What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

As part of my Northwest Palate prize, I received a bottle of the Amity 2006 Riesling. I was glad to get this bottle in the mixed case, as I really enjoy riesling, especially that produced in the Pacific Northwest. And I was really excited to try a bottle of Amity, a winery started in 1974 by one of Oregon's early wine pioneers, Myron Redford.

Before opening the bottle, I was glad to see the approach Amity took in detailing the who, what and where of this wine on the back label. In fact, the level of detail on the Amity 2006 Riesling (12.1%) was something any wine geek might appreciate, with specifications on total acidity 5.6g/L, pH 2.94 and residual sugar 14.8g/L.

But I was most impressed with the back label's notes on the growing season, wine profile, food pairings, and location/hours of the winery. There was a lot of useful information packed into this label, including two logos signifying the riesling was certified Salmon SAFE and LIVE - Low Input Viticulture and Enology.

The text ended with a sentence stating, "Our wines are dedicated to the memory of my brother and mother, Hugh and Ione Redford". The bottle was then signed by the winemakers, Myron Redford and Darcy Pendergrass. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about these folks even before tasting their wine.

Going to the Amity Vineyards web site, I discovered a lot about the history of this 34 year old winery, including stories of how Myron founded Amity, his approach to winemaking, and overall philosophy toward enjoying wine. The following says it best:

We are a small, family (and friends!) run winery whose philosophy is that wine is a food and should be shared with one’s family (and friends!).

As to the Amity 2006 Riesling, it was an interesting wine to experience, with the petrol characteristics of this varietal on the nose, giving way to some floral, pear notes. On the palate, there was a nice crispness to the wine, but the sweetness tended to build over time. There wasn't much fruit to taste, with all of it ending in a nice clean finish. It held up well with food, but it wasn't one of those wines which prompted me to keep filling my glass. It just didn't arrive, settle or finish in a way that excited me.

Nonetheless, I am eager to try more of Myron's wines in the months ahead and will hopefully pay the winery a visit on my next trip to the Willamette Valley.