IPNC

McMinnville, Oregon
Tasted Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - Sunday, July 28, 2024 by Eric with 385 views

Introduction

The final IPNC in current format.

Flight 1 - Morgen Long (8 Notes)

Seth is OBSESSED. Wines were terrific albeit very expensive.

Flight 2 - Arterberry Maresh (6 Notes)

Really nice to visit the Red Barn. Just so gorgeous.

Flight 3 - Goodfellow (13 Notes)

Marcus is so precise and passionate. The 2022's seem to be in a somewhat tough to judge state at present.

Flight 4 - Joel Palmer House (6 Notes)

Absolutely fantastic meal and even better wines.

Flight 5 - Hundred Suns (9 Notes)

We had a really fantastic visit with Grant and Renee. These wines are the real deal, and these folks are really great!

Flight 6 - Seven Springs Vineyard (10 Notes)

We were lucky to attend an outstanding lunch in the middle of the gorgeous Seven Springs Vineyard feature Chardonnay from Evening Land Vineyards, Antica Terra, Cristom, Audeant and 00 Wines. These are currently all of the producers utilizing the Seven Springs fruit.

Below are the wines we tasted, all of them terrific!

Flight 7 - Martin Woods (Hi-Fi) (5 Notes)

We had a small window of time in town and stopped by Hi-Fi for a pre-arranged visit and tasted a flight of Martin Woods wines.

Flight 8 - Chardy Party

The night before IPNC kicks off, join Hazelfern, big table farm, Hundred Suns, and Walter Scott for a night of finger lickin’ good vibes and ice cold Chardonnay.

On Thursday, July 25th, join us at the Hazelfern Barn in Newberg, Oregon for a good ole-fashioned Willamette Valley Chardy Party!

Tons of bonus bottles floating around, an impressively alive 1981 Amity Vineyards Pinot Noir and a stunning 1993 Amity Vineyards Pinot Noir. 2012 and 2013 Beaux Freres Chardonnay, 2003 Chevillon NSG 1er Les Perrieres, 2014 Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes, 2005 and 2010 Jadot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. And so much more

THE WINE: Chardonnay from Hazelfern, big table farm, Hundred Suns, and Walter Scott (don’t be surprised if a pinot party also breaks out). In the spirit of IPNC, feel free to bring a special bottle you’ve been collecting and want to share.

THE FOOD: Chefs Sarah Schafer and Brett Uniss from Humble Spirit + the Ground will be shucking oysters and frying up buckets of finger lickin’ chicken. We’ll also have all the classic farm fresh fixins too.

THE VENUE: We’ll gather at The Hazelfern Barn - just up the road from The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, Oregon.

Absolutely magical!

Flight 9 - IPNC Grand Tasting (12 Notes)

Three separate panels of four wines.

We are honored to introduce you to the six panelists for our 2024 Grand Seminar: IN TECHNICOLOR! Dominique Lafon (Domaine des Comtes Lafon), Ian Burch (Archery Summit), Megan Gunderson (WALT Wines), Melanie Chester (Giant Steps), Michael Brajkovich (Kumeu River), and Naomi Smith (Champagne Laurent-Perrier) will be joining us for a multi-hued discussion about Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, breaking through the singular color palette of years past.

Flight 10 - IPNC Lunch on the Lawn (10 Notes)

Flight 11 - IPNC University of Pinot: Low Intervention Winemaking and Farming with Raj Parr (4 Notes)

Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or new to the world of sustainable winemaking, join us for an enlightening exploration of Pinot Noir that celebrates the harmony between nature and craftsmanship. From organic and biodynamic farming practices to natural fermentation and minimal use of additives, experience firsthand the profound impact of these mindful approaches on the sensory profile and character of the wines. Savor the fruits of each producer’s collective commitment to sustainability and enjoy an unforgettable tasting experience that embodies the essence of low-intervention winemaking at its finest. Learn how each decision made in the vineyard and cellar contributes to the purity and authenticity of the final product.

Led by wine legend Raj Parr (Phelan Farm), participants will be guided through a curated selection of exemplary Pinot Noirs, each meticulously crafted using sustainable and environmentally conscious methods. From vineyard to bottle, discover the artistry and dedication that goes into cultivating grapes and crafting wines that reflect the true essence of their terroir.

SEMINAR PANELISTS:
Raj Parr | Phelan Farm
Matt Berson | Love & Squalor
Mikey Etzel | Beaux Frères
Nate Ready | Hiyu Wine Farm

OK, so above is copy & paste from the website site. Honestly, this panel was INFURIATING. Two wines were clearly and stunningly flawed. One person was spouting bullshit insanity. I have never really engaged in the natural wine debate and have certainly tasted some good examples of natural wines, orange wines and sans souffre wines. But in this case the emperor had no clothes. I really wish I could have an hour of my life back and that I wasn't sitting smack in the middle of the room.

All due respect to Nate & Raj, but what I tasted in my glass was flawed and just awful.

  • 2019 Hiyu Pinot Noir Moon Dog Flawed

    USA, Oregon/Washington, Columbia Gorge

    (7/26/2024)

    Rust and brettanomyces just overwhelms every aspect of this wine. Dry, earthy and stripped. This has a LOT of brett. Just dry, dry, dry and astringent. Awful. An utter train wreck. And Nate confirms that this EXACTLY how he wants it to taste.

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  • 2022 Phelan Farm (Rajat Parr) Pinot Noir SLO Coast Flawed

    USA, California, Central Coast, San Luis Obispo Coast

    (7/26/2024)

    Hmm, first sniff is immediate NATURAL WINE. VA that I just can't get past. Some other people said they thought it was reduced and did improve, but that was just not my experience. Very tart, a sweet tart candy sort of thing, sour, very bitter finish. So sour, so bitter, so funky.

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  • 2019 Love and Squalor Pinot Noir Sunnyside Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (7/26/2024)

    Fantastic energy and purity, considerable grip, nice acidity, what's not to like? Really grippy.

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  • 2022 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir The Beaux Frères Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge

    (7/26/2024)

    Really quite good. A bit oaky, peppery, nice "chew" to this, licorice, but very pure and deep underneath the seemingly considerable oak treatment. Stylistically this is not my desired expression of Pinot, so I wish they would dial the oak back a bit. Thar said, it is an impressive wine.

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Flight 12 - IPNC Dinner

I did not take notes at dinner. We were sitting with a winemaker from Willamette Valley Vineyards as well as the head winemaker from DONUM. We brought a bunch of our own wines and enjoyed a cavalcade of fun things that were showing up left and right.

Flight 13 - Résonance Seminar (5 Notes)

We had a lovely stroll through some of the vineyards at Résonance and then sat down for a single blind panel tasting of 5 wines. I flubbed them all, but impressively each winemaker was able to identify their own wines.

(Interestingly the two wines that I was convinced had to be Oregon based on a particular aromatic note were each in fact California. So I just need to reverse that bit in my brain to hopefully do better in the future...)

Flight 14 - Résonance Lunch (5 Notes)

Flight 15 - Salmon Bake

We tasted a cavalcade of wines, no notes. I was done. That includes a number of excellent wines at the Al Fresco tasting and then a whole bunch at dinner.

Flight 16 - Champagne Brunch

One last breakfast hurrah before we hit the road back to Seattle. Laurent-Perrier Rose, Nicolas Feuillatte Brut, and a bunch of domestic sparklers.

Closing

I hope that some future iteration of IPNC returns, or at least we will try to return for our own winery visits and things like the Chardy Party.

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