Another Oregon Pinot Noir

We needed to buy wine for a dinner with relatives in an unfamiliar town recently. We were disappointed to find that, aside from a few Chiantis, the only varietals available in this "wine and liquor" shop were the standard seven: Chard, Sauv Blanc, Cab, Zin, Merlot, Shiraz and Pinot Noir. What gives? No Tempranillo? No Petite Sirah? Oh well... We had to bring some wine that would appeal to a variety of tastes and go well with lamb chops. We decided to look for a Pinot Noir.

The PN selection was not great. All of the Santa Barbara Pinot Noirs were between $30-$60. No thanks. Luckily, they did have a Duck Pond PN for around $20. Taster A visited the winery during a trip to Oregon last fall so we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Also, we thought it would be fun since most of my relatives live in the Pacific Northwest.

In typical dinner party style, I didn't take any tasting notes but, I remember that it it was dominated by bright flavors of cherry, with deeper aromas of blueberry and caramel, and a hint of barnyard on the nose that worked very well with the lamb flavors. It was not as rich as the Merlot we selected as one would expect but, it was very dynamic and lively on the palate.

We also had fun experimenting with some dark chocolate wafers my cousin picked up from the local chocolate shop. They were dusted with chili and salt and the pairing made the Pinot sparkle. Our Merlot was lovely too--from another winery we enjoy visiting: Benziger.

Twitter Taste Live Microblogging Pictorial

We stayed in last Saturday night and opened 3 bottles of west coast Pinot Noir along with a few dozen other TTL participants. The first bottle was an Oregon Pinot from WillaKenzie Estate Winery. Some people at the 2006 and some the 2007. We had the 2007.

Rather than summarize the tasting notes, I thought it would be fun to post this "pictorial" of the notes we tweeted on Saturday night during the event! (some will say I'm lazy, but really I'm an innovator!) ;)



There was a lot of talk about oak and pepper:







The following tweets were after coming back to the WillaKenzie after completing one round of the three Pinot line-up:




WillaKenzie is a Burgundy style Pinot Noir produced on the west coast of the United States. It was actually the least popular in the TTL tasting. The other two were from California and were a little sexier, but I think the WillaKenzie represented a, perhaps slightly austere, but classic high-toned Pinot Noir.

Duck Pond Cellars, Dundee, Oregon

On my trip to Dundee, Oregon, we stopped into visit Duck Pond Cellars, on of the regions largest wineries. Arriving onto the grounds in late Fall, you could see the remains of the once beautiful rose garden that has been encroached upon by the ravages of the approaching winter.

Entering the well appointed tasting room and gift shop, we were greeted by our hostess who invited us to a tasting and enlightened us about the winery. The flight included their 2005 Riesling and the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. Then our hostess put two glasses on the table and gave us a side by side tasting of their 2006 Pinot Noir ($20) and their Pinot Noir St Jory Vineyard ($40).

The 2006 Pinot Noir is blended from grapes sourced from their Washington and Oregon vineyards. It was a bright and alive wine with cherry, strawberry, cloves and licorice with a good dose of acidity to make it crisp. A fairly good wine for the price.

Then I evaluated the Pinot Noir St Jory Vineyard and I finally got what Pinot Noir is all about. This wine was floral, spicy and rich with fruit and wood notes. Smooth tannins with a little less acid than the 2006. This was Heaven in a glass. I think I finally get Pinot Noir after this side-by-side comparison. The St Jory Pinot Noir is sourced from their vineyard in the hills south of Salem.

I saw that they also had a 2004 Barbera. Because they did such a great job crafting the other wines, I asked for a sample. It was excellent Barbera and my mother thought so much of it, she procured a bottle. Good job, mom.

If you are headed to Dundee, I would suggest a stop at Duck Pond Cellars. It was a fun tasting, the staff is friendly and the wines are excellent.

Can a Merlot Man Survive in Oregon?

I took a trip to Portland, Oregon to visit relatives. I was pleased to spend some time with my mother who flew out with me. Unfortunately, Taster B had to work and couldn’t make the trip.

Mom and I had some free time and I decided to take her out wine tasting. This was going to be an adventure because I know next to nothing about the wine regions of Oregon and have not been to the area in some 15 years.

The hotel had a Washington-Oregon wine region booklet, but I wasn’t finding much joy. I though that the graphics were nice, but that was about it. I did decide that Ponzi Vineyards might be within distance of the hotel and decided to consult the GPS. It was an 18 mile trip through Portland and should make a nice little day trip.


We arrived at Ponzi Vineyards at 10:30 in the morning. Stepping out of the car, the air was crisp and moist and the vineyards had the strange appearance of moss. This is truly the Pacific North West. Ponzi has a beautiful vineyard and a great tasting room. We were greeted by a little sign that said "please ring the bell." The voice cheerfully greeted us and the opened the tasting room. Our host was David Nielsen who introduced us to the flight and chatted with us.

The first wine was a Pinot Noir Rosato with lively flavors and very refreshing taste. So impressed was I, that I photographed the bottle.

Next was a Pinot Noir, which was an absolutely classic Pinot Noir followed by a really intriguing Chardonnay. In order to give you a reference point, I prefer Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay. I have had too many Chardonnays that disappointed me. This Chardonnay was so extraordinary that I forgot to photograph the bottle!

Our host David chatted with us about sniffing corks, serving wines, and wine making styles. This was among the top wine tasting experience that I’ve had and I would recommend Ponzi wines. If you are going to the area, put Ponzi on your short list.

David gave us instructions to visit Dundee, Oregon and stop into the Dundee Bistro. The restaurant is owned by the Ponzi family and is just a great place to have a fun dining experience. I had the Beer Battered Ling Cod and my mom had local sturgeon. The food was excellent, the service was great and the wine selection was fabulous. And remember, I live in a fishing village, so when I recommend a restaurant where I’ve had fish, it’s nothing to “throw back”.

I’ve learned a lot about what makes a good Pinot Noir on this trip. My former lack of excitement about this wine has been exacerbated by having lack luster Pinot Noir wines. Now that I have a good reference point, I’m more interested in Pinot Noir wines.

Northwest Visions - 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

I was eager to open this bottle of Rex Hill Pinot Noir after our recent Riedel glassware acquisition to see if it would make me a Pinot-head (in the past I've found it difficult to coax the aromas from a Pinot out of the glass). I guess it worked because I had no problem smelling this wine.

It reminded me of a Merlot at first. Definite notes of cherry, toast, and earthiness on first whiff. After a few minutes the strawberry and a touch of mint came through. The cherry also came through on the palate, as well as, blackberry. The wine was pleasingly fruity and bright with smoky overtones. As usual, the wine took some interesting tangents as our tasting progressed into dinner (pasta in white wine sauce with sweet onions, yellow peppers, smoked bacon, and salmon) such as; Italian sausage (fennel); and at one point, day-old fruit salad (mushy strawbs and bananas).

We reluctantly put the last half of the bottle away to try again another day. I spent a good deal of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest and always think on the area fondly. While sipping this wine, I had visions of a family picnic on a sunny meadow near Cultus Lake circa 1975. I can't find a photographic representation so you will just have to let the description, or this wine paint the picture in your mind.

2006 Pinot Noir
Rex Hill
Willamette Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $26.99

Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language. -Henry James (1843 - 1916)