Friday Sips

Reaching back to his days at Cameron to now doing his own thing, it's always a joy when Bow & Arrow owner/winemaker Scott Frank rolls in and we have discussions about music, wine, life, etc. It's even more thrilling to see this cat doing wines on his own terms and in his own uncompromising style that is very individual and virtually unlike anything else that you may see or taste in Oregon.

Last week Scott came in to sample me on his new flagship wine, this dynamite Gamay Noir. Not meant to be Pinot Noir or some sort of caricature of itself, this wine is sheer drinking pleasure and one that if I didn't have more work to get done the rest of the afternoon, could have sat around and drank the rest of the day. Traditional vinification here, this Gamay bursts from the glass arousing you with scents cherry pit, lively herbs, subtle mineral and blackberry which carry over to a succulent texture that fills the mouth yet is fleet-footed and lively. Not a pretentious bone in its body, this wine promises to bring miles of smiles as you drink it. Sheer deliciousness, enjoy it with a plate of salamis and cheeses or a simple roasted chicken.

Even though we featured this Syrah earlier in the week, we thought we should run it again, only this time giving you a chance to taste it. Pascal Marthouret started out as a mechanic who happened to fall in love with wine and farming when he started tending his elderly godmother's vines. As he progressed he was able to get out from under the hood of the car and through relatives, has established his small 15 acre estate which also includes St-Joseph and Condrieu.

2011 is the third of three fabulous vintages for the area and Pascal soars with his entry Syrah. There also seems to be a bit of the higher-end St-Joseph that wound up into this cuvee upon smelling and tasting its level of depth. Brimming over with raspberry and marionberry jam, black olive, cocoa and peppery/smoky aromas. Pure, ample but impeccably balanced in the mouth which makes it a very crowd pleasing glass of wine that is delicious with everything from a rack of venison, to a hearty mushroom dish and a simple plate of cheese.

The Italian region of Friuli is renowned for its white wines and one such, even though it is non-native that thrives in this cool environment, is Sauvignon Blanc. What other Sauvignon to compare it to? A bit difficult because these wines have their own distinctions and bear little in resemblance to those of Sancerre, New Zealand, or Napa. Founded in 1973, La Viarte is located less than a few miles from the border of Slovenia and what we’ve been experiencing from this tiny grower (8,000 cases make up 15 different wines) is nothing short of value-oriented deliciousness.

From slopes at 400 feet and grown on sand/marl soils, this Sauvignon sings! Saline, mineral and a quasi-lemongrass quality surround perfumed nectarine and follow through to a texture that provides lots of coverage along with tense, twangy dryness. Perfect all by itself, but it will accompany so many of your favorite seafood dishes. Personally we would invite a few friends over, grab a myriad of shellfish and toss a bunch of it back.

Absolutely one of the coolest wines from Italy is the Sella & Mosca Carignano (Carignan for youze Francophiles). Grown in the rugged Sulcis district of Sardinia, the ancient vine grapes used for this wine are put to the test by extreme conditions – blazing hot weather in the summer and then aided by strong winds from the sea, both elements that would agitate many other grape varietals.

Chewy, bold and voluptuous with all of the tell-tale wild blackberry, sage, olive, pepper, grenadine and the all-encompassing briny, seabreeze scents that are associated with the area. In the mouth, it is opulent and spicy with plenty of staying power, vanilla/wild-spice and superb persistence. Too bad we’re not in Kansas City because this would work with much of their amazing barbecue, the best being pulled pork…OK, we can TRY to recreate it…drink through 2016.