And not done yet. But here's a start:
Opened these at a friend's house in Oregon:
2013 Domaine Besson Chablis Chardonnay
Too ripe, cheesy. YUCK. Embarrassing (damn you Last Bottle), I grabbed glasses away from anyone who had it and poured them this instead:
2014 Samuel Billaud Chablis Chardonnay
Remains excellent for an entry-level Chablis; outperforms others at this level. Apple, herb, seashell--it's all there.
These two were brought by others:
2013 Woodenhead Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Simple, super soft, virtually no tannins, dilute. Only 13.6 abv--watered down to reduce alcohol? Tastes like it.
2015 Kramer Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé of Pinot Noir Celebrate Yamhill-Carlton
Among a set of mostly French bubbles, this was disappointingly simple but probably not a fair fight. It was dry, tangy and showed a hint of cloves.
So this was a set of chardonnays, served blind:
2015 Adelaida Chardonnay HMR Vineyard Paso Robles
Hot and nutty. Hard to digest at 14.7%, especially next to the lithe Drouhin Arthur. Still, bad as it was, the St. Innocent was worse.
2015 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay Arthur Dundee Hills
Served blind with two other OR chards. By far the best of the lot, bright and sophisticated, its Burgundian roots show. 13.9% abv. I would definitely purchase.
2015 St. Innocent Chardonnay Dijon Clone Freedom Hill Vineyard Willamette Valley
Dark yellow. Fat, sweet and a bit flat. Only 13.5 abv but feels like 15.5 in the mouth. Everybody's last place. Worst St. Innocent wine I can recall.
And this was a blind presentation of Oregon Rieslings. There was actually a third but I had not heard of it before and can't read the winery name in my notes, and no combination of the letters it looks like come up in Cellar Tracker so you get these two, which were the best anyway.
2014 Styring Vineyards Riesling Whimsy Ribbon Ridge
Very pale, dry on the palate with a wonderful diesel-y nose and chalky complexity on the palate. Good viscosity too. Overall quite excellent, worth seeking out.
2014 Trisaetum Riesling Estates Reserve Willamette Valley
Before our trip to OR I'd been tipped off about this winery's reisling, so was surprised to find it less Germanic and en pointe than I'd anticipated. Still good though: yellow color, white flowers, pear fruit, dry, tangy. though lacking enough distinct Riesling character to be mistaken for chardonnay.
So I was shopping the other day, saw these two and thought, "sure, let's help the kids." MISTAKE.
2014 Northwest Wine Academy Chardonnay Reserve Yakima Valley
A beginner's style chardonnay: quite sweet with tropical fruit and vanilla custard. Couldn't finish a glass.
2014 Northwest Wine Academy Merlot Columbia Valley
Just eh. Drinkable but quite generic, lacks typicity of grape or place.
So we visited this winery while in Oregon, and the owner/winemaker was our pourer. He described his style as halfway between Oregon and Burgundy.
2014 Lenne Estate Pinot Noir cinq élus Yamhill-Carlton
This is a blend of the best barrel of each clone grown on the estate. Concentrated plum tones with a nice sweetness--classic Oregon flavors. But $85.
2014 Lenne Estate Pinot Noir Jill's 115 Estate Yamhill-Carlton
Cherry, plum and mocha notes, raw mushroom and loam and bit more reasonable at $55. My favorite of the lineup--and I purchased some!
2014 Lenne Estate Pinot Noir Estate Lenne Vineyard Yamhill-Carlton
Earthy nose, nice concentration, good balance.
2014 Lenne Estate Pinot Noir Le Nez Willamette Valley
47% Pommard clone. Surprised it's showing so astringent when following a just-bottled chardonnay.
2016 Lenne Estate Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blanc Yamhill-Carlton
The winery's first chardonnay. In bottle just one week. Shows vivid green and yellow apple, lemonny acids. Aged in brand new puncheon and SS, then blended. Great potential.
Back home again:
2009 Nalle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley
Heading downhill. Light in body and boring, generic red wine flavor which lacks any typicity relative to zinfandel or Dry Creek character.
2016 Château Pradeaux Bandol Rosé Rosé Blend
Coppery rose color. Nose of roses, pink grapefruit, raw beef and saddle, rich and dry on the palate. Fantastic, but almost at Tempier prices.
2005 Ridge Geyserville Sonoma County Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
From magnum, divine middle age flavors of brambly boysenberry and pomegranate fruit augmented with just a touch of leather and spice. No decant required; optimum for current drinking. So good I can't remember when I enjoyed a zinfandel more.
2014 Domaine Pattes Loup Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux
Very soft at first, cashmere texture and seemingly simple though it clearly had good acidity underneath. An hour later it firmed up quite a bit and became more complex and textural. Decant for an hour minimum or, better yet, wait at least a year to open another.
2015 Antoine Ogier Côtes du Rhône Héritages Blanc White Rhone Blend
Just okay. First night, figs and pears--the grenache blance dominates. Next night, figs and canned pears. Not a good progression.
2012 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Seems open right now but this one showed mostly ripeness and lots of iodine that I didn't note in prior bottles--might be its version of napping. Needs time.
2015 Fidelitas Sémillon Klipsun Vineyard Red Mountain
Big, deep wine. Opened it to serve as an aperitif but it's too big for that, and the slightly sherryish notes on the finish (not oxidation) call for food. A great example of what semillon can do, I'm just not sure I need it to do that.
2006 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Pinot Noir
18 months since our last bottle. Didn't improve; light body, never fleshes out, you keep reaching for more aroma and more taste, and it never comes. I think it's done.