we cooked on the grill. Cauliflower, twice baked potato, corn salad, chicken sausage, mushrooms and to top it off, our LAST bottle of Pfeiffer '05 Pinot Noir.
We have selectively opened these 12 bottles over the last 10 years and have been awed by the changing complexity of the wine. The last bottle was worth saving. Elegant, rich, deep earthy fruit, long smooth finish, and brilliant smalls made the meals so much better. 

New Paintings about Terroir

Two new paintings: "In Profundo Terrae"  5'x5' oil and wax on mounted linen, $5000

On display at Well Balanced, 1413 Charnelton, Eugene Oregon.

 

"In Vinea Mea" 60"x30" oil and wax on mounted linen, $2500. Currently on display at Chocolate Decadence, 152 West 5th Ave. Eugene Oregon

Tasting Notes for Abbelone's Newest Wines

Tonight, with much help from my good friend Michael Bailey of In Vitis For Wine, I was able to make it through a very nice evening of tasting and comparing notes on some very special wines.

The first hint of something different came from the Gris: The nose had little of the citrus and bright white fruit I am used to in Oregon Pinot Gris, instead there were notes of fresh morning hay fields and sweet melons while the mouth was met with spicy pear,  melon and a brightness that is hard to describe.

'14 Pinot Gris

Light straw hue

Nose: Very subtle melon with hay and mineral earth

Palate: Bright spice with small amounts of green apple and pear, fennel

Spicy finish

Sourced from Kliewer vineyard in Cheshire with some additional Eolla Hills fruit, 100 cases

Pair with Cod and other white fish

Next came the Rose' made with Pinot Noir from the vineyards on the estate. Recently Oregon has legalized a very popular herb and the first notes I found were of that herb, bound with dark red grapefruit along with  high notes of rose petals and fresh rain. The taste is rich and complicated with earthy notes under black cherry and vanilla. Beautiful finish.

 '14 Rose’

Bright rose petal color

Nose: Slight hint of a recently legalized herb with grapefruit, rose petals, and morning rain, cinnamon carnations.

Palate: Pleasantly delightful with earth tones, light cherry, round vanilla notes.

Finish: long and spicy

75 Cases made

Pair with Lamb, salmon, salty foods.

The Pinot Noir is stunning! Deep deep red to black with an amazingly complicated aroma that continues to change and surprise. The tastes are of earthy under oak and chocolate, baked black cherries, and smoky leather. Very long finish the changes slowly from warm spice to sweet berry.

'13 Pinot Noir

All sourced from estate. 777, Pommard, 115, and 667

Deep cola hue

Nose: Just divine. So many overtones and changing hints of cola and spices

Palate: Oak, chocolate, dark cherries. Smoke and vanilla

Long and spicy finish

Drink now to ‘22

290 cases made

Pair with Salmon, lamb, turkey, ostrich

Now the Syrah. Many of Oregon's Syrahs from the Rogue Valley have a heat and smoke to them that I find somewhat unpleasant. This is NOT one of them. Sourced from  Dick Ellis' vineyards and co-fermented with Viognier in the Northern Rhone style. 

 Roasted meat, Cola, smoke, Dark chocolate, did I say meat? Yes, roasted!

Wonderful overall feel and taste. Very well made.

’13 Syrah

Big surprises lurk in this wine. Fruit sourced from Rouge Valley from Dick Ellis with a clone from the Hermitage region co-fermented with Viognier in the Northern Rhone style.

Dark Cherry hue

Nose: Cola and dark fruit

Palate:  dark chocolate, roasted meat, smoke, currents, evry light jam.

Finishes long and spicy with cola notes

80 cases made

Pair with rich Italian foods

These wines are available in many places around town including Oregon Wine LAB and at the Abbelone Vineyards

Saturday Night at Brigadoon

Brigadoon Wine Co. has a great place for you to be Saturday evening! 

With harvest rapidly approaching, we are looking forward to cooler evenings, and with that in mind, our late hours on Saturdays, open until 7:00, or until the last bottle of Rose' is empty. Come enjoy the sunset, red sky or not.and this Saturday night the gentle acoustical guitar of Matt's friend Jim Martinez from 4-7. Bring your picnic with sandwiches, cheese and crackers, or your sausages and I will fire up the bbq for your grilling pleasure.

Your Brigadoon family

Great News For Oregon Wine Industry

Great new for the wine industry here in Oregon. The article in today's Register Guard says it all:

Last year was a record-­breaking one for Oregon’s $430 million wine industry, according to a report released Monday by the Oregon Wine Board. And 2015 could be even better, according to the wine board.
Overall production increased by 39 percent in 2014, to 78,000 tons, with the majority of the increase coming from higher yields, the board’s annual Oregon Vineyard and Winery Census Report said.
It was the third year in a row that the state’s wine industry has recorded double-digit gains in production, according to the report, which is compiled by the Southern Oregon University Research Center.
“Oregon wine enjoyed another headliner year across the board fueled by consumer demand,” wine board Chairwoman Ellen Brittan said in a prepared statement. “Market and sales trends continue to validate the growing acceptance of the exceptional quality wines being produced in all regions of the state.” Read the rest here.

Whole Hog Roast at Airlie

Can you believe it - summer is quickly coming to an end. It seems like yesterday we were just getting ready for Memorial Day Weekend. It's been a busy summer here at Airlie but we want to throw just one more bash before harvest. And boy oh boy do we have a party planned for you! We have hired PigOut BBQ to cater a whole hog pig roast with all the trimmings.That's right, a full presentation with delicious sides and did we mention that there will be pie? It's our way of saying thank you for being loyal Airlie customers.  Rumor has it that Claudia and Billy (of Buena Vista House fame) will provide toe tappin' tunes while you enjoy your food and wine! Wine Club members and up to 2 friends will enjoy the pig roast and a glass of wine for $25.00 per person. Non-Wine Club members - $35.00 per person for the pig roast and a glass of wine.  Of course, we will have you favorite Airlie wines for sale! Pig Roast Details: Date: Saturday, September 12, 2015 Time: 5:30pm Place: Airlie Winery Cost: Wine Club Members -$25.00 per person for you and 2 of your best friends. (Additional guests - $35.00 per person) Non Wine Club Members - $35.00 per person. Please RSVP by Friday, Aug 21, 2015!  RSVP by email or phone 503-838-6013.  We hope to see you on Sept 12, Mary, Elizabeth and Kim

Airlie Winery 15305 Dunn Forest Road, Monmouth, Oregon, 97361 tel: 503-838-6013 Unsubscribe from our mailing

Remarkable Rose'

I Got to taste a remarkable '14 Rose' last night 

and acquire a couple of cases. 

Abbelone winery made a rose' that is fresh strawberry 

with a hint of sorrel in the mouth. 

Just delightfully fresh and smooth.

Because the fruit was so intense in '14, the short time 

the juice had skin contact still gave it a rich pink glow.

This is one of my favorites and I look forward to sharing

it with friends for the rest of the summer.