Willamette Valley & Portland
Tasted Wednesday, April 4, 2012 - Thursday, April 12, 2012 by manonthemoon with 730 views
The second morning started out similar with a little VD, except this time it was a Maple Bacon Bar, and then we were off to the Coffee Cottage in Newberg where they make some excellent espresso very creamy with a nice hint of citrus peel. It was next that we went to Patricia Green Cellars to meet up with Jim and after an extended tasting we needed a bite so Jim recommended Red Hills Market where we enjoyed some pizza and sandwiches.
We met Jim out at the winery for an early morning tasting. It was excellent to try a couple of barrel sample of the two white wines they are doing for 2011 and quite a few bottles of pinot. Jim was great as this was our first time with him leading us through as Patty has usually been the one, but it was nice to get his take on the wines and the different vintages. After talking to him a little while about some things and missing him the night prior at OWOB and he decided to pop an extra couple of bottles and take us outside to show us chompers favorite pass time of llama herding. Really enjoyed the lineup, all solid wines. Great visit and can't wait to drop again next time we are in the valley.
Right as we got to the CO-OP it started hailing and by the time we left there was over an inch of accumilation on the ground, good thing the vines were inacctive throughout the area. Tyson showed us around the two barrel rooms and the steel containers that he was prepairing to bottle. He was kind enough to have us try a dozen or so barrel samples between the different chards and pinots from 2010 and 2011. It was great to see the different barrel treatments on similar blocks and different clones that will end up in different blends. Really impressed with one of the barrels he tended to think Bob from Liner Elsen was going to choose for a private bottling. Tyson was very accomidating as always and we really enjoyed the visit.
We stopped into Argyle for a little change of pace with some bubbles prior to heading back to Portland. The staff was very accomidating and suprised us by starting us off with a taste of the 2001 Tirage which was impressive. It was kind of a hard act to follow up afterwards as the others didn't have the complexity or depth of it. Good stuff overall besides the Black Brut which isn't one of my favorite styles of sparkling to say the least. I still find this a must stop in Willamette though as it gives you a nice break from all the Pinot.
My third visit to this great resturant and I think this was my favorite ever, just a quality menu all around. After a long day of tasting we headed out to our favorite Portland resturant, Le Pigeon, and indulged ourselves with a 7 course tasting menu that included a caviar quail egg dish radish foam, scallop with squid ink, quail leg dish, pink grouper rice green garlic pesto, rabbit hindquarters and truffel pasta, desert was a little carot gelee cardomon ice cream carrot cake and a foie gras proffiteral. I also had an interesting farmhouse style ale that was brewed with fennel by the resturant and the other two bottles were opened the day prior so we finished at the hotel.
Great day overall, one of my favorite dinners in a long time and some great wines is never a bad thing.
2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Estate Ribbon Ridge 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Medium red color.
Nose of red fruit, raspberry, earth, barnyard.
Palate of red fruit, tart cranberry, cedar/earth, cinnamon, pepper.
Finish was average in length with good acidity.
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2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Estate Old Vine Ribbon Ridge 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Medium red color.
Nose of red raspberry, cranberry, clay soil, minerals, and spice.
Palate of red raspberry, cranberries, minerals, and spice
Finish was average in length with good acidity and tannin.
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2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Estate Etzel Block 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of red raspberry, floral, funk barnyard, cinnamon.
Palate of red raspberry, earth and funk, sandlewood, and cinnamon.
Finish was above average in length, and great acidity.
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2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Marine Sedimentary Ribbon Ridge 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of red raspberry, lots of florals, spice.
Palate of florals, mixed raspberry, earth, spice, and minerals.
Finish was above average in length, and good acidity and tannin was noticed.
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2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Wahle 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of floral, raspberry, barnyard, spice.
Palate of floral, mixed raspberry, earth, minerals, and spice.
Finish was above average finish, acidity and tannin.
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2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Balcombe Vineyard Dundee Hills 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of dark cherry, earth, spice.
Palate of black cherry, raspberry, earth, and spice.
Finish was above average in length, good acidity, little more mouthfeel.
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2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Block 1B Balcombe Vineyard 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of mixed raspberries, barnyard, earth, and spice.
Palate of mixed raspberries, dark cherry, forest loam, spice.
Finish was long in length, richer mouthfeel, good acidity.
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2010 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Durant Vineyard 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of red fruit, cherry, raspberry, bramble, cinnamon.
Palate of red raspberry, cherry, bramble, earth, and good spice.
Finish was long in length and really good acidity.
Was disappointed the larger formats were all sold out of this.
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2003 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Block 1B Balcombe Vineyard 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of florals, dried plum, and spice.
Palate of dried plum, raspberry, spice.
Finish was above average in length and a decent mouthfeel, could pair with red meat.
Jim was nice enough to open this for us when we had discussion about the 03 vintage and a recent tasting he had just attended.
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2007 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Ana 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Nose of florals, raspberries, earth/barnyard was strong.
Palate of mixed raspberries, earth, barnyard, and some sort of bitter or off on the backend?
Finish was average in length and the mouthfeel was good.
Served blind alongs side an 07 burg, really loved the nose but couldn't get past the note on the backend of the palate.
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2007 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
(4/4/2012)
Tasted at the winery with Jim.
Darker red color.
Nose of red raspberry, lots of minerals, little earth.
Palate of red raspberry, light earth, lots of minerals.
Finish was above average and good acidity.
Tasted blind, thought it might be a burg due to the minerals.
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