Yes, I know I spelled Territorial wrong but hey, my blog.
I am gathering wines for the 85th Anniversary of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the U of O campus, hereafter referred to as The Schnitz.
By the way, if you need an art fix and need a good story to tell, go visit now and see the Masterworks on loan including Schnabel, Twombly, de Kooning, Ernst, Kline, and many many more.
Anyway, back to wine. I set out yesterday afternoon and was on my way to Benton Lane, headed north on Territorial from Elmira and decided to stop at one of Lane County's many wineries, Bennet Winery
The wine there is among the best I have tasted this year. They have a few bottles of the '13 Duet left and it alone is worth the short drive out Hwy 36 just past Territorial Hwy.
When I tasted it, just opened, it had a tightness that soon gave way to delicate yet complex dark cherry with hints of plum and jam. This is a drink now and it IS a food wine.
Next came the same wine from '14. Ripe and rich, this is a great introduction wine for Pinotnovices (not my word). It is very well balanced, has a broad spectrum of tastes from spice to jam, and just has an amazing mouthfeel! This will age well but is a drink now!
The remarkable difference in the two wines is a reinforcement of the delicacy of the grape and how anything may alter the taste during growth. The '13 struck me as a settled, calm, earthy wine while the '14 was exciting and vivid!
Amazing.
Gene and Lisa have a great story to tell and lead an adventurous life of global travel and exploration many of us dream of before starting the vineyards.
They grow three Pinot Noir grapes, 115, 777, and Pommard. Their winemakers perform the balancing act with the three very different grapes to create their wines.
(here is a great piece about clones) The use only these to make the estate wines.
The '14 Pommard is just outstanding! Ripe and rich with berries and smoked meat with hints of leather and earth. It has a soft and gentle mouthfeel and is very well oaked. Great choice for heavier foods like roasts and stews.
The '15 Pommard is much brighter and crisper with hints of smoked meat and rich earth under a canopy of fresh berries and cherries.
But, I must say my favorite was the '14 Reserve. This wine is aged in 35% French oak and is the most complex and interesting of the wines tasted.
The nose is dark berry, seven spice, and has faint undertones of smoked meat. The taste is bright and rich with a fine balance and soft mouthfeel.
This is one of the best examples of what great Belpine soil, beautiful grapes, and a good winemaker can create here in Oregon.
Whites were next and I enjoyed the White Pinot Noir and the Pinot Gris. Both very enjoyable and perfect coming into nice deck weather.
The White Pinot Noir is a little surprising as it has a zesty brightness with pear and white peach on the nose and the tastes of with fresh cut strawberry and hints of vanilla that are really pleasingly smooth.
The Pinot Gris was green apple and light spice with lime zest. Great wine for white sauced pasta.
If you have not found an excuse to drive out through our vineyards and visited the wineries of Lane County, go to the Lane County Adventure center and pick up a Pinot Bingo card. You get a print of the painting at the top of the page. I signed 500 of them so if you get a row you get a small print in a nice wooden stand.
I am gathering wines for the 85th Anniversary of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the U of O campus, hereafter referred to as The Schnitz.
By the way, if you need an art fix and need a good story to tell, go visit now and see the Masterworks on loan including Schnabel, Twombly, de Kooning, Ernst, Kline, and many many more.
Anyway, back to wine. I set out yesterday afternoon and was on my way to Benton Lane, headed north on Territorial from Elmira and decided to stop at one of Lane County's many wineries, Bennet Winery
The wine there is among the best I have tasted this year. They have a few bottles of the '13 Duet left and it alone is worth the short drive out Hwy 36 just past Territorial Hwy.
When I tasted it, just opened, it had a tightness that soon gave way to delicate yet complex dark cherry with hints of plum and jam. This is a drink now and it IS a food wine.
Next came the same wine from '14. Ripe and rich, this is a great introduction wine for Pinotnovices (not my word). It is very well balanced, has a broad spectrum of tastes from spice to jam, and just has an amazing mouthfeel! This will age well but is a drink now!
The remarkable difference in the two wines is a reinforcement of the delicacy of the grape and how anything may alter the taste during growth. The '13 struck me as a settled, calm, earthy wine while the '14 was exciting and vivid!
Amazing.
Gene and Lisa have a great story to tell and lead an adventurous life of global travel and exploration many of us dream of before starting the vineyards.
They grow three Pinot Noir grapes, 115, 777, and Pommard. Their winemakers perform the balancing act with the three very different grapes to create their wines.
(here is a great piece about clones) The use only these to make the estate wines.
The '14 Pommard is just outstanding! Ripe and rich with berries and smoked meat with hints of leather and earth. It has a soft and gentle mouthfeel and is very well oaked. Great choice for heavier foods like roasts and stews.
The '15 Pommard is much brighter and crisper with hints of smoked meat and rich earth under a canopy of fresh berries and cherries.
But, I must say my favorite was the '14 Reserve. This wine is aged in 35% French oak and is the most complex and interesting of the wines tasted.
The nose is dark berry, seven spice, and has faint undertones of smoked meat. The taste is bright and rich with a fine balance and soft mouthfeel.
This is one of the best examples of what great Belpine soil, beautiful grapes, and a good winemaker can create here in Oregon.
Whites were next and I enjoyed the White Pinot Noir and the Pinot Gris. Both very enjoyable and perfect coming into nice deck weather.
The White Pinot Noir is a little surprising as it has a zesty brightness with pear and white peach on the nose and the tastes of with fresh cut strawberry and hints of vanilla that are really pleasingly smooth.
The Pinot Gris was green apple and light spice with lime zest. Great wine for white sauced pasta.
If you have not found an excuse to drive out through our vineyards and visited the wineries of Lane County, go to the Lane County Adventure center and pick up a Pinot Bingo card. You get a print of the painting at the top of the page. I signed 500 of them so if you get a row you get a small print in a nice wooden stand.
The original 60"x60" painting is now in the Horizon House Collection in Seattle where it hangs among the works Jacob Lawrence, Frank Okada (my teacher), Dale Chilhuly, Marc Tobey, Morris Graves, and many more Northwest artists. I still have to pinch myself sometimes!
My next stop was at Benton Lane Winery. I have known Steve and Carol since the early 90's and have been a wine club member there for nearly that long. There is something special about the wines they produce. The rich soil of a 100-year-old sheep ranch and the deep Belpine soils let the vines produce a stunning complexity of flavors and every year it is different. That is one of the things I love about Pinot Noir.
I only had a few moments but tasted through the wonderful wines and listened to the comments of the others in the room. Pinot Noir seems always to spark interesting conversations about taste, travel, and terroir.
Of all the wines they make and sell, the 2015 Pinot Blanc released this year is the most surprising. If you, like me, have found few reasons to pursue Pinot Blanc wines this one with make you sit up straight and look around. The magical quality of this wine laced with crisp apple and pineapple, spicy high notes and a perfect mouthfeel make me want to check out some others around Oregon.
One of my all-time favorites.
All of the wines are good to great but the First Class 2015 Pinot Noir is one of the most interesting and complex wines I have tasted this year. It develops slowly in the mouth and the different flavors merrily swirl around your tongue seeking the perfect taste receptor.
Not an easy drinking wine and perhaps not for beginners but take your time with it and discover the joy of tasting and smelling the various layers.
More later about a visit to Walnut Ridge, LaVelle, and Brigadoon
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