A Day at Owen Roe is Unlike Any Other Tasting!

What a fantastic day for wine tasting - 95+ degrees in the valley, 65 degrees in the winery! And to make it even sweeter, I was at the Owen Roe winery near Champoeg Park in St. Paul. My appointment was for 2 p.m. to taste through their current wines but I had no idea what Rose had in store for me! Started with the DuBrul Riesling - absolutely fantastic! You could tell it would be very food friendly - a bit viscous on the palate, .4% residual sugar but not sweet. Fruit and acidity was perfectly balanced. On to the Chardonnay - admittedly not my favorite white variety - yet I could see how it might pair with a poached chicken salad. The Merriman Pinot Noir was beyond delicious. I love a Pinot that has a little more oomph! than some of the more lighter in color and flavor Pinot Noirs. It had a slightly smoky, earthy aroma with full flavors of dark cherries. Yum! Had the pleasure of another DuBrul masterpiece - the 2006 Cabernet Sauv. Fantastic! I actually have one in my cellar at home so this let me see how it might be showing right now. Although I loved it on Saturday, I may let it sit a while longer. Finished with a "killer" Zinfandel and couldn't leave without trying The Parting Glass, a lovely Semillon dessert wine that would be orgasmic poured over grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream - Yikes! As the sun was setting over the vineyards - well this is getting a little too poetic - actually spent nearly 3 hours, lazily tasting and chatting with other visitors.

Enjoyed meeting some folks who were also there for tastings - from Indiana, San Francisco, Tualatin - new and old fans of my personal favorite - Owen Roe! If you get an opportunity this summer or fall, call Zoe or Rose at 503-678-6514 and set up a tasting appointment. You'll thank me for it! Guaranteed!!

Riesling takes on a whole new experience!

Loved this wine! Joel Myers, in collaboration with his three sons, makes an exquisite Riesling that is ultra food-friendly. Joel, the founder of Vinetenders, which currently tends over 400 acres of prime vineyard property in the N. Willamette Valley, started his own label in 2000. I have followed Joel for the last five years, and have been consistently pleased with his wine. He is the vineyard manager of Hyland Vineyard, acquired in 2007 by the owners of Solena wines and makes a mere 70 cases of this delicious dry Riesling from this vineyard site. Asian food is often difficult to pair because of the different sauces, seasonings, textures but we paired this Riesling with our dinner last night and it was fantastic! Super food friendly, I can't recommend this wine enough. Try it - better yet, send me an e-mail and I'll see that you get your hands on one of the remaining bottles of this small production wine!

Summer has Finally Arrived.....

Life is full of surprises. Here it is July 6, and I do believe summer may have arrived--finally! And just in the knick of time as I have some fantastic whites and rose' wines to share with friends and family. Poured a lovely Topel Sauvignon Blanc recently. I stumbled on Topel shortly after they opened their tasting room off the town square in Healdsburg, CA on my trip there last October. They were featuring chardonnay, meritage, cab sauv, and this lovely, crisp Sauv Blanc. It was so good when I got it home, I called and had another case shipped to me. And it was 50% off at the time! I love those kind of deals.

Yesterday, we cooked a fantastic tri-tip on our Traeger grill. Marinated the meat for 12 hours and then slow cooked it until it was perfectly tender and amazingly flavorful. Add a spicy Syrah and you have a perfect meal. This quarter's Cellar Select wine members will have a chance to sample a new label - Christopher Michael. His 2007 Paso Robles Syrah hit the mark perfectly and for under $15!

Speaking of Cellar Select, I am having a ball! Every quarter I get to make wine selections to meet and greet the palate of my club members. July is the first delivery, and I have some special wine to present. Soave Classico, JK Carrier Provacateur Pinot Noir, Abacela Vinter's Blend, to name a few. Just give me a call or email me and I'll get you details for the next quarter.

Keep your eye out for my weekly blog. Now that I'm tasting and enjoying wine again, I have much to share. Salud!