Tasted Saturday, October 2, 2010 by David Paris (dbp) with 1,539 views
I forget whose idea this was first, but it was a sweet one. Basically, let's see if we can taste through 100 wines in the Willamette Valley in one day, only visiting vineyards and some tasting rooms (i.e. no wine bars or wines at home). We were on a tight schedule and were nervous about succeeding all day long, but by the time we were about 4 hours in it was quite clear success was imminent. It was a great time. We rented a van for this, and yes, of course we had a designated driver who didn't have a single sip! We made it to 12 stops. Probably could have even made a few more, but we started slowing at the end once we knew we had it in the bag.
We pulled into the parking lot at precisely at 10:00am, right when they opened. They did a fantastic job in pouring the wines for us... I think we had 12 wines in 15 minutes here. On track!
One of the only other spots open at 10:00am, we hit this despite the short list. The Bergström Vineyard was awesome as always.
Not a planned stop at all, but we are all glad we made the stop! This was probably the best lineup I have ever had tasting in the Willamette Valley. Five wines and not a single one scoring below 91 points. I've always been up and down on Adelsheim wines, but these single vineyard Pinot Noirs were amazingly impressive. I'll need to pick some up! I think they all will age very well.
Chas frustrated that it's taking more than 30 seconds between wines.
Not always the best wines, but most certainly the most. 18 wines all in all! They said we could choose any 6 wines from the list for the tasting. Dan said, "Nah, just pour them all for us and charge us whatever you like." She even cut us a break on the price. While some of these didn't sit well with me, most of their Pinot Noirs were actually very quaffable, and almost everything here is a very solid value. The 1998 Brut was impressive for many of us, and half of us drinking bought a bottle. Chas on the other hand hates wines that have character, so he bombed it.
Every time I come here I hate that I'm there. I just don't like the attitude in the tasting room. They really think their shit smells better than everyone else in the valley, yet they've always made fairly mediocre wine. Just because they have a massive distribution that doesn't make the wine good. Everything is quite mediocre. While their Gamay Noir is decent, it's also more expensive than the highest end Cru Beaujolais! Yeah... just don't dig the vibe here, and even the layout of the place bothers me. It just seems so commercial.
Not even 1pm and we were half way to 100. Surprisingly snooty folks pouring behind the bar today. They seemed annoyed that we were there. Nothing really stood out here today, but I did buy the last two bottles of the 2008 Ayoub Pinot Noir that they had.
Very friendly tasting room in the heart of Carlton. Not really my style of wines, but considering that, some showed fairly well.
Not as interesting a lineup as usual, but the Scot Paul Dom Denise was very impressive! I look to revisiting it soon and maybe stowing some away for aging. Available in cool Magnums, too.
Likewise, not really my style of wines here... I totally broke Grant's wine glasses he bought here about 19 seconds after he bought them. Sorry Grant. :-(
Very serious at wine number 76.
Also in downtown Carlton, we had a really good time here talking with the winemaker/owner. He seemed to enjoy our enthusiasm, and we enjoyed hearing him tell us all he could about his wines. The whole day people kept coming in and asking for his big juicy wines, and he'd say things like how they may not like his style because he makes subtle wines. At one point I noticed one of his Pinot Noirs was 15.1% and said a bit too loud, "Wow, I guess that's the subtly he was talking about." Of course I was joking, and all the wines were still quite enjoyable. I'll definitely be back.
Feeling this was in the bag, stopped to make some killer sandwiches before taking off for Argyle.
I didn't enjoy these wines as much as I usually do... particularly the sparkling wines. Usually I'm quite impressed. The folks weren't too friendly this time either. Maybe they noticed we were 97 wines deep?
Another winery not on the list, but we decided to end our tour at the top of the hill. Only 4 wines, and we had to buy one of the bottles as only 3 were being poured, but a great way to end the day!
I think we all had a fantastic time doing this! Maybe we'll make this a near annual trip, hitting different spots each time (Though there aren't many spots like Laurel Ridge pouring 18 wines!).
Success
2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Very light and pleasant nose. Bright red fruit on the palate, and quite nice flavors and texture. Really pleasing and soft finish.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Blanc 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Light melon on nose... simple, but nice. Good white fruit on the palate, and soft in texture. Mild finish, with good acidity and a dryness that caries deep into the finish.
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2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris 85 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Stinky melon on the nose, but the fruit gets more pleasing on the palate. It's soft in texture and nice in the finish, but not very inspiring.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Riesling Estate 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Really nice nose, some woodsy character, and almost older flavors than I would expect from a wine this young. Kind of crazy interesting nose. Nice weird melon on the palate, and some general funkiness. I didn't find much acid on the palate, but it ramps up very nicely into the pleasing finish. Impressive Oregon Riesling.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Viognier Del Rio Vineyard 72 Points
USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
I have never been a fan of these Viogniers and this was no different. Really funky, stinky nose... sometimes funky is a good descriptor for me, but not here, and I don't like it at all. On the palate it's almost rank, and nasty on the finish.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 83 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Nice and soft nose, some acid showing through, and a strange wood component. Weird texture on the palate, and a little off balanced with its finish. A confusing wine.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Windhill 86 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Nice red fruit present on the pleasing nose. Soft in texture but some slightly gritty tannins present themselves on the palate. Very soft and mild finish, but quite a bit of building tannins ramp up... however, as this goes 30 seconds on after the finish, I'm left with some taste in my mouth that isn't too pleasing and I want to get rid of it.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Soft and mild nose... quite pleasing. Good balance of fruit and structure on the palate. Nice acid and grip of tannins into the finish. Too young, but could mellow quite nicely.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Roosevelt Vineyard 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Very nice balance on the soft nose. Good structure but quite light flavors in the mouth, showing some soft red fruits which carries nicely into the finish.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Nice wine, but it didn't seem nearly as open as the last time I had it. Soft and pleasing fruit on the very well integrated nose. The impressively built nature of this wine is present throughout, though at present the integrated structure takes over on the palate, which isn't showing too much. Good structure in the finish, but not showing much individual character at present; a bit closed overall.
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2009 Elk Cove Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Even better than the 2008 which I really liked. Really nice nose, and pleasing funk this time around... very nice light, pleasing sweetness into the integrated finish. Nice acidity as well, and not at all over the time. Really yummy.
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2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Ultima 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Rubber bands, a toy chest full of plastic cars with rubber tires, and a shrimp shell on the nose. Really wild stuff! Amazingly sweet on the palate, which usually totally turns me off, but not here. It doesn't feel cloying at all. Good finish.. tastes like yummy candy.
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