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 years making wine at King Estate, Ray decided to found Capitello with his son, Desmond, in order to spend more time together. Ray's story about his path to wine and subsequently venturing out on his own is worth reading.

He shares some of this on the back label of the bottle:

Growing up in New Zealand, I learned about winemaking. Working Oregon, I've learned about grape growing. Capitello wines stand as a culmination of achievements by outstanding farming and artisan winemaking. Each wine is a true expression of the vineyard and vintage, produced with great pride for your enjoyment. Cheers, Ray Walsh.

We paired the Capitello 2006 Pinot Noir (13.5%) with a Asian style roasted duck breast on soft polenta with grilled baby bok choy. On the eyes, this Oregon pinot noir was a translucent ruby red. On the nose, it offered bright red berry fruit with an earthiness that was really appealing. Also, there was a bit of menthol or eucalyptus on the nose, which may be from the barrels used. On the palate, the earthiness came through even more, with notes of forest floor and some minerality as well.

This was a wine that I would enjoy again, as it offers moderate alcohol, decent fruit, some earthiness, and good acidity. However, it's unfortunate that on the bottle and online, there are no details on where Ray gets his fruit or how he makes the wine. It was only after some searching online that I eventually located information on Ray's fruit sources and winemaking approach. I hope some winemaker notes are posted on the site soon, for this would help connect the consumer to the "outstanding farming" and "artisan winemaking" behind Capitello wines.