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.

Fall Line 2004 Horse Heaven Hills Red

This is a wine that my wine shop proprietor recommended based on my request for "something nuanced." He told me it is one of his current favorites. There's no doubt about it--this is an exceptionally well made wine. A blend of 42% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, this Bordeaux-style blend is both subtle and strong. In fact, it was so enjoyable that I didn't bother taking notes so now I have to go by spotty memory...

Fall Line Winery Red Wine

Variety: Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Blend
AVA: Horse Heaven Hills
Alcohol: 14.8%
Price: $30-$35
Aromas: Plum, cherry, lavender,
Flavors: Lavender, tomato, boysenberry, spice

Summary: A nicely balanced wine with layers of distinct aroma and flavor (hence the nuance). While the nose is a little bit reminiscent of a new world style Côtes du Rhône, the flavor has hints of a Loire Cab Franc. It doesn't hit the hard-core level of iodine of a Loire red but the savory tomato characteristics are there combined with woody herbs like lavender, and soft flavors of purple berry. This wine gets a smiley-grape.

Leonetti Sangiovese 2003

We have not had many Washington State wines. This is certainly the first Sangiovese that we have had from Washington. On a visit to see Eric of Salem Wine Imports, he was quick to point out this wine to us as being something different. This was a must for us to try.

Aged in French Puncheons and 30 hectoliter ovals for 14 months, this wine has bold European oak characteristics. The lot size was 719 cases. This wine is a good value when you want something special. The Syrah brings strength to the wine adding additional depth and body.

Sangiovese
Leonetti Cellars
Walla Walla Valley
Vintage: 2003
Blend 78% Sangiovese, 22% Syrah
Alcohol: 14.1
Price: $30.00

Color: Rich ruby red
Intensity: Medium
Aromas: Black cherry, cassis, allspice, toast, coffee, chocolate, rose
Flavors: Strawberry, blackberry, cherry, plum, cassis, black pepper, licorice, oak, cedar
Body: Full
Acidity: Crisp
Sweetness: Dry
Tannins: Leather
Finish: Long

Summary: Very wood and toast forward with plenty of cassis, cherry, strawberry to back it up. As the wine opened up, the cedar notes took the edge off of the fresh French oak. Buried in this oak is a wonderful rose that one would expect from a quality Sangiovese. This is not an Italian style Sangiovese, perhaps a hot Tuscany or Sicilian climate could product grapes this bold. Spicy long finish, good balance of acid, flavor and tannins. This is a bold American style wine.

We plucked this wine out of the loft cellar because we are having spaghetti with meat sauce tonight. This wine will stand up to rich tomato based dishes such as cioppino, shrimp scampi, pizza and lasagna. I would also have this with steak fajitas, roast beef and red deer Wellington.