Old Ladies Bite at Duck Pond Cellars

Ancient wrinkled hands struggle to uncork a bottle of merlot as we enter a kitschy boutique style room with nick-knack cluttered shelves. Wine bottles are tastelessly adorned with awarded medals. The bar is bustling with seniors while terrible 90's soft rock saturates the air. "How you kiddies doin'?" greets the elderly tasting room associate. "Welcome to Duck Pond Cellars."

"[The pinot gris] is so minerally,

it tastes like manchego." --Brent

First taste in the glass is an 08 pinot gris. The wine is gorgeously clear by sight. My cohort-- aspiring sommelier, Brent --describes the funky crisp apple and light mandarin finish as "so minerally it tastes like manchego;" he gives an approving thumbs up, while I am less appreciative. We concur, the oaked butter flavor of the 07 Chardonnay has quite a rocky and biting relationship with its acidity. An 08 pinot noir is poured next. Though the palate features pleasant acidity, the minimal earth and awkward toastiness earns further negative reaction. The gewürztraminer finishes with a bite. I find the flabby merlot synonymous to nestle coco powder mixed with hot water, while Brent equates it to poor drip filter coffee.

Slightly perturbed and grasping for a redeeming wine, we cracker our palates and go for Duck Pond's Washington label, Desert Wind. The 08 Ruah meritage is poured, looking stately in the glass. Some cedar spice, a little rubarb... dusty tannins, dark fruits... this is a good wine! Relieved, though not convinced, we attempt a viognier, whose lite minerals and nuttiness leave little room for dissatisfaction. A clean sangiovese shows promise as a food wine. The last, an 06 syrah, proves nothing short of oddly delicious with a concentrated, rubbery body, and cedary lavender reminiscent of... wait... is that fresh raspberry creme filled doughnut? Couldn't be.

On the chance you enjoy quilting, tacky cottage motifs, and are an Alabaman tourist, your tastes may better align with Duck Pond Cellars than did mine. The Duck Pond experience was frustrating, with its off biting finishes and strangely unstructured tasting sequence (viognier after meritage!?), yet it was ultimately rescued from an inadequate evaluation. Though I cannot give the Oregon label approval, I do recommend Desert Wind as a tasty and affordable alternative.