While in Oregon we visited Patton Valley Vineyard winery in the Gaston neighborhood. It's a small 6000 case winery owned by a delightful investment banker named Monte, whose company we then had the pleasure of at dinner. The wines were very fine and deserve more press than they get (my notes were the first on CT for most of these wines), but excellent value compared to the better known wineries closer to the the McMinnville tourist route. Every wine was very good to excellent, and each comfortably had a character all its own.
2013 Patton Valley Vineyard Syrah Les Collines Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
So every winery has to have a syrah in their lineup, apparently. This is PV's: Walla Walla fruit, firm and pretty. Bold but a more feminine style--no funk here.
2013 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir Lorna-Marie Willamette Valley
Raspberry (almost NZ-like) fruit with chamomile and orange rind.
2013 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir 10 Acre Block Willamette Valley
Cherry, plum, graphite, sassparilla root. Very good.
2013 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir West Block Willamette Valley
From a hot, south facing vineyard. Peppery cherry and plum fruit, different and alluring. Good value at $50--I bought some.
2013 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley
Smokey cherry with a dash of bergamot, fantastic concentration. Excellent value at $38.
2015 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir Fu-Mei Willamette Valley
A white pinot noir: white stone fruit, touch of lychee nut, age-worthy, WOW. Bought this too.
And a few other things from the week so far:
2014 Famille Peillot Vin du Bugey-Montagnieu Altesse
Creamy lemon curd and applesauce, a bit of banana, very minerally, great depth, a white wine that hits all my buttons and could be what I prefer above all others--if only it were less expensive and more commonly available.
2012 Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Rich blackberry and boysenberry fruit with lots of tobacco, cedar and green bell pepper. Great body. Fortunately, I love green bell peppers and don't mind that trait in my cabs but many wouldn't, and it's a surprise in a warm vintage like 2012.
2004 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rubis Red Rhone Blend
A decent bottle last July didn't prepare us for this one being so necrotic. At first, clear and mature in a wonderful way but it turned cloudy, nasty and undrinkable before we could go to a second glass. And I have two more? Shit.