What nice wines did you taste this weekend?
- Thread starter MikeCh
- Start date
I live in Portland, OR neighborhood, and the Willamette Valley is just a short drive away. There are a few really well regarded Pinot producers, some contending with the best of from Burgundy. That said, I tend to shy away from Pinot as it tends to have a bit of a sweeter profile (red cherries, red raspberries, strawberries) compared dark fruit profile of Cabernet, syrah, etc. I do appreciate (as I experience more truly great Pinot) jus how expressive a grape it is.
A couple months back, before the China virus, my wife and I attended a wine dinner for a local charity. There we were introduced to a Pinot producer that absolutely blew me away. I don’t even consider it Pinot as the wine is simply stunning it its complexity and layering. I immediately bought a couple cases, and for me to invest in Pinot would have been unthinkable before this.
The parent vineyard has 128 acres under vine, but the “Rose & Arrow” label represents only 7.5 acres, from which they produce 7 wines from 7 different parcels. Very limited production. The wine shown is the entry to their amazing wines.
A good and dear friend who has wine knowledge of a level 2 or 3 sommelier wrote this after I sent him a bottle:
My tasting note are thus: Seductive, angelic, enchanting, heavenly, mesmerizing! Rich red raspberry, ripe blueberry on the nose and palate with a hint of rainier cherry on the front. As the wine opens after a few minutes you’re connected with the mineral foundations of the earth - bedrock - finished on the back of the palate with light cedar and dominatrix leather! Feminine and strength to be sure.
and...
My favorite Pinot Noir ever to be sure. Like sitting down with Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill for a lengthy discussion over dinner and an evening!
Remarkable and rare, if you love wine never pass an opportunity to taste this.
burgundy rules!
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That quartet is a little outside my price range, but I'm happy to come for a visit!
My former neighbor was fond of saying “all roads lead to Burgundy.”
I’d be thrilled to have just a taste of those bottles you display... as in this hobby you sometimes find the limitations of your prior experience. I only hope they deliver commensurate with their prices! And I hope too they came with a ‘corked’ warranty—wouldn't that be a heartbreaker?
That's a spectacular stash and there you go, learn something every day. I'd thought La Romanee was a DRC monopole.
Only had a Saint-Vivant of the Vosne grand crus, it lived up to expectation. Plenty of great premier cru though, '89 Georges Noellat - Les Beaux Monts by no means the most expensive but the most memorable wine I've ever tried. Mine were finished up by the early 2000s
I thought my cables and speaker wires were expensive....
Visitors are most certainly welcome..... I’m not sure if we’ll be drinking these, but something good will get opened! Nothing better than a nice bottle of wine, good tunes, and friends.
I agree about all roads leading to burgundy. As much as I also love Barolo, BdX, champagne, and my German riesling ..... burgundy does it like no other for me. Those bottles are going to need to sleep a lot longer before I open any of them for sure. The irony is; when I bought some of this stuff on release it was pretty pricey. Since then the values have gone up so much on some of it that I’m not sure I can justify opening it - the auction house might be in my future. A first world problem I know, but it is something that’s kinda hard to reconcile sometimes.
My wife and I just opened a Chateau Margaux, the Premier Grand Cru Classe 1996. A remarkably good wine...we know very little about wines, but we enjoy what we enjoy...and also like to learn on our own.
In the end, we concluded a wine of extraordinary quality, finish and patina..but perhaps of a 'flavor' that was not inherently our favorite. So while we did appreciate its extraordinary beauty...it was not of an original foundation that was to our taste. Make no mistake...this was not about not liking it. It was remarkable...but we do not think we will buy another bottle.
As a rule, for some reason, we keep coming back to Penfolds...more chewy, a bit more 'spicy/bold'?...and have always enjoyed the bottles from them that we have had: 105, 389, even the very basic Bin 8...and of course the St Henri 2010 and we are looking forward to opening the 707 and Grange 2012 at some point which we picked up a few years ago.
In the end, we concluded a wine of extraordinary quality, finish and patina..but perhaps of a 'flavor' that was not inherently our favorite. So while we did appreciate its extraordinary beauty...it was not of an original foundation that was to our taste. Make no mistake...this was not about not liking it. It was remarkable...but we do not think we will buy another bottle.
As a rule, for some reason, we keep coming back to Penfolds...more chewy, a bit more 'spicy/bold'?...and have always enjoyed the bottles from them that we have had: 105, 389, even the very basic Bin 8...and of course the St Henri 2010 and we are looking forward to opening the 707 and Grange 2012 at some point which we picked up a few years ago.
LL, maybe your taste is more towards “new world” wines as the Margaux would certainly have the minerality of a classic bordeaux. It took me a decade of learning, tasting, and enjoying wines to develop appreciation for the much more mineral driven flavors usually associated with old world wines.
We were at a wine tasting event a couple years back—there were a out 40+ Oregon Pinot producers to sample from. I met a winemaker who had spent several decades making Pinot in Burgundy. I asked him about differences between France and Willamette Valley production styles. He said in America (generally referring to new world wines) “you make wine for... and he patted his cheeks” but in France “we make wine for... and he patted his stomach.” I understood immediately. New world wines ‘generally’ are more fruit driven affairs that announce themselves in the mouth, on the pallet, where old world wines ‘generally’ are more reflective of terroir. Why tap his belly then? I understood this as more mineral driven wines are made more with perhaps an understanding of being consumed with meals and food pairing, they settle and satisfy the body in a dare-I-say more ‘organic’ way.
That’s my understanding and attempt to explain distinctions that might be reflective of your perceived appreciation for the Penfolds vs the Margaux. No value judgement, we should all drink wine we like, and both are wonderful in their own ways.
We were at a wine tasting event a couple years back—there were a out 40+ Oregon Pinot producers to sample from. I met a winemaker who had spent several decades making Pinot in Burgundy. I asked him about differences between France and Willamette Valley production styles. He said in America (generally referring to new world wines) “you make wine for... and he patted his cheeks” but in France “we make wine for... and he patted his stomach.” I understood immediately. New world wines ‘generally’ are more fruit driven affairs that announce themselves in the mouth, on the pallet, where old world wines ‘generally’ are more reflective of terroir. Why tap his belly then? I understood this as more mineral driven wines are made more with perhaps an understanding of being consumed with meals and food pairing, they settle and satisfy the body in a dare-I-say more ‘organic’ way.
That’s my understanding and attempt to explain distinctions that might be reflective of your perceived appreciation for the Penfolds vs the Margaux. No value judgement, we should all drink wine we like, and both are wonderful in their own ways.
Hi Bobvin,
Now I can see why your moniker! An oenophile! Thanks for that...very, very interesting. And we certainly are always open to learning more...we always say we know nothing about wines, just a little about what we like and enjoy. So if understanding new ways to enjoy and appreciate wine brings us to greater appreciation...fantastic.
I will share your insights and we look forward to the next old world trial!
Now I can see why your moniker! An oenophile! Thanks for that...very, very interesting. And we certainly are always open to learning more...we always say we know nothing about wines, just a little about what we like and enjoy. So if understanding new ways to enjoy and appreciate wine brings us to greater appreciation...fantastic.
I will share your insights and we look forward to the next old world trial!
@LL21 I understand where you're coming from. Of the 1st Growths I'm also less inclined toward the classic Bordeaux style of Margaux and Lafite. You don't have to travel far though, the fuller, richer more muscular style of Mouton and Latour is more to my taste. My experience of the 1st Growths isn't extensive but from my limited experience I'd choose a top St Julien before Lafite or Margaux. Softer more delicious wines as a generalisation. That said I'd not turn down the opportunity to sample anything from this sort of list!!
If you've not already tried it seek out Ch Musar, it's fairly widely available in the UK and of a similar style to those top Penfolds you mention. The one area it doesn't compare to wine of it's quality is price, a relative bargain
LL, you might seek out a Washington state wine from the Walla Walla region called Longshadows “Sequel”. As in the sequel to... Penfolds. Longshadows’ is a collective of winemakers each with years of experience from different wineries. In this case John Duvall who was originally @ Penfolds. “Sequel” is one of my favorites from Longshadows as I love a rich and velvety syrah. I’ve had many an evening listening to music and enjoying this wine.
Not bad for a weekends work, lol. ‘99 champagne and the Salon did what is does; blew the doors off all others. A very nice birthday weekend celebrated with my wife - it was a four day event, in case anyone’s wondering how we might have been functioning
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Nice... and happy birthday to yourself or your wife!
I have to ask, how deep is your cellar?
Thank you for the birthday wishes. it was definitely different and strange this year in the world of covid..... our cellar is plus/minus 2,200 Bottles. We have been collecting for about 20 years.