by Jenise » Tue Nov 20, 2018 1:23 pm
So a bunch of friends amiably gathered on Sunday to see whether or not Joe Wagner brand wines are as goopy as we think they are, a result of several people following the controversy over his manipulations being in flagrant violation of OR wine law, regardless of what is legal in California. So among a bunch of boutique Oregon producers, blind, would we be able to pick them out? Oh, let's throw in some CA wines, too. The wines were bagged in a back room by the hostess and given an alphabet letter identity. Some were put in decanters.
After the note taking, pre-reveal, four of us were tasked with determining which were most likely the Wagner wines and trying to match each to a product name. I identified most of the Wagner wines in the blind tasting but couldn't match up the wines to the wine names--since I don't drink them. There was remarkably little difference between the CA and OR origins.
Also, guests were asked to grab the bottles of 'favorites' so those were revealed first. As a group we all agreed pretty much on the top six or seven. No Wagner wines were favorites.
2016 Boen Wines Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley
Extracted, black plum, toffee. Eh....
2016 Ayoub Pinot Noir Memoirs Dundee Hills
Tight, closed. All awkward end notes, no front or middle, just overt sweetness and acidity. Def not a Wagner though.
2014 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
Very good, earthy, layered red fruits, has all the right stuff. A favorite.
2012 Colene Clemens Pinot Noir Margo Chehalem Mountains
Blind, was sure it was California, but it was very elegant and balanced--nothing Wagner about it.
Anyway, I brought this bottle: very interesting evolution from the dark monster it was three years ago. A favorite.
2016 Stoller Pinot Noir Reserve Dundee Hills
Obviously a baby; but classic OR character with sturdy plum fruit, Asian spice, forest floor, and a few violets on the nose. (Stoller's a winery I've only come to know recently, and I've been very impressed every time I've had one, this was no exception.)
2012 Cristom Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Willamette Valley
As another taster said, "Central Casting for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir."
Indeed, everything's here in perfect proportion. Captivating at this stage but should cellar another five years easy. Everybody's top favorite. (I brought it, and am proud to have the rest of a case.)
2017 Willametter Journal Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
More blue than red fruit, a lot of grip. California? Somewhat rustic. A Wagner wine, though the rusticity threw me off and I did not peg it for his.
2014 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Dairyman Russian River Valley
Over the top blueberries and black plum. Heavily extracted, inelegant. Boo hiss. Must be a Wagner.
2011 Noel Family Vineyard Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains
Full tertiary, obvious age. Tea flavors, orange rind, mushrooms, potpourri. More developed than it should be but welcome for being so different. Not many present recognized old pinot.
2016 Marshall Davis Pinot Noir Marshall Davis Vineyard Yamhill-Carlton
Good spice and balance with a brown sugar note that will be caramel down the road. For that reason it seemed Californian, though not in the Wagner ways.
2015 Elouan Pinot Noir Pinot Noir Reserve Oregon
Interesting. Very balanced initially but a lot sweeter, too sweet, on the second pass. Too sweet. Was on the fence about whether or not it was a Wagner.
2016 Elouan Pinot Noir Oregon
Unbalanced. Some tannins but no acidity. Very sweet, and it's simple sugar-sweet not fruit-sweet, with lots of viscosity. Tastes artificially pinot flavored in the way Orange Crush doesn't actually taste like oranges. Gotta be a Wagner.
2014 Willamette Valley Whole Cluster, Oregon
Pretty nose and on the palate. Balanced, clean and Oregonian.
2013 Patton Valley Winery West Block, Oregon
Peppery, excellent spice with plummy fruit and tomato skin. (I brought this.) A favorite.
2017 Tuli Pinot Noir Sonoma County
Blueberry notes, smooth like a milkshake. Probably a Wagner.
2015 Citation Pinot Noir Oregon
Sweet fruit, a bit overextracted with some annoying vanilla notes but overall shows well enough for Oregon, non-Wagner.
2009 Coelho Winery Pinot Noir Paciência Willamette Valley
Nasty, cooked flavors.
2014 Welsh Famiy Wines Pinot Noir Robinson Vineyard Eola - Amity Hills
Good bones but at present very tannic, grippy. Needs more time.
2016 Blue Grouse Pinot Noir Quill Vancouver Island
Taupe-y color, cherry and raspberry fruit, herbaceous/tomato leaf, thyme, great balance and palate presence. A favorite.
2015 Erath Pinot Noir Oregon
Just okay. Vit B nose, herb and raspberry fruit, light body.
2015 Elouan Pinot Noir Pinot Noir Reserve Oregon
Big, extracted and purple with evident alcohol and vanilla. Must be a Wagner.
2011 Siltstone Wines Pinot Noir Guadalupe Vineyard Dundee Hills
Authentic, red fruit with bright acidity, dried thyme. Complex and evolved. A favorite.
What did I learn? Well, that Elouan wines (which I've avoided) are just what I thought they'd be. With one exception the Wagners stood out as much as one would hope they would.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov