Sunday, May 27, 2012

WineChat Wednesday Was Oregon Pinot Noir Night



Don't you just love a whole hour of wine friends getting together to talk about Pinot Noir especially from Oregon. Tonight not only was I treated to some new wine facts regarding the multiple AVA's, I had the pleasure of tasting RStuart & Company 09 Big Fire Pinot Noir and 08 Autograph Pinot Noir Willamette Valley along with an 09 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Dundee Hills.

Located in McMinnville, winemaker Rob Stuart and partners founded RStuart & Company in 2002. Rob's prior stops included Valley View Vineyards, Hans Kornell, Erath Vineyards and Stanton Hills. The experience has served him well because the wine was delicious.

Starting with the 09 Big Fire Oregon Pinot Noir the nose was lighter with cherry and red berries, slight hint of spice along with rose pedals. The flavor was light bodied with cherry and hints of strawberry/cranberry/spice. I see this wine as the evening starter on the patio.

Next up the 08 Autograph Willamette Valley was loaded with black cherry, a fresh cut bouquet of roses, cloves and a hint of chocolate. Wonderful pleasing nose on this wine. The flavor was a huge ripe cherry sensation with hints of strawberry and a touch of raspberry. The spice was nice in the middle and complimented by orange peel. The finish was nice and long showcased the red fruit/spice. Love this one.

The final wine of the evening an 09 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills. Armed with a desire to succeed in an industry which did not exist, Bill and Susan Sokol Blosser first planted their vines in 1971. Still family owned and operated by Alex and Alison Sokol Blosser, the wines produced are not only award winning but continue to shape and showcase Oregon's success in the wine industry.

Beautiful earthy mushroom aroma followed by a huge dark cherry and then finishing with a bold spice. My comment "this screams pinot and now drink me" was oh so appropriate (just ask Shawn B who was also tasting). The aroma carries over to the outstanding flavor on this wine with ripe rich cherry, hints of raspberry followed by leather and spice. Pinot at it's finest.

A huge thank you to Maria Stuart, Jenny Mosbacher, Tamara Belgard and Frank Morgan for introducing me to these wonderful wines. Always a pleasure to join in the fun on Winechat each Wednesday evening 6pm pacific, 8pm central, 9pm eastern whichever region you reside.

R Stuart & Company

Sokol Blosser

Cheers
Dan

1 comment:

Youngberg Hill said...

Glad you found a couple of great Pinot producers from McMinnville. Next time your exploring, we hope you can check out wines from an Iowa connection. I grew up in Iowa, Oakland to be exact,found my way to Oregon, and am producing Pinot Noir under the Youngberg Hill label.We grow our own fruit using organic and biodynamic farming practices. Cheers.