What a terrific Saturday it was last weekend as a result of my attending the 4th annual La Paulee de Carlton, hosted by Scott Paul Wines.

The event kicked off Saturday afternoon at the Scott Paul winery in Carlton, where a packed tasting room was enjoying a variety of new and old world pinot noir (no tastings fees were charged) with various appetizers available as well. Upon entering the place, I was immediately approached by Martha Wright, who along with her husband, Scott, are proprietors of Scott Paul Wines. The warm greeting shown by both Martha and Scott was extended to every visitor, a level of hospitality that carried forward into the evening dinner event.

As I mentioned in my review of this winery two years ago, Scott Paul distinguishes itself by pouring and selling French burgundy alongside its own wines. On this occasion, Scott invited one of his neighbors, Brian O'Donnell of Belle Pente, to pour. In addition, Scott Paul's winemaker, Kelley Fox, was featuring inaugural releases from her own label, Kelley Fox Wines.

After tasting through the wines, I ended up purchasing half a case each of the Scott Paul 2007 Cuvée Martha Pirrie, the 2007 La Paulée, and the 2008 Audrey (futures). I was especially fond of the '07 La Paulee and '08 Audrey, two wines I can't wait to open at my table in the coming year. Kelley's '07 and '08 releases were terrific as well - wines that I hope to return to in the near future. And I had already loaded up on two mixed cases of Belle Pente wines, having enjoyed a number of their wines these last few months.

Later that same Saturday, the La Paulee de Carlton migrated to The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg for an evening of food and wine in celebration of the year's harvest. This dinner event was $125 per person and included the following menu:

Reception
Salmon Patrami, and Pear Mustard on Volkenbrat Toast
Red Endive Leaf Filled with Bay Scallop and Rock Shrimp
Grilled Chicken with Bacon and Persimmon
Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese, and Fennel Pollen on Brioche

Frédéric Gueguen 2007 Chablis, Côte de Lechet 1er

Dinner
Frisée and Endive Salad
w/ Smoked Duck Breast, Duck Confit, Sour Cherry Vinaigrette and Pomegranate Reduction

Scott Paul Audrey 2008 Pinot Noir

Trio of Atherton Lamb
Roast Loin, Braised Shoulder, and Grilled Ribs with Baby Fennel, Castelvetrano Olives and Orange

When the trio of lamb was served, dozens of bottles started to pass around the table, with a variety of Oregon pinots, French burgundies, and other wines poured and tasted. Best of all, I had the opportunity to try the 1999 Scott Paul Posoni Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands, the first vintage Scott produced with the founding of his winery in California (Scott Paul relocated to Oregon in 2003). It was really special having Scott pour the 1999 and 2000 vintages of this same wine, both marking the foundation of Scott Paul.

As the evening progressed, I tasted some incredibly delicious wines such as the '05 Scott Paul Audrey, '02 Domaine Drouhin Oregon (magnum), and '98 Belle Pente Wahle Reserve. There was a plethora of delightful Burgundies as well, which I won't list here. I clearly committed a faux pas by not bringing a bottle - my only excuse being the youth of my cellar - which was a poor one considering that one or two of my '04s and '05s would have been just fine.

The communal nature of this event with folks sharing and celebrating the wines they brought was dialed up a few notches when Scott Wright led us all in a Burgundian drinking song. This was clearly a highlight of the evening with all of us raising our hands in unison and singing several verses together with Scott leading the way.

If there was anything lacking with the evening event, it would have to be certain aspects of the food. For all practical purposes, I would have been happy with sloppy joes and tater tots, for it was the communal celebration of wine that mattered most to me. However, if the menu suggests a meal worthy of being paired to outstanding wines, then one would expect it to meet, if not exceed, a certain quality bar.

After looking at the photos of each dish posted on the Scott Paul blog, it appears the hosts were given plates much different from the meal I received.

Unfortunately, the smoked duck breast was a rubbery, unchewable mouthful and there was a clear dearth of confit lost in the frisée and endive. The grilled lamb ribs were merely bones, an observation called out by the person sitting across from me.

The olives were tiny, fleshless morsels that were inedible. And two, tiny sprigs of fennel were hidden underneath my lamb, wilted and overcooked. Even still, the braised lamb shoulder was devine - a clear standout on the plate and a saving grace to the entire meal.

In all fairness, The Allison Inn has only been open a couple of months and this was a meal for a large number of people. Hopefully, the Jory Restaurant's food service will show improvement through more experience serving large dinner events such as this one.

The food issues aside, the La Paulee de Carlton 2009 was a fantastic afternoon and evening, one that I hope to attend in the future. If you are a fan of pinot noir or just wine in general, then this is an event worth attending. Martha and Scott Wright are to be commended for introducing our region to such a terrific tradition and are to be thanked for their warm, generous hospitality.

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