January Trip To Oregon & My Last Glass W/ Bob Wood :-(

Tasted Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - Friday, February 1, 2013 by jasonh with 495 views

Introduction

So far I have made it to PDX 3 times this year. One thing I have learned is that I love the 10s and 11s at least with the Pinots. There is a lot of great stuff out there right now.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

  • 2011 Johan Vineyards Grüner Veltliner

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (1/29/2013)

    Had by the glass at Nostrana while sitting at the pizza bar. Wonderful wine. Nice richness and full flavor. Plenty of acid to hold it together.

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Flight 2 (3 Notes)

No notes on the wines but I did visit Westrey to spend some time with David Autrey. Dang they make mighty fine wines and the prices are sick. We drank mostly 09 pinots (a vintage I skipped for the most part) but as no surprise to me, he made them very well. I even bought a few. I also thought the chardonnays were excellent. It is pretty hard for me to get super excited about Oregon pinot gris but I will say the 2011 from Westrey is a head turner.

It was really great to meet Marcus at Metello and see what he is doing. I didn't write any notes on it but I need to mention that his syrah is certainly one to watch out for. I thought the 2010 were starting to shut down a bit. These had a slightly rustic style with great stuffing.

  • 2010 Matello Chardonnay Richard's Cuvee

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    (1/30/2013)

    This chardonnay is outstanding. Good amount of oak that is complimenting the wine well. Looking forward to how it will develop.

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  • 2010 Matello Pinot Noir Souris

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (1/30/2013)

    Souris has a great combination of flavors and aromas. Drinking well now but crys for 3-6 years.

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  • 2009 Brooks Pinot Noir Janus

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (1/31/2013)

    I haven never had a Brooks before. Unfortunately my first was an 09.
    Such a drag. Some really lovely stuff on a restaurant list but the wine selecting wasn’t left to me ☹ I didn’t see what it was when my glass was poured for me. One sniff and I new it was an 09. The wine is hot and simple. Possible a touch of VA. Not enjoyable. Two bottles, same result.

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

I did spend some time with Todd at Biggio Hamina as well. As always there is a lot of adventure going on. You can never be totally sure what new thing you will try. The 2011 MdB will be a must buy for me. And when he finally bottles his XX syrah (i think it will be the XX), I'll be grabbing that as well. I didn't make a note, but Todd, was that the 09 in barrel? Then Todd popped the unlabeled 2010 Zenith Pinot. Wow! Two days later I took it with me to Storyteller to share with Michael Alberty. I had texted Bob Wood before getting there and as an unexpected treat, hi took his lunch break to come hang out. Michael in turn, very generously popped the 2000 Marguerite.

  • 2000 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir "Marguerite"

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (2/1/2013)

    And there it is. Beautiful Oregon pinot with some age on it. In a very sweet spot but no signs of fading. After a few minutes in the glass an added spice element jumped in. Wow wow wow. If you haven’t tasted Oregon pinot with age, call Michael or Eyrie and snag a bottle. And it has the very cool label painted by Marguerite. A special bottle for many reasons.

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  • 2010 Biggio Hamina Cellars Pinot Noir Zenith Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (2/1/2013)

    Not yet labeled but in bottle. Wow! My favorite wine from Zenith vineyard to date. Shwoing less whole cluster than normal for B-H. Wonderful fruit. Took to Michael Alberty's and tasted with him and Bob Wood. At that stage it had been opened for two days. Served blind. To quote Bob, “it is stunning”. Bob didn't nail the vineyard but he did peg it as Eola.

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Closing

After hanging out at Storyteller, I had set up some time with Vincent Fritzsche over at the SE Wine Collective. I figured I might get lost but Bob offered to be my guide. We made it and said our goodbyes.

It was great to finally meet Vincent. I think we have known each other from the wine board for 13 or 14 years. We tasted through Vincent's 2011 which really wonderful. I don't really have notes on these but I did grab some bottles so that I could drink them in the comfort of my home. Across the board the wines have great purity. Still primary but showing good complexity. And killer deals. 2011 suits his style perfectly. Love it.

And then a nice treat when Anne Hubatch of Helioterra Wines and Thomas Monroe of Division Winemaking Company generously opened some things for me. We had Anne's 2011 pinots which are excellent. Anne is making some serious wines showing nice rusticity. And Thomas's 2010 Deux which is structured beauty. This wine had some serious grip. I am not trying to make some type of statement or one to one comparison but if served blind I would most certainly said young Burgundy because the texture. Again I bought bottles that I'll be popping soon for more relaxed enjoyment.

I was super impressed and delighted with what they are doing at the SE Wine Collective. So much so I had get there again when I returned a few weeks later. With Division, Helioterra and Vincent, I can be a happy camper. Getting 3 different wine profiles, all made in a balanced style. In a short and unfair attempt to differentiate the 3, I would say, Helioterra is earthy mineral infused fruit with medium extraction, Divison is slightly more extracted with a more tannic presence on the palate and Vincent is slightly less extracted showing more precise fruit. Someone please correct me if this is utter nonsense. All wines made in a restrained style and having structure to develop while still being delicious now.

A great trip and I will be forever grateful that Bob took his lunch break to come over and say hi. Even though my next trip will be very sad knowing I won't sharing some laughs and wines with him.

Cheers,

Jason

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