Stone's Throw '08 Pinot Noir

One of the wines I was lucky to get at the Eugene Ballet's "Table Dances" event Friday night, from the wall of wine, was a Territorial Vineyards Stone's Throw Pinot Noir, '08.
This is a big wine with bold dark cherry, a bit of oak and lots of layers of soft, dark fruit. The smell drifts up at you with over notes of hay, and sweet berry. We opened it early today and let it open for a while before we had a taste, now many hours later it is tasting quite remarkable and will be a nice companion for my computer, my cats, and me.
Tonight we tried a new, to us, place for dinner, Rabbit Bistro here in Eugene. It is located in a PC Market shopping center, is small and quite, and has a bit of friendly pretence that did not put me off.
My wife is vegetarian and we eat away a lot. I all of our wanderings I have had little trouble finding something for her on the menu, or, if the menu is limited, something off menu to satisfy her. One of the best examples was trip to Scottsdale and a meal at Lon's. They are known for MEAT, MEAT, and more MEAT, yet they went out of their way to make a very complete and perfect meal for both of us. This is the case more often than not, unless you are in some podunk little town where vegetarian means a cheese sandwich, grilled if you are lucky.
Rabbit has no vegetarian items on the menu, and after I was warned that no special meal would be made, they made a very nice little Pot Pie with mushrooms, onions, broccoli, carrots, and potato. She enjoyed the butter lettuce salad also.
I had he hanger steak and the same nice little salad. The meat was well cooked, tasty, and done on a Yorkshire Pudding which was a nice touch.
We each had a glass of '09 Haden Fig Pinot Noir. Erin Nuccio has a great story and is someone to watch in the exciting new crop of Oregon wine makers. They also make a Pinot Noir Blanc that is very good (but not nearly as amazing as Ghost Hill's Pinot Noir Blanc, this is a must drink!) Read about Erin here.
We recomend Rabbit Bistro for a well prepared meal, a glass of good wine, and least I forget, a fine desert ( mine was the Apple Crisp with Guinness Icecream!)
Now back to the last sips of this tasty little wine local!

Great Day For Wine, Great Day For Oregon

Today started with a trip up to Carlton and a stop at Seven of Hearts Winery and a taste of the yet to be released Viognier-Roussanne, '09. My God what an elegant wine! Soft in the mouth, ripe white peach and gooseberry on the nose with honey mead and melon in the mouth. This is a soft and supple wine with room for foods like spicy Thai or Indian. Love it.
Lena said that they  have had their share of awards including Wine Spectator's :Luminous Hills Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton District 2009 - 91 points

Velvety, subtle and distinctive for the mint and savory spice accents around a lovely bead of redcurrant and raspberry fruit, persisting delicately on the long finish. Drink now through 2019.—H.S., but that the traffic had increased hugely since the Top Reds article.
Needless to say they are a place to visit on your road trip to Carlton.
Portland Monthly just rated them among the top reds in Oregon, but I must say the article pissed me off because I have taste 1000's of Oregon Reds and they left out some of the finest wines produced in the south and in the Gorge. The center of the universe does not park itself in Portland...
Anyway, I met with my friends Mike, owner of Ghost Hill Cellars,  and Rebecca, winemaker, for lunch at my usual watering hole, Horseradish, and discussed the idea of me repping their wines. The thought of a job curdled my soup but I agreed to think about it.
I had a superb Chardonnay made by Ken Wright that stood up beautifully to the soup and he salmon mousse. Lovely. Warm mouthfeel with long sleek strands of warm hay and honey. Very good finish with no bite on the back or sides of the tongue. Highly recommend. My friend had the J. Scott Syrah '08 and was impressed by the soft complexity and structure of the wine. The grapes come from the Rouge Valley but have non of the heat that is typical of one of the major vineyards there. Perhaps it comes from a higher vineyard with less direst southern exposure?
Wonderful wine. He is the winemaker at Silvan Ridge and we carry his wines at the Adventure Center for Travel Lane County.

After lunch I got a real treat. I tasted 114, Wadenswil, 777, and Pommard off the cluster. They are all so good right now and the cluster size in amazing!  I was guessing 19 to 20 brix on all save the 777 but the seeds are still very green and I found 4 seeds in one 777 grape. All the seeds were clean though, no flesh sticking to them.. I can not wait for harvest! These are all reduced to one cluster per stem and yield will be three ton per acre. These are the largest bunches I have ever seen!
On the way back to Salem for a very special event I stopped in Carlton for my Jam fix.
Republic of Jam is a reason to go to Carlton even if you don't like wine. I scored a big jar of Apple-Mustard, some Blueberry Lemon, and a bottle of syrup to mix with my favorite Gin.
This is going to be a banner year for Oregon Wines and not just because of the wines!

Yamhill-Carlton Event

Every year there is a gathering of the wine makers in the Carlton-Yamhill region. They get together and let everyone come and taste the wonderful and diverse product of their labors. This year the tasting was held at Anne Amie Winery and it was perfect. Lots of room for everyone, lots of parking space and the Carlton Trolly to get all 500+ people there, and a great group of volunteers to make sure it all went smothly.
I saw a lot of familiar faces and wineries such as Ghost Hill, Alexana, Ken Wright, Dick Shea, Drew of Vertical fame (his wine, Harper Voit Strandline Pinot Noir, is in the book), and lots more wonderful folks.
Stewart and Athena were there from Boedecker Cellars. They have a tasting room in Portland that you HAVE to visit. And while you are there taste some of John's GC Cellars wine.

I only picked up one bottle there, the Dennison Cellars '09 Kiff Vineyard Pinot Noir from Tim and Denise Wilson.
A remarkable wine with lots of chocolate, flower petal, lavender, black cherry, and marionberry dancing around in your mouth. Tim Wilson has  made wine at some of the best wineries and is now out on his own. Very exciting and a wine to watch.
After tasting most of the morning I headed out to visit with Pam at Daedalus and to pick up her donation of a bottle of '08 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir .

The wine is from the fifth oldest vineyard in Oregon and has intense and rich layers of flavors that can only be tasted once and once again, and again as they change and develop in your mouth. Keep this one in mind for that special dinner of wild salmon.
One last stop at Orchard Heights near Salem for a donation of Orchard Heights Winery: '07 Pinot Noir and Orchard Heights Winery: Merlot.
If you have never been to Orchard Heights you are in for a treat. The food is great, the store is packed full of wine, food, and fun, and they do event dinners there also.
Home after a long day and back to Carlton in the morning for Holt International's party at Ken Wright Cellars.

Lunch at Sabai Before the Wine Symposium

Today was the first day of the Wine Symposium held annually at the Eugene Hilton so I joined my friend Rebecca for lunch at our newest Thai restaurant, Sabai. A few weeks ago I dropped off a bottle of  '08 Ghost Hill Pinot Noir for them to sample as a favor and it has taken off for them. Rebecca, along with her other joys, makes the wines for Ghost Hill cellars so she was well pleased at the enthusiasm. I got to spend lunch with two intriguing and lovely women, Katie Kamilos and Rebecca , who are here representing Northwest Wines To You and the Trappist Abbey. They were impressed by the restaurant and even though they have a good wine list and an impressive bar, we ended up drinking a beer.
On the way down to the Hilton I dropped off a few bottles of Ghost Hill at the restaurant and my timing was perfect. The table that had just ordered wanted what I had so the waitress grabbed it out of my wine carrier and took to the table before I had had a chance to sit down!
Tonight, after registering, getting the booklet, and schedule I joined the group and  we all headed over to The Electric Station for food and drinks. Big day tomorrow for all the wine folk. I am holding off for the reception Tuesday afternoon

Hult Lobby Reception

Celebrate the successes of the Oregon wine industry and Symposium, sip on local wines from colleagues and enjoy live music from Alan Bakalinsky and his jazz trio.

and the Red tasting Wednesday.

All About Filtration (w/tasting)
See all Enology Sessions

To filter or not to filter is a question winemakers often face. But after making this decision you are still left with the question of what filter is appropriate to use and when? And what about all the “stuff” that gets left behind on the filter? Does it matter? Join us in this session as we discuss why you might filter, which filters to use and when, as well as current knowledge regarding the impact of filtration on wine quality.

Moderator: James Osborne, Oregon State University

Speakers: Ken Fugelsang, Fresno State; Rodger Pachelbel, Gusmer Enterprises

Ghost Hill at Sabai

I stopped by Sabai today for a sip after a long drive back from Portland where we saw an "odd" version of Tourandot (more on that later). Tim had a drink for me that he said would relax me, put me in a better mood, and make the rest of my day one of "no worries". "Sabai Sabai" is made with ginger infused simple syrup, fresh ginger shavings, rum, and alime twist. He was right! Not overly sweet and with just a hint of lime over the ginger's warmth, it hit te sot.
Now, about the opera: Winderlea Wine Co. sponsored the Portland Opera's Tourandot and I thank them endlessly for supporting the arts here in Oregon. They have always been generous with their donation to our :"One Bottle" project. That said: WHO MAKES A TENOR SIT DOWN TO SING NESS EN DORMA???
For those not familiar with the story, here is a brief synopsis from The Met.
Here is a review by  James McQuillen for the Oregonian:

Some of the visual touches are brilliant: In Act II, the color-coded ministers Ping, Pang and Pong work at identical red desks under a banner proclaiming "Gli enigmi sono tre, la morte è una" -- "the riddles are three, death is one," referring to the princess' deadly test; at the beginning of the next scene, the banner is torn down to reveal the chorus in a glowing green gallery. Others are less effective, such as the prince's garb, which suggests nothing in particular except "black leather tent." More

It was staged in ( this is pure conjecture on my part) Milan in the late 1930's by someone who watched too many bad Italian dramas. The usual flourish of bright costumes were replaced by the black and white shirts and pants of office workers, the main character had been replaced with her grandmother, and , well I will leave it here and you can go see it for yourself.
We are subscribers so we enjoy most of what they do. This, save for small bits, was the exception.
Back to Sabai. Tim is serving Ghost Hill '08 Pinot Noir , a wine that will stand up to ANY spicy foods you care to bring on. I was surprised at how well it matched with Thai foods but we will be trying a glass this Sunday!

A Treat Before Departure

On the way out of Carlton I stopped by The Abbey Wine Warehouse to visit

Rebecca Marie Pittock Shouldis, who is also the winemaker for Ghost Hill, and took her to pick up her car. Rather than waste the better part of an afternoon doing something constructive, we decided to visit, (me for the first time) Todd Hanina's new tasting room, eatery, wine making facility ET AL.

Located on the west side of McMinnville, just outside the city boundary, set back to the left in a brand new build to suite spot, is a very cool wine oasis.
We met Todd and sat down for some serious tasting and after his wifeCaroline Biggio Hamina arrived, some great plates of cheese and meats.
The layout of the place is perfect for wine making, food and wine tasting, and for just relaxing with friends. Comfortable, spacious, and open, with lots of parking (pun intended as you will see when you visit).
The details of the construction and finish are simple and elegant and if he does not start selling his light fixtures soon he is missing a bet! Barrel skeletons? Perhaps not the best descriptor, but close as you see.
The wines were wonderful and his range of product is impressive. Try the '08 Hawks View Pinot Noir and the 2008 Zenith Vineyard Cuvee Lucca. Everything he put up to taste was good to great so take a chance!

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Eola Hills on a Beautiful Day

My first stop on Wednesday was at Cubanisimo Vineyards where I met Christina Collada, the daughter of the owner. She was working in the office when I came to the tasting room and hurried down the stairs no doubt hoping for a real customer. Instead she got me, begging for "one bottle". She was very gracious and gave me not one but two!  The first is an '07 Rosado de Pinot Noir, an exciting blend of taste: citrus and vanilla, with peach and red berry. Nice finish with a hint of flowers. The second is the '07 Pinot Noir. The tastes just kept unfolding as I sipped. Current, cassis, chocolate and tobacco, with sharp, bright notes of black cherry.
I love the '07s because of the complexity and the changes that happen as you drink them. The '06 Pinot Noirs were very good but most lacked the follow through that gives such pleasure after the first taste.

Next stop: Orchard Heights Winery, where Linda and Carol greeted me with a bottle of the '06 Pinot Gris. They are always very grasious and friendly, and they sell VERY good chocolates, and nuts. A very dangerous place. Here is Linda holding their donation.
I drove past Cherry Hill, and a few more of the wineries that I plan on visiting later and headed for Bethel Height Vineyard.Founded in 1977 and actively producing salmon safe wines since then, they are a true part of Oregon Wine making history. Maggie let me taste several of the wines including the '07 Estate Grown Pinot Noir, a lively, complex wine with earth and cane fruit. Should last a long time and drink well at about 6-8 years. Again, the '07's are just such  great wines and keep unfolding as you taste.
I had to be in McMinnville to help with a pump over at Ghost Hill so I will come back in a few weeks and try to get the ones I missed.