In February we were fortunate enough to have Sharon House welcome us to her home for a tasting of Grgich Hills wine. Grigich Hills is an "old school" Napa producer.
Mike's most celebrated achievement came in 1976 when a Chardonnay he crafted for Chateau Montelena beat the very best wines in France in a now famous blind tasting in Paris. This event that stunned the wine world catapulted the Napa Valley into the front ranks of the leading wine-producing regions of the world. "For years, everybody in the world believed that only French soils could produce great wines," Mike explains. "We shattered that myth. That was probably the most significant result of the Paris tasting.
Well, 2011 kicked off in fine form with the Portland Chapter's Feast of St. Vincent. Once again this year the event was held at the Oregon Culinary Institute.The event featured a champagne reception along with appetizers done by our own outgoing Chancelier Norm Schoen.
Cheese / Meat /Vegetables
Smoked Salmon Crostini
As always the Oregon Culinary Institute did a fantastic job with hosting and giving us a first class dining experience.
Feast of St. Vincent Menu
-Starter-
Roasted Cauliflower Soup – Brown Butter Croutons
Butternut Squash Fritter – Quince Dipping Sauce
-Salad-
Blood Orange and Pomegranate Salad –Arugula, Pistachio, Ricotta Salata and Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Belgian Endive Salad – Fuji Apple, Oregon Blue Cheese, Rosemary Roasted Walnuts and Cider Vinaigrette
Chancelier Steve Lutz helped make the evening more festive by providing champagne flutes for the event (who knew that flutes could be both pink and light up?). Also Steve presented beautiful decanter's to members who had stepped up and hosted events during the year 2010. What a way to start the New Year!
In December we held our annual planning meeting on the houseboat of Arlene Harwood. With appetizer and a bunch of sparking wine and about 2 hours we were able to pull together the upcoming schedule for 2011.
A big thank you goes to Arlene for hosting this event and I want to thank all of the members who stepped up and hosted events in 2010. This should really be a special year.
-January- January 21st-Feast of St. Vincent - Oregon Culinary Institute
-February- February 20th-Grgich Hills Winery Event Hosted by Sharon House
-March- March 20th-James Beard Chefs Event - Multnomah Athletic Club Hosted by Judy Erdman & Dick Stinson
-April- April 17th-Red Burgundy Hosted by Roger & Chris Wooley
-May- May 5th-8th-Spring Fling-Paso Robles
Hosted by Sam Sundeleaf & Norm Schoen
-June- June 26th-TBD Hosted by Doc Wilson
-July- July 17th-Willamette Valley Bus Tour - Salem Hosted by Yvonne Smith
-August- August 20th-21st-Initiation
-September- September 18th-Syrah- Northern Rhone vs. E. Washingon
Steve Lutz, Kimberly Mick & Yvonne Smith
-October- October 16th-Italian-Amarone Hosted by Julie Virell
-November- November 20th-Austrailian - Yvonne Newman
-December- December 11th-Planning meeting Hosted by Arlene Harwood
A big "thank you" goes out to Kimberly Mick and Steve Lutz for hosting the September event at their home. In September we had a chance to explore the White wines of Burgundy and this gave us a chance to see what Chardonnay does on the other side of the world. This lineup really delivered. In general the wines were crisp, concentrated, complex and everything you could want in a white wine. With only two wines of the 11 wine flight coming in at more that $30/bottle this was a tremendous group of wines
Second Flight 2008 Sineann-Willamette Valley 2008 Patricia Green-Croft Vineyard 2008 Bethel Heights-Willamette Valley 2008 Seven of Hearts-Willamette Valley 2008 J. Christopher-Willamette Valley 2008 Westrey-Abbey Ridge Vineyard
Sam Sundeleaf-Table Spokesman
Robert Volz-our own almost Master Sommelier
The 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir's are supposed to be the vintage of the decade. This month we tasted a representative sampling of large and small producers with an eye on seeing what this vintage might hold for the future. We started with a small first flight that showcased a 2006, 2007 and 2008 wine. Next up we did a flight of the fabled 2008. In my humble opinion the 2006 Panther Creek-Shea Vineyard beat the pants off of everything in the first two flights. As good as the 2008 vintage is supposed to be, this lineup seemed awkward, angular and just not a QPR (quality price ratio) vintage. This vintage seems to have a ton (figuratively) of fruit, but the wines are not showing much in the way of spice, complexity or nuance. Definitely the wines of the night were the single vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot's cracked when it was time for dinner. Standouts include a 2006 Archery Summit-Premier Cuvee, a 2004 Patricia Green-Goldschmidt Vineyard and a 2006 Domaine Drouhin-Laurene.
Usually we take a winery tour just once a year. In July long time club members Liz Carpenter and Yvonne Smith organized a Charter Bus tour out to the Columbia Gorge about 90 minutes East of Portland. While the Columbia Gorge appellation is almost as close as many of the wineries in the Willamette Valley, the wine experience is an entirely different world. Instead of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay the grape varietal in the Columbia Gorge are Rhone varietals (Syrah, Mouvedre, Viognier) and Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc). The tour that was put together included:
Erin Glen-The Dalles, Oregon Syncline-Lyle, Washington Jacob Willams-Lyle, Washington The Pines 1852-Hood River
The tour left Portland early Sunday morning on the 18th and we were treated to Sparkling wines on our way to the Dalles and Erin Glenn winery. After a tour and lunch of Salmon, Roasted Asparagus and wonderful Potato salad we were on our way to Syncline Winery. Syncline is just across the Columbia River from The Dalles and they specialize in Rhone varietal grapes. Next up was Jacob Williams (also in Lyle) and then off to The Pines 1852 where we were treated to there The Pines vineyard Zinfandel which comes from a vineyard that is the oldest in Oregon (100+ years........and one of my favorites). We had a wonderful trip and an amazing time. If you missed this trip......it sucks to be you!
This is a tasting I had been thinking about for several years. Today much of the Syrah (Shiraz) we see in the USA is from Australia or other warm weather production areas. Syrah is a grape that gained great fame in the Northern Rhone of France. Those wines exhibit and savory and earthy component we seldom experience with wines made outside of the Rhone. This tasting profiles "cool climate" vineyards that are located in unexpected corners of the wne world. These wines showcased the typical flavor profiles of those sites and exposed us all to what Syrah can do in a cooler environment.
Introduction
Syrah or Shiraz is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red. Whether sold as Syrah or Shiraz, these wines enjoy great popularity.
Syrah is used as a varietal and is also blended. Following several years of strong planting, Syrah was estimated in 2004 to be the world's 7th most grown grape at 142,600 hectares (352,000 acres).
DNA profiling in 1999 found Syrah to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Durez and Mondeuse Blanche. It should not be confused with Petite Sirah, a synonym for Durif, a cross of Syrah with Peloursin dating from 1880.
Syrah has a long documented history in the Rhone region of Southeastern France, and it was not known if it had originated in that region. In 1998, a study conducted by Carole Meredith's research group in the Department of Vinitculture and Enolog at UC Davis used DNA typing and extensive grape reference material from the vinticultural research station in Montpellier, France to conclude that Syrah was the offspring of the grape varieties Dureza (father) and Mondeuse Blanche (mother).
Syrah Wines
Syrah is widely used to make a dry red table wine, which can be both varietal and blended. Four main uses can be distinguished:
Varietal Syrah or Shiraz. Of the better-known wines, this is the style of Hermitage in northern Rhône or Australian Shiraz.
Syrah blended with a small amount of Viognier . This is the traditional style of Côte-Rôtie in northern Rhône.
Syrah as a roughly equal blending component for Cabernet Sauvignon. In modern times, this blend originated in Australia, so it is often known as Shiraz-Cabernet.
Syrah as a minor blending component for Grenache and Mourvedre. This is the traditional style of Chateauneuf-du-Pape of southern Rhône, and this blend is often referred to as GSM in Australia.
Due to their concentrated flavors and high tannin content, many premium Syrah wines are at their best after some considerable bottle aging. In exceptional cases, this may be 15 years or longer.
Syrah has one of the highest recommended wine serving temperatures at 65 °F (18 °C).
Taste and flavors
Wines made from Syrah are often powerfully flavored and full-bodied. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavor notes, depending on the climate and soils where it is grown, as well as other vinticultural practices chosen.
Flavor/Aroma characters can range from:
·Violets
·Plum
·Berries (usually dark as opposed to red)
·Chocolate
·Espresso
·Black pepper
·White pepper
No one aroma can be called "typical" though blackberry and pepper are often noticed. With time in the bottle these "primary" notes are moderated and then supplemented with:
·Earthy
·Savory
"tertiary" notes such as
·Leather
·Truffle.
"Secondary" flavor and aroma notes are those associated with several things, generally winemakers' practices (such as oak barrel and yeast regimes).
Flight 1- Comparison of Cool Climate vs. Warm Climate
·2007 Pax Kobler Family Vineyard Syrah-Sonoma-Drawing inspiration from the savory wines of Cote Rotie in the Northern Rhone thiswine is fermented with a high percentage of whole cluster and anywhere between 8-12% Viognier. The Viognier “lifts” the aromatics, adds a floral element to the wine, and softens the rustic texture of cool climate, whole cluster fermented Syrah. While often lighter in body, this wine broadens and deepens with cellar age. The youthful black olive tapenade and white pepper with age add oregano, smoked bacon and lamb, along with black brambly fruit associations.
·2006 Two Hands-Bella’s Garden- Ruby-red. Energetic red and dark berry, floral and mineral scents along with a hint of spun sugar. Lively, sharply focused black raspberry and cherry preserve flavors are surprisingly weightless, with back-end mineral bite adding energy. A vibrant, deeply flavored shiraz that's very inviting right now but has the balance to age. WS-93pts.
A big (15.6% alcohol) wine, the 2006 Bella’s Garden nevertheless comes across as balanced and drinkable in its youth, marrying a rich, creamy texture with mixed berry fruit and hints of mint and vanilla. Avoids any cooked character, finishing long and fresh.
Flight 2- Cool Climate Syrah
·
2007 Cline Cool Climate Syrah –Sonoma-Cool Climate Syrah offers rich blueberry and black pepper characters finishing with a hint of cedar. The wine's bright acidity makes it a great match for food.
·2006 Cristom Syrah –Willamette Valley-Deeply colored, almost inky. Wild Blueberry and various, black-white-pink, peppercorn notes are the predominant aromas, along with a subtle vanilla scent. Ripe on the palate,, round and well balanced. It has a juicy texture and a long pleasurable finish. 10% whole cluster fermentation with 22 months in barrel-30% new. Cropped at 2 tons per acre on the warmest site at Cristom. The Syrah was grafted onto Chardonnay vines.
·2005 Jacob Williams Reserve Syrah –Columbia Valley-Dominant fruitand the spice is persuasive. Black peppercorns lead to ultra smooth layers of mineral and spice. This well known classic boasts a graceful, sophisticated finish. 24 months on French Oak.
·2007 Pax Cuvee Christine Syrah-Sonoma-Firm and structured, with full-bodied flavors built around dried berry, mineral, spice and cedar, gaining depth and traction on the finish, where the minerality is complex-WS 91pts.. Parker says: 100% Syrah with 35% whole clusters. It exhibits plenty of meaty, berry fruit intertwined with underbrush, pepper, and tapenade characteristics offered in a distinctive, Crozes-Hermitage/northern Rhone style. Medium-bodied with excellent fruit, it should drink well for 7-10 years." RP 90-92pts
·1999 Domaine De Bonserine Cote Rotie-Cote Brune-Very dark and almost opaque. Secondary and Tertiary aromas on the nose. Dark fruits with coffee and showing some oak. Palate shows a similar profile. On the modern side of the appelation.
·1999 Clarendon Hills Brookman Vineyard Shiraz –Australia-. With 13.5% alcohol, modest for a Clarendon Hills, this dark ruby/purple-colored wine offers a spicy nose of black fruits intermixed with ketchup and vanilla. The wine is excellent, full-bodied, pure, ripe, and impressive. It is measured and elegant.
