RFN # 16, pub. 7/9/09

The Riggs Fulmer Newsletter
No. 16
July 9, 2009

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Retailers and restaurants set pricing; think of the prices below as very educated guesswork- restaurant prices will likely be around double those listed.

Well, friends, I’ve just returned from my new addiction, china wh… just kidding, disc golf it is. A little piece of exercise, a little good clean sweat, and a few shouted expletives to see my too-expensive little Frisbees shanking their way into oblivion, deep in the bramble. Which bramble also has wings, as I found while frustratedly searching the field on the last hole, when an angry bee gave her life to ruin my pinky toe’s afternoon. Oh well, swollen toes were a symbol of great power among the Incas. Maybe I should eat come quinoa. Or maybe I should shut the hell up and get to it, ne?

Last week I was invited to yet another fantastic tasting courtesy of Triage (for whom I am not a paid shill, by the way… although my resume can be found on FB, Triagiens!), once again at the elegant digs at Eco PDX (2289 N Interstate, PDX; http://www.ecopdx.com/), a fabulous entombed and salvaged wood furniture place. As soon as I buy a house, this is where I will get my furnishings- it’s absolutely gorgeous in there, including the world’s loveliest easy chair, a wooden-slat recliner as only God intended… But last week I was there to taste Californian wines, NOT recline on affordable furniture, so onward.

Readers, I know you now recognize Triage as one of the best distributors in town- this is not just a result of great customer service, or even their wonderful book, but it is also a question of consistency of taste. They pick, almost without fail, wines I find to be elegant, structured, and impeccably well-made. So when you hear they’re showing wines from California, you have to take notice. Here’s the thing with our fair southern neighbor state: it offers more variety of vineyard land than almost anywhere outside of Europe. The range of styles it’s possible to produce there surely make it the New World equivalent to France in that regard. That means that those gushing oakbombs that get hung with all the big sexy scores are not at all what California does best. At their best, Callie wines effortlessly combine New World fruit with Old World structure and class. It’s a big reason why ossified old Bordeaux, even if it’s one of my favorite wine regions on the planet, is less and less thought of as the standard for excellent Cabernets, for instance. The very best from California are increasingly just as good as anything from overseas… OK, maybe it’s I who am gushing here (ahem, Barolo, yes yes, Chablis, ok, I get it, shut up, Riggs), but you get my overly prolix point: California rocks!

California Tasting, by Triage Wines, at EcoPDX

2007 Mark Elke Chardonnay Anderson Valley $20
Yes, there’s oak here, people. Get over it and move on. This is a very nice iteration of the often cloying style of Chard that obtains down here. Cool climate vineyards allow for the development of fine acidity, and the flavors of filberts, lemon zest, and stones swirl on the palate. Not too heavy at all, this would be excellent with poultry.

2006 Walter Hansel Chardonnay North Slope Russian R. Valley $43
Yes, this is a big boy. I dunno if it has gobs of fruit, but it definitely leans towards the hedonistic fruitbomb end of things. I’m only half-kidding there- the nose of this wine opens up with a big, woody California terroir funk, all animal flesh and R-rated briny undercurrents, and the palate is lush with lemon meringue and sweet earth. I think this would pair best with friendly debauchery.

2008 Copain Rosé Tous Ensemble Anderson Valley $17
The marked smokiness to this rosé of Pinot Noir has it dressed up as Pinotage. Compelling, sassy flavors of dried roses and stones flow into a beautifully crisp finish with great balance. This is wine made for barbecued ribs. Or BBQ chips and a sunny deck? Hmmm…

2006 Copain Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard Anderson Valley $43
The most interesting California Pinot I have tasted in some time, this wine has none of the tomato-y, stewed qualities that so many from down there have. I’m not trying to be a chauvinist here, either, it’s just that I like my Pinot like I like my dinner companions: intelligent, feminine, complex, and light. I’m not a fan of opaque Pinot Noir, in other words. This beauty, though… The nose is all wild strawberries and hazelnuts, and these flavors coil around a core of wonderful citron acidity and river stones, finishing with a fan of mouthwatering minerality, soooo delicate and pretty. This is the real deal, folks.

2007 Radio-Coteau Syrah Las Colinas Sonoma Coast $50
The soft, pencil-lead and boysenberry nose of this wine immediately made me think of the Syrahs of Ojai, from much further south. There is a counter-intuitive melding of the massive and delicate here that I have really only encountered in high-end Callie Syrahs. They’re much different than anything from Australia or Washington in that regard. Fruit-forward, yet finesse-driven, this is a wonderful, elegant wine.

2007 LIOCO Indica Mendocino $20
A smoking little blend (yeah, I went there) of Carignane, Petit Sirah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache that’s way too balanced and light for its own good. It’s a wine all about bright, sunny wild cherries, with a balancing note of earth and acid. A great value in this style of wine.

2005 Stolpman Sangiovese $37 (Santa Barbara)
I haven’t loved a Cal-Ital this much since I used to get Jim Clendenen’s Bricco Buon Natale wines, which were a similar riot of structure, earth, and acidity. The nose shows beautiful cranberry lift, stones-after-rain, and cherryskins. On the palate the wine is richer, but maintains its bloody focus, passing through sheets of blueberries into a head-spinning finish that is long and mineral-driven, with a tiny hit of sweetness on the very end. What a tremendous food wine!

2004 Farella-Park Merlot Napa Valley $25
I have to say, it’s not often that my notes for a Napa Valley Merlot begin with WOW! …that said, it’s exactly the right word in this case. Filled with layers upon layers of high-tone fruit that entwine with tarry, almost Primitivo-like flavors, while never being ponderous or stewy, the wine glides effortlessly through maritime notes and oolong tea leaves, into a finish with perfect balance and eminent restraint. Very nice indeed, the most exciting Merlot I've had in some time.

2008 Arnot-Roberts Chardonnay North Coast $34 (no oak)
A bit of funky terroir in the nose opens up into beautiful, starry acidity and lip-smacking Meyer lemon purity. Lithe and racy while maintaining a silky texture on the tongue, this is a Chard for folks who think they don’t like Chard. And, yes, it was made in 100% stainless steel. Very impressive.

2007 Arnot-Roberts Syrah California $37
The nose here is all bloody, erotic funk that Frenchifies (not French fries, mind you) upon aeration, leaning into peppery cherryskins. On the tongue it’s all flesh and dark berries, with gorgeous, briny Rhône-style Syrah fruit bursting with Californian exuberance. Plush in the mouth, the finish is clean and middle-length.

…and my star winery at the tasting, Tres Sabores…Biodynamic, northeastern facings… Complete and total yumminess, across the board…

Tres Sabores
2007 Sauvignon Blanc “Farina” Sonoma Mountain $20
Hands-down, my favorite Californian Sauv Blanc ever. I like grassiness, but there is none. I do not like cat piss, and there’s also none of that. Even the tendency to slough over into Kiwi tropicality is avoided here. Instead, what you have is a gorgeous, cool-climate white wine grown on very poor soil, and it shows. The wine sings with big, bright limes and fresh mandarins, with a Buddha’s hand citron hit at the back. Chalky minerality, sage leaves, and bright acids knit the whole thing together. Yes yes yes! And at this price? Whew…

2006 ¿Porque No? Zinfandel Blend $24
You’ll first notice the wonderful, airy lightness of this wine. Dark cherries and dried apricots preen, bustling into a plush finish with just the right savory hit at the end. Zinophiles rejoice! Zinophobes, come closer, ¿Porque No? won’t hurt you…

2005 Zinfandel Rutherford $33
The nose is all damiana flowers over bloody, grilled oranges, floral and showing great pedigree. In the mouth, the degree of subtlety and grace with which such a usually heavy grape is handled is nearly astonishing. No cola or Dr. Pepper here, this is all bright red berries and earth, with a wonderfully acidic finish, not at all heavy.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Perspective Rutherford $69
This almost magnificent cab shows a big, brooding, glowing-ember core of cherries and mossy sage, with animal eroticism and wet stones as undertone. Pencil lead terroir and concupiscent acidity coil like a cat’s tail around gorgeous, deep red fruits (think more red currant and less cassis). This will age with great beauty, though she is a massive temptress right now. Maybe you should lay in a half-case, just to be safe.

California goodness! Website frustration, though, still working on that… Coming soon!

But there is an important non-wine-related date looming on the horizon, the Relay For Life! Join our lovely sisters in their fight against breast cancer, and get some exercise while you’re at it.

SW Neighborhoods Relay for Life
July 18-19th
10am-10am
Sign up your team at www.relayforlife.org/swneighborhoodsor
...or just come check out the event anytime that day...
There will be bands, food, movies, a silent auction from 2-5pm, and a luminaria ceremony at 10pm.
We need your help, neighbors!

And remember, you can now follow me at twitter.com/riggs5000!

OK, I’m off into the golden afternoon, y’all, a glass of Evesham Wood Vin d’Une Nuit Rosé of Tempranillo all a-bead in my hand. I wish you a pleasant, safe weekend, and we’ll see you real soon!

yrs,
Riggs

--
Riggs Fulmer
Wine. Words. Music.

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.
-Aristophanes