"Yum" is the first word that comes to mind in last weekend's wine tasting. The word was/is that we shouldn't expect great things from the 2007 harvest. And that may be true somewhere in the Willamette Valley but not where I spent my time over Memorial Day. Started the day at J. Christopher Winery and Holloran Vineyards in West Linn. Jay Somers is the consulting winemaker for Holloran and also makes his own wine under the J. Christopher label. Both of these labels have found a way to make 2007 delicious, exciting, and age-worthy. J. Christopher's white blend (Cristo Misto) and his Rose' (Cristo Irresisto) are both quite lovely and his Willamette Valley Pinot Noir received high praise from the likes of Matt Kramer, who has been very critical of the 2007 harvest. Jay's wine is well-priced; a good balance between quality and affordability.
From there, I headed to Penner Ash Winery. This is a beautiful location on a sunny day and I wasn't disappointed this year. The weather could not have been better. Initially, I was a little put off by the attitude of the tasting staff - but as I ventured downstairs for the Pinot Noir tasting and then further down into the 2008 barrel tasting, it became a much more positive experience. The Pinot Noir from Shea Vineyard is once more, heads and shoulders above the fruit sourced from other vineyard sites. Dussin Vineyard came in second, in my mind, with good balance, nice fruit forward presentation, good color. These wines generally run $40-45/bottle retail so they are definitely to be purchased for special occasions!
Finished the day at Redman Vineyards. I went there with the intent of supporting a woman in business but left there a little disappointed in the quality of the wine. It may take a couple of years to sort this out and, perhaps, the wine will improve with each vintage. Bill Redman, co-founder with his wife (Cathy), of Redman Vineyards, passed away in March 2009 so it will be up to Cathy to determine how she wants to proceed with the winery. They poured a Barbera and a Tempranillo ~~ and I was excited to try them. Perhaps I had a little palate fatigue, but they didn't meet my expectations for these two varieties. I'll try them again -- just to be fair!
One last winery on Monday - St. Innocent Winery outside of Salem. Mark Vlossak is celebrating his 20th year as winemaker and owner of St. Innocent. He is a master winemaker in my opinion. His Pinot Blanc is one of the best I've tasted - and consistently so. He makes a superb Chardonnay - aged 100% in neutral oak barrels - that is very Burgundian in style. Not big and oaky, but crisp and clean with flavors of apple and Asian pear. Both of these wines are well priced. Again, "yum" comes to mind!
Hope you all had a great Memorial weekend - mine was fabulous! Keep your eyes peeled for news on the wine club -- Cellar Select -- with kick off in September. This will be a fun way to try some new offerings as well as some old favorites! Salud!
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