Friday Sips
FRIDAY SIPS
Oregon Pinot Posse
Today January 29 from 1:30 - 6:30
Oregon Pinot Posse
Today January 29 from 1:30 - 6:30
Drop by today to go on an Oregon Pinot road trip through several of our different growing regions and their Pinot Noirs.
2014 MCKINLAY PINOT NOIR
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
$16.99 BTL./$203.88 CASE
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
$16.99 BTL./$203.88 CASE
One will never find McKinlay wines listed in The Wine Spectator, The Wine Advocate or any other wine media publication. The reclusive Matt Kinne refuses to submit samples. Those in the know and who like the stylings of Cameron, Evesham Wood, Thomas or Eyrie, real Burgundian-influenced Oregon Pinot, know the prowess of this cat.
McKinlay wines are Pinots for Pinot lovers, very sexy, elegant and aromatic. This wine follows the velvet rule of pinot noir perfectly. Red berry, violet, soft smoke, and elusive herbs and spices are the characteristics of the wine. Given that Matt has placed a bunch of declassified fruit from his Special Selection and Ladd Hill cuvees into this wine it makes sense that there is ample dimension. In the mouth, it shows some deceptive backbone, but shining through it all is a texture that is velvety, concentrated and long-legged without being jammy. As always, this wine is beautiful to drink from day one but it also has a tendency to age better than one might believe given its price point! Drink this best buy Oregon pinot now through 2020.
McKinlay wines are Pinots for Pinot lovers, very sexy, elegant and aromatic. This wine follows the velvet rule of pinot noir perfectly. Red berry, violet, soft smoke, and elusive herbs and spices are the characteristics of the wine. Given that Matt has placed a bunch of declassified fruit from his Special Selection and Ladd Hill cuvees into this wine it makes sense that there is ample dimension. In the mouth, it shows some deceptive backbone, but shining through it all is a texture that is velvety, concentrated and long-legged without being jammy. As always, this wine is beautiful to drink from day one but it also has a tendency to age better than one might believe given its price point! Drink this best buy Oregon pinot now through 2020.
2013 EVESHAM WOOD PINOT NOIR
'ILLAHE VINEYARD'
$26.99 BTL./$323.88 CASE
'ILLAHE VINEYARD'
$26.99 BTL./$323.88 CASE
Five-star, Eola-Amity based Evesham Wood has been working with this site for several years now and we have offered it since the 2007 vintage. Illahe is a stunning vineyard site located in the foothills of the Coast Range and is in good company. Croft & Freedom Hill are located here, but Illahe seems to deliver a bit more refinement and grace than these other illustrious sites.
On the dark, aromatic side, the 2013 Evesham Wood Illahe Pinot Noir reveals beautifully aromatic aromas of crushed black raspberry, violet and cinnamon that shine brightly from the glass. In the mouth the wine is stylish and refined with an abundance of penetrating fruit along with sneaky structure. The finish is suave and understated with a hint of allspice and cocoa from oak. This gorgeous Pinot will pair wonderfully with veal chops and will drink and develop wonderfully through 2023+. If you want to see some of Oregon’s best (and at a fair price) then you will definitely have to score some of this one!
On the dark, aromatic side, the 2013 Evesham Wood Illahe Pinot Noir reveals beautifully aromatic aromas of crushed black raspberry, violet and cinnamon that shine brightly from the glass. In the mouth the wine is stylish and refined with an abundance of penetrating fruit along with sneaky structure. The finish is suave and understated with a hint of allspice and cocoa from oak. This gorgeous Pinot will pair wonderfully with veal chops and will drink and develop wonderfully through 2023+. If you want to see some of Oregon’s best (and at a fair price) then you will definitely have to score some of this one!
2012 STEVENSON-BARRIE PINOT NOIR
'VISTA HILLS VINEYARD'
$27.99 BTL./$335.88 CASE
'VISTA HILLS VINEYARD'
$27.99 BTL./$335.88 CASE
Michael Stevenson, former winemaker at Panther Creek and current winemaker at Elizabeth Chambers Cellars has been producing a small amount of wine under his own label for over a decade. Utilizing some of the same vineyards that Panther Creek once utilized (Shea, Freedom Hill & Vista Hills), these are fantastic expressions of the diversity of Oregon's terroirs.
Vista Hills is a site that more folks need to know about, especially given their prime Dundee Hills location. Situated just below Domaine Drouhin and Domaine Serene, this vineyard not only delivers beautiful Pinots under their own label but also sells grapes to others. Built around lavender and floral tones, lavish complexity and detail are artistically present, especially up-front. Less spicy than the offerings listed above, this offering is creamy, fine and possessing excellent movement, balance and concentrated strawberry fruit that is almost cushiony. Precise and lifting, plenty of red earth weave through the stirring, lasting and very poised, relaxed finish that goes on and on then snaps back and soars. Drink through 2025+.
Vista Hills is a site that more folks need to know about, especially given their prime Dundee Hills location. Situated just below Domaine Drouhin and Domaine Serene, this vineyard not only delivers beautiful Pinots under their own label but also sells grapes to others. Built around lavender and floral tones, lavish complexity and detail are artistically present, especially up-front. Less spicy than the offerings listed above, this offering is creamy, fine and possessing excellent movement, balance and concentrated strawberry fruit that is almost cushiony. Precise and lifting, plenty of red earth weave through the stirring, lasting and very poised, relaxed finish that goes on and on then snaps back and soars. Drink through 2025+.
2013 KELLEY FOX PINOT NOIR
'MOMTAZI VINEYARD'
$39.99 BTL./$479.88 CASE
'MOMTAZI VINEYARD'
$39.99 BTL./$479.88 CASE
Something we virtually never do for a Friday tasting is to open a bottle of Kelley Fox Pinot Noir. These limited gems are some of Oregon’s top offerings. Having made wine at several stops including a decade at Scott Paul and at her most prominent influence, Eyrie with David Lett, Kelley is a devout old world inspired winemaker. Finesse, fury and a focus on terroir, the chance to taste these wines, even in their youth is a most excellent experience indeed.
The following are Kelley’s notes on her McMinnville Appellation based 2013 Momtazi Pinot Noir: ‘A bit darker in colour than the Maresh, the 2013 Momtazi is a brilliant light-ish red with a very youthful fuschia tinge. It is reflective like the way light reflects from the facade of a gem or a crystal. The nose is classic Momtazi: the first smells are dominated by the same smell as when a summer rain hits dusty stones. There is a whiff of spice (from the farm and not from barrels-I use only neutral wood) and feeling of faraway. The exotic. After some time in the glass, the minerals are wrapped around the fruit in the most pleasing way. The tension of the Momtazi is more like that of a bow and arrow, in contrast to the rather formless but ever-present tension felt in the Maresh. It is precise and focused. The wine is full of energy and intelligence, like an animal crouched in the dark who is watching you. A repeating motif for the wine I produce from this farm. Still tightly coiled, the 2013 Momtazi will need decanting before drinking for at least a year or two. It is long and slow-burning like embers. It has fire energy and fire eyes. It is not tame, and a beauty because of that.’
The following are Kelley’s notes on her McMinnville Appellation based 2013 Momtazi Pinot Noir: ‘A bit darker in colour than the Maresh, the 2013 Momtazi is a brilliant light-ish red with a very youthful fuschia tinge. It is reflective like the way light reflects from the facade of a gem or a crystal. The nose is classic Momtazi: the first smells are dominated by the same smell as when a summer rain hits dusty stones. There is a whiff of spice (from the farm and not from barrels-I use only neutral wood) and feeling of faraway. The exotic. After some time in the glass, the minerals are wrapped around the fruit in the most pleasing way. The tension of the Momtazi is more like that of a bow and arrow, in contrast to the rather formless but ever-present tension felt in the Maresh. It is precise and focused. The wine is full of energy and intelligence, like an animal crouched in the dark who is watching you. A repeating motif for the wine I produce from this farm. Still tightly coiled, the 2013 Momtazi will need decanting before drinking for at least a year or two. It is long and slow-burning like embers. It has fire energy and fire eyes. It is not tame, and a beauty because of that.’
