Yesterday started out pretty rough as there was a weeks worth of yard work to do in the morning. The weed wacker is an instrument of the devil. After lunch things improved greatly as I made to a local wine shop where they had 6 Oregon wines lined up to taste.
2006 Amity Dry Gewurztraminer 14% abv. $18. This didn't appeal very much. It was dry as promised, but little gewurz aroma, some tropical fruit, and a heaviness in the mouth. Finishes with some heat.
2006 Adelsheim Pinot Gris 13.8% abv. $16. I am not usually a big Pinot Gris fan but this is one of the better ones I've tried. Expressive floral nose, apple and quince fruit, with a very fresh bright acidity that really makes this appealing to me. Closed with a screwcap. I bought a bottle of this one to try with some salmon.
2005 Domaine Drouhin Chardonnay Arthur 13.8% abv. $15 This was a little reminiscent of a Meursault. Restrained nose, pear and hazelnut, very clean, tart entry, good balance, soft acidity, and a hint of butter at the finish. Pretty good effort, probably would reward a few years of aging.
2006 Cloudline Pinot Noir 13.5% abv. $20. Grapey and cooked fruit nose, cherry jam, without much structure.
2005 Bethel Heights Estate Pinot Noir 13.8% abv. $32. Glossy dark garnet color. Fruit forward, typical pinot nose, black cherry, some smoke, and a little reductive. Firm ripe tannins. Some oak spices under the concentrated fruit. Very good for its style.
2005 Bethel Heights Southeast Block Pinot Noir Reserve 14.1% abv. $42. Similar glossy dark garnet color. This had a bit more going on than the Estate. Black cherry fruit, some forest floor, smoke, and a little pinot funk. Excellent balance with bright acidity, silky mouthfeel and ripe tannins. Some vanilla oak under the fruit comes out with swirling. This should reward some aging. Very good+ for its style.
I liked both the Bethel Heights wines, but they were sold out of the SE block. The Adelsheim Pinot Gris is highly recommended for fans of Oregon PG.
After the tasting my wife and I went kayaking in Chuckanut Bay. Two inquisitive seals popped up about 10 yards away from our kayaks, and it was a glorious way to spend an afternoon.
For dinner we stopped at a tapas restaurant and split a half bottle of the
2003 Cristom Mt Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir with some small plates of food. It was pretty good, avoiding some of the excesses of the very hot 03 vintage. High toned red raspberry fruit and a little funk, with a smooth mouthfeel and bright acidity. It went well with gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce with roasted red peppers, and also was a decent match with a Spanish Tortilla with Romesco sauce. A shrimp and avocado dish with sweet chili really needed a Riesling, but we had enough wine for the day already.
Best,
Marc