Home


About


Books


Connections


Perspectives


Tasting Notes


Wine Recos


Categories

« October 2008 | Main | December 2008 »

November 29, 2008

Lumos 2007 Pinot Gris Oregon

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Last month, I became a big fan of Lumos wines after enjoying a bottle of their 5 Blocks pinot noir. Dai Crisp, owner/winemaker at Lumos Winery, has hit another home run with his 2007 pinot gris, a bottle I purchased at my local wine retailer for $17. As a result, I am even more smitten with this Oregon producer not only for their wines, but also their overall approach celebrating the people and places going into each bottle of Lumos wine. I paired the Lumos 2007 Pinot Gris Rudolfo Vineyard with our dinner...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 04:14 PM |

L' Ecole No. 41 2006 Semillon Fries Vineyard

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) I should have looked closer at the label before opening this wine, for it wasn't until I poured it into the glass that I realized its alcohol was a whopping 14.4%. Yikes! I just don't understand how some folks can craft white wines with that much octane in them. I had received this bottle of L' Ecole No. 41 2006 Semillon Fries Vineyard Wahluke Slope as part of a mixed case prize from Northwest Palate magazine earlier this year. Otherwise, I would not have purchased a white wine like this, as most that...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 03:20 PM |

Milbrandt Vineyards 2006 Traditions Riesling

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Although this wine may not be one of my favorite Washington rieslings, I am better off for having tried a bottle, which I picked up at my local wine merchant for $11.50. As a result of opening the Milbrandt Vineyards 2006 Traditions Riesling, I was introduced to the larger story that is Butch and Jerry Milbrandt, brothers who extended their farming backgrounds to become winergrowers in the late 1990s. The Milbrandt brothers farm 1,600 acres of grapes in 13 different vineyards, most of which are located in the Wahluke Slope AVA, with a...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 01:36 PM |

November 24, 2008

Upcoming Events in the Willamette and Walla Walla Valleys

For fans of Oregon and Washington wine, there are two events coming up that are worth considering. This weekend (Nov 28 thru 30) is the annual Wine Country Thanksgiving event in the Willamette Valley. Many wineries throughout the valley will be opening their tasting rooms for the public and holding special events during the holiday weekend. For more information, please visit the Willamette Valley Wineries site. The following weekend (Dec 5 thru 7) is the annual Walla Walla Holiday Barrel Tasting in Walla Walla, Washington. Over 50 local wineries will be offering barrel tastings and other activities to celebrate the...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 07:57 PM |

Columbia Winery Small Lot Series 2007 Riesling

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Although this wasn't officially "drank with dinner", we did enjoy this Washington riesling before our meals on two consecutive nights. The Columbia Winery 2007 Small Lot Series Riesling Yakima Valley (13%) offers a delicious expression of our state's riesling at a reasonable price. I picked a bottle up at a local grocer (Metropolitan Market) for $14.50. Columbia's small lot series is a collection of low production bottlings described on their web site as "wines produced exclusively for our wine club and tasting room". Looks like some cases needed to be moved into the...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 07:08 PM | | Comments (3)

November 22, 2008

Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) In my last post, I wrote about a wine that was a case study in bottle label minimalism. With this one, I wanted to highlight a producer at the opposite end of the spectrum, Willamette Valley Vineyards (WVV), who with their labels do a fantastic job connecting the consumer to the people, places, and practices going into each bottle of wine. The back label was the first thing I noticed when getting ready to open a bottle of their 2007 Pinot Gris Willamette Valley ($15) and the 2006 Tualatin Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 02:13 PM | | Comments (1)

November 18, 2008

Bethel Heights 2007 Pinot Gris

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) I appreciate minimal intervention in wine making, but when it comes to wine labels, I prefer maximum details and descriptions. At the very least, a bottle's label should offer the consumer a bit about the people, places and practices going into the wine. The Bethel Heights 2007 Oregon Pinot Gris offers a case study in wine label minimalism. Other than the producer, place, variety, and vintage being repeated on the front and back labels, one is left to wonder what went into this wine. Fortunately, there are some insightful winemaker notes at the...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 08:43 PM |

November 15, 2008

A Few Sun Breaks in Oregon's Purple Haze

In a recent Oregon Wine Press guest column, Bill Hatcher, owner of A to Z Wineworks and CEO of Rex Hill Vineyards, wrote about the challenges Oregon pinot noir is facing as a result of too much supply chasing too little demand. Hatcher's commentary, which he entitled, "Under a Purple Haze", suggests that the Oregon wine industry is in a fog of increasing production, while neglecting to build sufficient national demand for its product. Hatcher seems to spare no one in calling out blame for this predicament. At the state level, there is the Oregon Wine Board's paltry spend...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 10:21 PM | | Comments (5)

November 09, 2008

Pacific NW Magazine Profiles Wineries and Winemakers

In today's Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine, writer Braiden Rex-Johnson profiles a variety of Washington winemakers and wineries with Paul Gregutt providing his annual budget list of mixed case recommendations for the holidays. Wine & Spirits 2008 profiles six relatively new wineries in our region including Brian Carter Cellars (Woodinville), Willis Hall (Marysville), Wines of Substance (Walla Walla), Cadaretta (Walla Walla), Mercer Estates (Prosser), and Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards (Roseburg, OR). Each profile offers stories about the winemaker and highlights suggested "wines of note". Women winemakers of Walla Walla is a wonderful feature profiling fourteen women winemakers in the Walla...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 08:56 AM |

November 08, 2008

Rex Hill 2006 Pinot Noir

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) The Rex Hill 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is a large production wine (16,000 cases) crafted by Oregon's largest winery. As such, it can be found in many states and stores outside of the Pacific Northwest, making it one of the more accessible Oregon pinot noirs on the market today. I picked up a bottle at my local grocery for $24, which nets out to be about a $1 for each of the 25 various wines going into this blend. We paired the Rex Hill pinot noir with a simple penne pasta dish...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 05:29 PM |

Capitello 2006 Pinot Noir

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) One of the benefits from shopping at different wine shops is the discovery of new wines. Such was the case with the Capitello 2006 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, a bottle I purchased for $40 at the Portalis Wine Shop and Wine Bar a couple of months ago. Capitello Wines, located in Eugene, is a family owned and operated winery led by Ray Walsh, who was formerly winemaker at King Estate. Ray is a New Zealand native, who got his start making wine in his home country before ending up in Oregon. After several...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 04:31 PM |

November 06, 2008

Kings Ridge 2006 Pinot Noir

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) In 2006, Oregon experienced a bumper pinot noir crop, with wineries crushing over 17,000 tons of grapes. This was 5,000 more tons than in 2005 and twice the size of the 2004 vintage. All of that pinot noir fruit has resulted in more bottles in the retail channel, which is why a variety of "Oregon Pinot Noir" wines have appeared on store shelves this past year. I discovered one such wine, the Kings Ridge 2006 Oregon Pinot Noir(13.5%), while shopping recently at my local wine store. I purchased this pinot for only $16...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 07:27 AM |

November 05, 2008

Chehalem 2005 3 Vineyards Pinot Noir

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) This Oregon pinot noir started out well, then took a bit of slump during our meal, before recovering the next day. On the eyes, the Chehalem 2005 3 Vineyards Pinot Noir (13.2%) was a translucent garnet color. On the nose, it offered red berry fruits including strawberry and raspberry with slight hints of earth and dusty dirt. On the palate, there was cherry and strawberry with balanced acidity. With dinner, the Chehalem 3 Vineyards pinot evolved to show sweet, candied cherry flavors. Kari thought it tasted a bit metallic, almost tinny. On the...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 09:36 PM | | Comments (1)

November 03, 2008

A High Compliment to Oregon Pinot Noir

Whether you're a long-standing fan or someone just getting introduced to Oregon pinot noir, you will benefit from watching and reading Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher's recent experiences tasting wines from the state's 2006 and 2005 vintages. There is nothing but high praise coming from this wine columnist duo, who pay a high compliment to Oregon producers for crafting pinot noir with a true sense of place: The winemakers allowed the vineyards themselves, the fruit itself, the terroir itself, to star. This is what makes great Pinot what it is -- an expression of place. When we tasted...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 07:53 PM |

Please be sure to VOTE this week

Whatever your politics may be, I encourage you to exercise your right to vote this week. And for those who will need something to replace the election news cycles after Tuesday, I encourage you to read "Wine Politics" by Tyler Colman. Thanks to all who have voted or are in the process of doing so. PLEASE VOTE!...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad W. at 07:49 AM |


twitter-beyond-the-bottle.jpg

 Subscribe in a reader


Recent Posts


www.flickr.com
Thad Westhusing's items tagged with wine More of Thad Westhusing's stuff tagged with wine

Archives

Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under a Creative Commons License.