The Riggs Fulmer Newsletter
No. 4
March 19, 2009
The Newsletter is affiliated with no one but its author
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Retailers and restaurants set pricing; think of the prices below as very educated guesswork.
Please respond to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line and you will be removed from the list.
Retailers and restaurants set pricing; think of the prices below as very educated guesswork.
It has been a lovely, busy week, friends, and if it’s looking a little grey out there again right now, at least the air is soft and warm as mama’s hand, and you know our forests shine with an internal light when it rains, so think happy springtime thoughts and get ready to drink some wine!
I’d like to start off with a recap of the great Burgundy luncheon I was lucky to attend last week, hosted by Odom at clarklewis (www.clarklewispdx.com; 1001 SE Water Ave, PDX), showing off the surprisingly structured, accessible 2007 offerings from Frederick Wildman. I’d love to tell you all about how these whites in particular shimmered and danced with lively acidity and a range of expressive tropical flavors. In fact, I’m tempted to publish all of my notes from that affair… Except that my sweet ole Mac doesn’t recognize .pptx files, and so the sheet with the names of all the wines is in an attachment I can’t open. Alas and alack, cry no! at the uncaring sky. Here’s one preview, and if you’ll bear with me, I’ll have this stuff up for you next week, cross my heart! “A nose of lean, racy limes and banana skin with marked peppery acidity flirts above a palate ringing with sexy acids up front, backed by an unobtrusive, but noticeable, wood hit, with a long, gorgeous finish of minerals and textbook ‘cheesy’ terroir.” If you can name that region, I’ll give you a free copy of my new book… that I hope to publish someday.
So, with apologies for my wonted neo-luddite-esque technological ignorance (hey, I’ve been playing guitar for over twenty years, and still have to count the strings to name them!), we’ll move on to detail another excellent tasting, hosted by the mad geniuses over at one of the West Coast’s finest distribution houses, Casa Bruno.
Northwest Wines Tasting by Casa Bruno at the Portland Wine Project
It did not hurt that this great tasting was held at one of the most important new wine-centric endeavors in our region, the Portland Wine Project (www.portlandwineproject.com- under construction; 2621 NW 30th, PDX), home to the winery and tasting room shared by two of the best up-and-comers around, Boedecker Cellars and Grochau Cellars. Wines were poured in a big, spacious room with barrels and fermenters all around us; the rain came and went, painting interesting spatters on the ample windows. At one point the sun broke completely through and a young lady and I found ourselves drawn to the huge front window, our pale, phototropic little Northwestern faces drinking in the light like a cold draught of water. Amazing!
Yes, the people-watching was fabulous; the beautiful people on the scene were there in full flower, but the wines weren’t bad either. In some cases, they were absolutely captivating. To wit:
The first table as I entered the winery was (wo)manned by two of my very favorites, Athena of Boedecker and Pappas, and Andrew from Andrew Rich. What a great way to start a tasting, not just because they are truly two of the funniest, most engaging characters in the biz, but because their wines are so beautifully balanced, wonderful exemplars of their Northwestern terroirs.
2008 Pappas Wine Company Pinot Blanc $14
I love this wine. From the packaging, to the Stelvin, to the sun-bright juice inside the bottle, it hits on all levels. The nose is all pretty limeflowers and stones, while on the palate it is maybe the most thirst-quenching thing out there, with fantastic acids and minerality on the finish.
2007 Andrew Rich Roussanne $21
Andrew’s Roussanne is justifiably famous. Possessed of such elegance, yet still recognizably Northwestern (I don’t mean the two to be mutually exclusive), the nose is a cascade of Key lime, white almonds, and stones-after-rain, creamy and delicate. On the palate it’s round and plush in the mouth, while never seeming weighty. It’s on the finish that the grape shows off its French provenance, with subtly sweet fruit over soft acidity. This is a great food wine.
2007 Andrew Rich Pinot Noir “Cuvee B” $25
An absolute winner year after year, the ’07 is no statistical outlier. Pretty, classically Oregon fruit twines catlike around a core of gorgeous cherry-bright acidity and peppercorn, with a long, sexy finish. Really good juice, especially when many Oregon Pinots are thumbing their noses at the recession from the mid-fifties.
2006 Boedecker Grenache $23
And experiment gone gloriously right, let’s hope that the extra weeks of harvest needed to process this wine are counterbalanced by worldwide acclaim- or maybe not. Let’s keep it all here! This is Oregon’s Garnacha, all blushing strawberry and black cherry fruit, with a killer black pepper element on the finish. Light and easy-drinking, this is the early favorite for Summer Red of 2009.
2005 Boedecker Pinot Noir “Athena” $30
As engaging as its namesake, this Pinot is awash in pretty rose petals and freshly-turned forest floor, with a wonderful, edgy kirsch core and a long, persistent finish that just might be ludicrously good with roast chicken…
These guys were definitely some of the best in the room, but not the only ones… here are a few more thoughts from the afternoon:
2007 Cowhorn Vineyard Marsanne/ Roussanne $18
Really fun Applegate Valley fruit. This little charmer shows a peppery, limeflower extraction, with notes of coconut and mangoskin. The great, bright acids make this another fantastic quaffer.
Holloran Winery
2007 Stafford Hill “Cuvee Cameo” $15
Made by the same folks as the crowd-pleasing Cristo Misto, this esoteric blend is just beautiful, with piercing, sunny fruit and a long, creamy finish. Excellent paired with a sunny porch.
2007 Stafford Hill Riesling $14
What? That price must be wrong, right? Get it while you can, Janis admonishes us, friends and neighbors. Indeed! A sexy, lip-searing acid note on the nose sings of varietally correct Riesling fruit. Bright in the mouth, with lemons and Buddha’s hand citron, the great length and perfectly balanced acids make this an impeccable food wine.
2007 Stafford Hill Pinot Noir $21
One of the great Pinot values of the vintage, this wine has a wonderful nose, all funky Pinot cherries and truffles, wound around a vibrant palate made up of Oregon berries, roses, and earth. Great acidity on the finish. Yum!
2007 Terrapin Cellars Pinot Gris $12
Maybe the overall value star of the tasting, this wine gives Pappas ‘Blanc a run for its money for Most Refreshing Wine. The nose bursts from the glass, a riot of sweet apple fruit, with a compelling hopflower element to the snappy, citric finish. My new favorite 'Gris.
2007 Torii Mor Pinot Blanc $15
Do you get the impression that I like Pinot Blanc? No lie, amici, it’s definitely my second-favorite Pinot… and in many cases my very favorite. Torii Mor’s 2007 is simple and clean, but just beautiful, with laser-bright apples and perfect acidity.
Evesham Wood and Westrey
Everything these wineries make is as good as any wine in its category. Attain them all in whatever quantities you can afford. There’s not a clunker in the bunch. And did I mention the utter grace with which these wines age? I had a 2000 Westrey Chardonnay Reserve last year on the Clackamas River, and it was still ringing.
Westrey 2008 Pinot Gris $16
2007 Chardonnay $17
2007 Chardonnay Reserve $23
2007 Pinot Noir “Oracle” $24
2007 Pinot Noir “Justice” $26
2007 Pinot Noir Reserve $29
2007 Evesham Wood Chardonnay Le Puits Sec $17
2007 Domaine Puillon (formerly Pierre Noir) Black Dot Red $18
A blend of approximately 95 varietals (maybe not so many), this gushing little gem is a value star of its elegant, thoughtful producer, located in the Columbia Valley. Soft, expressive, and peppery, with a core of sweet cherry fruit.
2007 Cavatappi Wahluke Slope Sangiovese $13
To go into this expecting Sangiovese di Romagna or something of that nature is wholly to miss the point. While his higher-end offerings (including a compelling Nebbiolo) do hew a bit more closely to their Italian heritage, this wine is unabashedly New World, gushing, pretty black cherry fruit, with an almost bright, peppery finish. Not as heavy as many like wines.
All right, friends, there we have it. Keep your eyes peeled for the belated coverage of clarklewis extravaganza from last week, and also a rundown of the amazing Louis Dressner tasting hosted by Triage at my new favorite digs, the Davis Street Tavern (www.davisstreettavern.com; 500 NW Davis, in Chinatown, PDX). Let’s just say that a dry Muscat and a sparkling Austrian pink have my bell ringing still…
Thanks as always for reading, friends; I can’t wait to “see” you all next week!
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