Blind tasting, small group, just six of us. Bart starts out with this:
2015 Abacela Albariño Umpqua Valley
Served blind, no one recognized this as domestic. Seemed more like an Arneis, and a good one. Sunny flavors, good body and the acid to back it all up. Comes in at a good 13.2% abv.
2016 Patricia Green Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Estate Vineyard Ribbon Ridge
Mark's wine. An initial odd plastic note blew off, and I guessed Sauv Blanc right away though I've actually never had an Oregon Sauv Blanc before. The style is a bit hefty but still elegant, very much like Patricia's pinots, and somewhere in the middle between the melony and grassy versions. Good nuance and balance.
2015 Teutonic Wine Company Silvaner David Hill Vineyard Willamette Valley
Mine. Very pale with lime, honey and pear notes. Typical of what winemaker Barnaby does--true to his winery's name he's not afraid of RS or high acidity, and this wine has both. Amazingly, Gabe guesses Sylvaner immediately. Lithe and refreshing on the palate. And a history lesson: this is from a somewhat legendary vineyard--David Hill and David Lett (Eyrie) long argued over who planted first. Either way, it's from either the oldest or second oldest vineyard in Oregon circa 1975.
2015 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir 'Fu-Mei' Blanc Willamette Valley
So now I trot this out. Pearl white, without enough color to signal it's black-skin origins. Nose of violets and unsweetened coconut milk, some spice. On the palate, unhappily, more coconut--American oak and quite strong, but strangely it was not apparent at all when we tasted it at the winery. Texturally it's big bodied with visible oily viscosity. Would pair fantastically with Thai food, but not so much with everything else. Trying to guess the wine, the guys exhaust the entire canon of white grape knowledge before giving up. Even if they didn't love it, it was worth bringing because I STUMPED THE CHUMPS. Then Bart starts the reds:
2014 Abacela Tempranillo Umpqua Valley
On paper, I like what the guy at Abacela is trying to do but this blackish, brackish wine came off muddy and tannic with no pleasing varietal typicity in fruit or temperament. It's a dog. Btw, I had this same wine a year ago and didn't like it then either, though then it was because of screeching acidity. That bottle had been provided by a different friend, who was embarrassed. And now Bart's pretty embarrassed. Both bought their bottles from the same seller, Ted. Note to self: email Ted and tell him to stop selling this POS to my friends! Then Mark reaches for this:
2015 John Ryan Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
This winery is so new I had to add it to CT. Light bodied, pleasant, with some cinnamon and hints of carbonic maceration. Tastes inexpensive. Now Mark's embarrassed.
2014 Cristom Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Willamette Valley
Gabe's, and he's not embarrassed. Delish and friendly but with the undercurrent of things that will age well. If there's one "perennial good value" in Oregon pinot noir, it's the Mt. Jeff. Now Erik looks excited and puts this one into rotation:
2006 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir AVA Series: Ribbon Ridge
Beaux Frere's pinots are always a little blacker than most (and why is that?), which made it easy for me to guess the producer right off the bat. By a little blacker, well, you know those black skinned plums with the yellow flesh? THAT color, that taste, with Asian spices and forest floor. Lovely. Drinking PERFECTLY right now; comfortably middle aged and will hold here for some time to come. Hard act to follow, but I try with:
2000 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Seven Springs Vineyard Willamette Valley
So how cool was it when this 17 year old pinot went undetected by these mostly expert tasters for what it was? They instead read its red fruit, youthful tannins and acidity for, in this order, nebb, sangio, CF, CS and PS before it occurred to anyone that this might actually be Oregon's flagship grape. Have to admit it was more interesting academically than it was attractive but still. Note: not decanted--I do wonder if an hour or three in a decanter might have unlocked more pinot magic. This somehow encouraged Erik to get out his back-up:
2007 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène Dundee Hills
Elegantly Burgundian with complex, brilliant red fruit and DDO's classic earthiness. A very complete package, drinking very well right now. Couldn't have been a better end to the evening.