For those who might have dismissed the 2007 vintage, I encourage you to get your hands on the Evesham Wood 2007 Le Puits Sec Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills (13%). This wine is delayed gratification in the bottle...or better put, grace in the glass. Granted, I am clearly biased here - I remain a huge fan of the 2007 vintage in Oregon, as these are my kind of Pinot noir. Graceful, elegant, understated, ethereal...all fitting descriptions for the Evesham Wood Le Puits Sec. The last time I experienced this Evesham Wood pinot was the 2005, a bottle that made me an...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:50 PM | Permalink

After enjoying their 2007 last year and the 2008 this year, I am hooked on St. Innocent Freedom Hill Chardonnay. In the glass, this Willamette Valley chardonnay is a clear, vibrant yellow gold, delivering round aromas of floral peach and pear to the nose. On the palate, bright notes of fruit and acidity combine to make you want to sip more of this delightful wine. And the minerality that arrives in the finish is really appealing, prompting me to fill my glass again. I stocked up on the 2007 for the same reasons I am going to buy more of...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:34 PM | Permalink

I really enjoyed the 2007 vintage of this wine, therefore was looking forward to trying the 2008, which did not disappoint. That said, the Cristom 2008 Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir at 14% was a bit higher in alcohol relative to the 2007, which showed in the finish. Even still, we enjoyed this Cristom Pinot noir with our grilled King salmon, farro, heirloom tomatoes, and olive bread. A clear garnet red in the glass, the 2008 Mt. Jefferson Cuvee conveyed predominant red fruit aromas with an earthiness that followed. On the palate, there was balanced fruit flavors and acidity with...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:25 PM | Permalink

A terrific wine, one that I am so thankful to have more of in the cellar. In the glass, the Crowley 2007 La Colina Vineyard Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13%) was a clear, deep garnet red color, delivering wonderful red berry fruit, earth, forest floor, and spice to the nose. On the palate, the Crowley La Colina ($36) was an incredibly well balanced wine, combining a harmony of cherry fruit flavors, complimentary acidity, and decent tannins. A smooth, round lingering finish. I have become a big fan of Tyson Crowley's wines with each bottle opened. His 2007s are reason enough...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:00 PM | Permalink

Our dishwasher broke down yesterday, therefore I have spent the last two nights hand-washing more dishes and glasses than I care to count, let alone remember. Hopefully, our dishwasher will be repaired tomorrow afternoon, whereupon I will be relieved of this manual, time-consuming task. In the meantime, I have a newfound appreciation for the benefits this machine has brought to our lives, let alone millions of other households around the world. This appliance has reduced what was once hours of manual scrubbing into a quick load of mechanized cleaning. The dishwasher, and other appliances like it, are truly beneficial machines....

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:53 PM | Permalink

A while back, we had the pleasure of hosting Todd Hamina to dinner at my home while he was visiting Seattle. Todd brought over several of his 2008 vineyard designate pinot noirs to open with our meal of chicken cacciatore, which Kari crafted in her magical red Le Creuset. What a terrific occasion it was having Todd join us at our table to enjoy his recent releases while getting to know more about him, his family, and his path to becoming a winemaker (see this OWP article for a more detailed profile). Starting with his inaugural 2007 pinots, I...

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Posted by Thad W. at 08:09 PM | Permalink