April 2, 2020 - Absolutely stunning. Seriously. Amazing juice, my last of three bottles and wish I had more. I would not hesitate to blind this against Champagne at 3x or 4x the price.
December 23, 2017 - Steven Thompson and Kris Fade's winery, Analemma, is in the Columbia Gorge near Mosier, Oregon, far from the hue and cry of Willamette Valley tourist traffic. When they first decided to make a sparkling wine folks thought they were nuts, but then locals began tasting it and buying it up at a feverish pace. The critics discovered it next after David Schildknecht of "The Wine Advocate" described it as one of the best things he tasted ("profoundly complex") on a trip to the Pacific NW. Soon after, Jon Bonné, formerly of the "SF Chronicle," described it as "a stunning expression of Pinot Noir that… marks a major step up for small-scale artisanship in American sparkling wine” before placing it on his "Top 100 Wines of 2014" list.
The key to the quality of this wine is the nearly 50-year old Pinot Noir vines Kris and Steven get to work with. The organically farmed Atavus Vineyard sits on a south facing slope above White Salmon, Washington at an elevation of 1,600 to 1,800 feet. This site in the Columbia Gorge was selected for the owner, Charles Henderson, back in the early 1960s by legendary viticulturist Dr. Walter Clore. Dr. Clore even selected the grape varieties that would be planted there in 1968, including the Swiss Pinot Noir clone (Mariafeld) this wine is made with. Given the cooler temperatures and the fact the site receives almost three feet of rain a year, the vineyard has been dry farmed since the beginning.
Steven and Kris take that glorious fruit and whole cluster press it before allowing it to rest on its lees in neutral oak barrels. According to Steven, the Analemma Blanc de Noir is "a true Methodé Champenoise, aged sur lie for 42 months before we disgorged it on October 13, 2015." Steven and Kris have strong wine backgrounds, having worked in Washington and New Zealand at wineries like Cayuse, Craggy Ridge and Seresin Estate. But when it comes to sparkling wine they are strictly self taught. Given how amazing this wine is, they should consider teaching themselves more stuff!
Their 2011 Blanc de Noir has the kind of pale gold color that conjures up images of Autumn moonbeams and faded wedding bands. If you pour it in the biggest wine glass you can find and hold it up to the light, you'll swear you possess an orb of fireflies.
The magic continues with the wine's aromatic set. The scents are so crisp they positively snap each time you inhale. Aromas of citrus peel, yeast, Bosc pear and Granny Smith apples fresh from the refrigerator will make a fine first impression, followed by bursts of saline, almond and a talc-like minerality that's like powdering your nose.
Once in the mouth the Analemma Blanc de Noir is clean and zippy, with the kind of acidity and mouthfeel I'd expect given its 12.7% alcohol. Fruit and bread dominate here, with lots of tart lemon and quince mixing it up with a warm poppy seed brioche. The bubbles are elegant and refined as opposed to frothy and frisky. This is a serious sparkling wine, one I'd easily put into a blind tasting with bubblies from the Champagne region. Yes, this wine is that good.
As I read over Steven's tasting note there was a sentence that caught my eye: "this wine is precise with vibrant acidity and hints of autolytic character, showing long aging potential." The 2011, in addition to being better than the 2010 (something I didn't think was possible) has the acid and frame to suggest a long life ahead. But fear not, if you are like me and lack significant willpower, it's quite delicious right now.
December 2, 2017 - PHMG WAG: 2012 Oregon Pinot Noir Remix: Fun way to start an Oregon Pinot Noir tasting! 100% PN from 40 year old vines. White citrus, green apple, toast, and chalk notes zing around your palate riding the crisp acidity. This could go a couple more years.
April 4, 2017 - Very impressive, nice richness, I would buy again!
December 26, 2016 - The best domestic sparkling wine I have had to date. Wonderful balance between crisp acidity and a leesy body. It has a flightly, lifted quality while still delivering complexity and a long finish. Still young, but not as angular as a winery tasting six months ago. If you have one bottle, I would wait until this time next year, possibly longer, but no harm done drinking it now.
April 17, 2016 - Nice citrus fruit, great cut and acidity. Like a laser show in your mouth. So good.
January 2, 2016 - Lots of verve in this bottle. A lot of acidity, but balanced with the right about of sweetness. There's a lot of fruit at the core, guava flavor. Some (good) herbaciousness that comes through on the nose. Looking forward to seeing where this evolves.