Blinding Braun

It's wine-o'clock in the Rabbit Hole once again, and we've started brand-spankin-new notebooks devoted to blind tasting. I thought an Italian Pinot Grigio would be just the thing to challenge Braun for our books. Enter Erste + Neue with a classy (and classic!) Alto Adige:

Alto Adige is the northernmost wine region of Italia, and is also known as Südtirol (South Tyrol) by the neighboring Austrians. Other than the fact that they make other-worldly white wines and are super German, all you really need to know is:

Like a friggin fairytale barfed on the map... is it time to retire yet?!

Anyway, back to the blind tasting test. After pouring the wine and hiding the bottle, there was much deliberation over notes of white peach, minerals and pears, vanilla cake, white chocolate & flower blossoms, Braun was confident in his assessment that this, in fact was a Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige. Another blind tasting win!   

Blind Tasting Win!

We love to blind taste. It's sort of an intellectual pastime in the Rabbit Hole, and tonight it was my turn to take the challenge. I'm tasting warm chamomile and round honied lemon on an unoaked-yet-creamoliciously juicy body. So, I went with my best guess, a youthful Muscadet Sur Lie---Surprise! It's a refreshing Muscadet! I've been in love with these playful Loire Valley whites recently. With a little sur lie (resting on the lees for a soft, elegant texture) these little French gems  are simply bright and super tasty. Can't wait to drink this in the upcoming summer sun!

Wines entitled Muscadet Sevre et Maine are made just SouthEast of beautiful Nantes, near the Atlantic coast of France, using only Melon de Bourgogne grapes. Ah, to spend a gorgeous day idling by the Loire river harvesting fresh oysters, bottle of chilled, minerally Muscadet in hand! It's a classic pairing, you know! I realize it's a little confusing that Muscadet isn't made from Muscat, which is also called Muscatto & Muscadelle  (and is the main variety in Muscatel), and that Melon de Bourgogne can be the sole variety in a non-"Bourgogne" bottle! Wine laws can be quite befuddling on occasion, but that doesn't make them less delicious. Plus these are bottles we can all afford---we should all be drinking more Muscadet!

Party Blind!

We met with Ali from Dumas Station & Group Vino (a conglomeration of eager wine enthusiasts) for a raucous blind tasting of nearly 30 wines---the rules? Grab a $20 and skip down to your local wine shop for a bottle of the owner's favorite wine for the dough. We sipped our whites and slurped some reds (and 1 rose!), munched on fabulous home-made bites from Portland Palates, and casted our votes. Wouldn't you know it---a new world Cab beat the competitors and was hence crowned "Mister Group Vino" for the evening---my personal under $20 fav was the 2002 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris (Alsace.)

the Superlative Intoxicant: from... New Zealand!

It's time for a little double blind action! As I pour myself a glass, the light color and boisterously earthy nose suggest a Pinot Noir. The zingy fruity lightness confirm my suspicions, a Pinot indeed! As for its origin, consider me stumped... The sprightly earth on the nose reminds me of wines from both the Willamette Valley and Burgundy, yet the lusciousness of the fruit on the palate has me convinced its a Burgundy... Let's unveil.

Oops! Forgot about those zany Kiwis; an impressive show from

New Zealand-- it seems they're bringing a little competition to the Frogs, especially at this price!

Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Noir 2008

visuals: an opalescently dark eggplant.

sniffings: did you ever think manure could be so inviting?

palate: light, simple, supple-warm-buttery-raspberry creme.

ruling: thank you New Zealand for this, thine fabulously unpretentious, out-of-the-ordinary Pinot Noir. We went back for two more bottles for every day consumption.

spendings: $15 or less.

You Are Invited...

Ah, to be young at an industry tasting; nothing else compares. My most recent wine adventure landed me at the Armory, where select Estate wineries put their most delicious current releases under the nasal scrutiny of hundreds of professionals.

VIP Industry Pass

Yamhill-Carlton District AVA

presents

Down to Earth Wine Tasting 2010

Center Stage Armory - Gerding Theater

August 30

There was Chardonnay, there was Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Reisling, an occasional wild card varietal and, you guessed it, lots of Pinot Noir. Armed only with Riedels and eager palates, we set out on the tasting floor. Of the twenty-seven wineries--totaling over one hundred pours--we anticipated surprise, drama, disappointment, and new found loves.

"Your palate is always freshest in the morning when you don't use mouthwash." -- Adam Campbell, winemaker, Elk Cove Vineyards.

Our first stop on the circuit was Elk Cove Vineyards. Now, Riesling, as I often shun sweeter white wines, is a touchy varietal for me, but Elk Cove delivered a balanced and minerally, mouthwatering 2009 Estate Riesling ($17) that seemed hand tailored to my palate, despite it's sugary nature. The selections of Pinot Noir were less impressive given the circumstance, as each was slightly flabby in flavor and loosely structured.

Spotting a decanter and a mysterious double magnum we scooted over to EIEIO & Co. where Jay McDonald no.2 poured his yet to be released 2008 Pinot Noir Cuvée Y. "The wine is young," McDonald excused, "but you professionals can taste through that!" Giddy about his "professional" comment, we sniffed and sipped... Already an immaculately structured and complex wine, this subtly oaked Pinot is going to be a stud when it's finally ready to drink (not that we'll be getting our hands on the 200 case limited release).

With a few more tastes and a revitalizing shot of gazpacho, we slipped upstairs.

Anne Amie Vineyards' 2007 Prismé candied-walnut-surprise Pinot Noir Blanc was really exciting. To produce this colorless Pinot Noir, grape skins are allowed no time to steep in the pressed juice, and aged 18 months in French oak to create a voluptuous white wine. Another tasty find at Anne Amie was the lustrous 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (92 pts Wine & Spirits, $35). What a knock out first impression; I anticipate fabulous finds in forthcoming vintages.

Let's talk Melon. Melon de Bourgogne, the varietal used to make the dry white wine, Muscadet, is a rare find outside of France's Loire Valley. The grapes have recently been introduced here in the Pacific Northwest, and--seafood lovers, get excited--Roots is bringing the heat with its fabulously spiced 2009 Deux Vert Vineyard Melon de Bourgogne. With a nice mouthfeel at $18 greens, I'm amped to pair Roots' Melon with some slippery oysters.

Next we learned how sustainably cultivated Willakenzie vines parent a remarkably acidic jelly and cocktail fruity 2007 Pierre Léon Pinot Noir ($38), and a noteworthy 2009 Pinot Blanc ($21).

My first introduction to Carlton Cellars' lightly toasted Pinot Noir was thrilling. Saturated dark-marinated cherries headed the structure of the 2007 Cape Lookout Pinot ($30), and I adored how the 2008 performed buoyantly with down-home brambly raspberry-- I felt like I should be in a jumper, cartwheeling with the chickens on a dry Autumn day at the barn.

At the end, the floor held both striking executions and dull efforts. At 3 o'clock we were summoned downstairs for a sit-down tasting.

A 10 year retrospective

Oregon producers opened their cellars to share tastes of their decade-old Pinot Noir. Ken Wright introduced a blind tasting of extraordinary 2000s from Kramer, Elk Cove, Stag Hollow, Sother, and Belle Pente.

Ranking

1. The 2000 Pinot Noir by Stag Hollow-- my favorite of the bunch-- featured a warm, graham crackery nose which introduced a well rounded palate of slightly dried prunes and a sazerac rye whiskey and puckering anise twinge... reminds me of my favorite cocktail!
2. 2000 Pinot Noir by Belle Pente. BAM! The last wine of the tasting hit with a dry, earthy and acidic cherry love.
3. The 2000 Pinot Noir by Sother was gritty and herbaceous, and saturated with watery cherries.
4. My tasting scribbles for Kramer's 2000 Pinot Noir read: musty. lightening fast acid & gritty cowboy farm barnyard yee-ha.
5. 2000 Pinot Noir by Elk Cove: bright and creamy with a fruit leathery orange plumb liqueur body.

I had a blast on my winey afternoon, and I took away a valuable lesson, "your palate is always freshest in the morning when you don't use mouthwash." Eloquently put by Winemaker Adam Campbell of Elk Cove Vineyards.


Whew! I'm exhausted... See you next time in the tasting room!

Decoding Double Blind

Early on, my relationship with wine was nonchalant, and at times, abusive. My bottle would often complain. "You only love me for my alcohol," he would insist. "Don't be absurd," I would refute, "I could have stayed with Jim." I felt the two of us had a true connection, so I decided to shirk my dispassionate attitude. In flitting about town on romantic outings and wine bar tastings, we strengthened our mutual affinity. I still felt anxious; haunted to the reticent wines dark and mysterious nature. I have learned wines background, explored flights, and even resorted to self help literature -- now, I lust for a deeper understanding which will require intense measures: I must dive into the world of double-blind tasting:

To place a featureless bottle of wine on the table is like a puzzle of sense and mind. By deductive reasoning, it is possible to pinpoint a wines varietal, region, ageing process, even vintage. The Court of Master Sommeliers make this look like a piece of fermented grape pie, and I am like the fat kid who only gets a slice after losing 100 pounds.

Much like blind Matt Murdock's transformation to heightened-sensitivity Daredevil, I shall become VinoVixen: able to decode a glass of fermented grape juice -- double-blind!