Avalon's Wine Pick of the Week
Avalon Employees Pick from the Many Wines We Taste Each Week
Week: 5-2-08
"Catch of the Day"
Arterberry Maresh
Dundee Hills Pinot noir 06
There are two things I can't stop talking about this week: the gigantic sturgeon that I caught while fishing this weekend and the amazing value that is the Arterberry Maresh Pinot noir Dundee 06 $34.95/$31.46. Silky, layered and complex, it is a 2006 Pinot that drinks and behaves like a 2005.
At our tasting, with Arterberry Maresh's winemaker Jim Arterberry Maresh, (photo at right) I couldn't stop going back to the wine over the course of the afternoon and re-tasting. I thought my tastebuds were tricking me. Really a Pinot this good, from such an amazing vineyard, for only $35? Seriously? This wine had me hook, line, and sinker.
The 2006 Dundee Hills by Arteberry Maresh is supple and full of juicy dark plums and red berries, with subtle notes of clay and anise on the finish. The grapes were picked earlier in the season than most 2006 Oregon Pinots, so the wine retains a pleasant acidity that is refreshing and elevates the fruit components found on the midpalate. All that to say, it is really, really, really yummy and a steal at this price.
The wine is ready to drink now, but would also cellar gracefully. Pair it with hazenut and panko crusted tuna and herbed baby red potatoes for an elegant and easy meal or just drink it by the glass and enjoy its layered complexity and silky mouthfeel.
Read more about Jim Arterberry Maresh and his new releases.
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
At left, Amy and her "Catch of the Day"
Week: 4-22-08
"Aging Gracefully, as an Artform"
Dominio IV
"Old Man Looking East" Syrah 05
There it was, staring back at me in the mirror last week. A wrinkle. Right there at the corner of my eyes and definite, not "just kind of". Yes, I realize to some of you this may be old hat but it took me completely off guard and threw me for a bit of a loop.
As if fate was playing tricks on me, I spotted the bottle of Dominio IV "Old Man Looking East" Syrah 05 $29.95/$26.95 sitting on the back bar. It didn't seem fair to see the words "old man" just after spotting my first wrinkle, so I thought it might be wise to see if he had any advice for me.
This "old man" fairly shouted as if he was afraid I was hard of hearing. His presence could not be ignored and it was quite clear that he was full of life.
The Dominio IV "Old Man Looking East" Syrah is bold, smoky and rich. Brimming with dark earth, black roasted plum and leather it takes over the palate. Dinner that night was slow smoked pork ribs, asparagus roasted with sweet spring garlic, and a fresh green garden salad. The smokiness of the ribs enhanced and elevated the sweet smokiness of the wine, and brought forward the dark fruit characteristics. The rich meat helped to soften the fairly firm tannins and round out the mouthfeel.
Though this wine could be enjoyed now, as we did, with an intensely meaty dish, it will most definitely age gracefully. In fact, I think this wine will be fantastic after a few years in the cellar (when it will have softened and the price will look like a bargain.)
I think the old man just winked at me.
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
Week: 4-14-08"Deja Vu, Anyone?"
Owen Roe Yakima Red 05
Deja vu, anyone? Many months ago I freaked out after tasting the Owen Roe Yakima Red 05. It was a Friday night. I was on my way to pizza and beers with friends. It was day two with a sample bottle of Yakima Red, and it spoke to me. The aromas grabbed me by the nose, yanking me further into the last glass. What could be better than love at first taste? How about confirmation.
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of visiting Owen Roe and re-tasting the 2005 Yakima Red ($42.00). Once again, I melted into the glass, finding that place where objectivity is swept away by pure enjoyment. Without a doubt, the wine keeps integrating, melding the Cabernet, Merlot, and Cab Franc into a sea of deliciousness. The caramel toast common in Owen Roe's big reds combines with oozing black cherry and dark berry. After airing, absolutely velvety flavors of black cherries are layered 
with dark raspberries and sweet cherries. Sure, the tannins are there but they’re woven perfectly into the mouth-coating texture of the wine. The finish reiterates all the wonderful fruit you can’t wait ‘til the next glass to get more of, mingling with pink peppercorns, tiny hints of dried herbs, cloves, cream and cocoa shavings.
Wine Spectator recently anointed the Yakima Red 05 with a score of 92 points, one point lower than the previous 2004 vintage. I’ve been saying from taste one, this is better than the 2004. I’ll say it again: this is one of the most attractive Northwest wines available. I hear that feedback constantly from customers. As wine lovers, we are lucky that winemaker David O'Reilly made enough to last this long.
You can sip it. No need to decant. Have it with a steak. Have it in a glass. But have it.
Marcus
Yakima Red is a popular wine with our Avalon Wine "Big Reds Club" members.
Week: 4-2-08"Smooth move, ace"
Toluca Lane Pinot noir 06
Growing up, my siblings and I often used the flippant term "smooth move, ace" when one of us would do something particulary dorky or just plain stupid (for example my brother burning off his eyebrows, my sister driving her car into the concrete median, and my own overzealous volcano cake experiments). In hindsight, that's how I feel about missing out on the 2005 Toluca Lane Pinot noir. I tasted it exactly a year ago, loved it, and in the chaos of our day to day world missed out on the opportunity to work with it. Yesterday, we opened the 2006 Toluca Lane Pinot noir ($29.95, on sale 15% off $25.50 through April 13) and it was (dare I say it?) even better.
Lush and densely packed with big blackberry and black cherry notes. Silky and mouthcoating, the flavors just keep coming and bombard the mouth with intense juicy black plum and little bursts of bramble. Layered throughout is a background note of earth and creamy bits of caramel. But this wine just doesn't stop. The mouthfeel is so rich and coating, you find yourself going back to retaste, almost second guessing that it can really be that good (especially at the price).
Toluca Lane is the once dream and now reality of vineyard manager and winemaker Geoffrey Toluca and his partner Lane. This is their fourth commercial vintage from their winery nestled in the Eola-Amity hills.
There is no need to cellar this wine, it is drinking well now. In fact, as I was writing this note, one of our clients walked into the store, tasted the wine and exclaimed "I could drink that wine all day long. Wow." When I told her the price, her jaw dropped and she promptly ordered half a case. (Thanks Margot!)
All that to say, it's good. Really good.
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
Week: 3-25-08
Steak and Pinot? Absolutely!
Cancilla Cellars Pinot noir 06
It was a classic debate at my house last Friday evening. He was having seared steak and I was having baked salmon. We couldn't even agree on a main course -- how were we going to agree a bottle of wine? It seemed ridiculous to open two separate bottles for just two people. To our benefit, the 2006 Cancilla Pinot noir $29.95/$26.95 came to the rescue. It is a prime Pinot with enough weight and substance to match a hearty steak and yet enough elegance to complement a beautiful piece of center cut salmon.
Many people would overlook Pinot when pairing wine with steak, thinking it would be too light in texture and body. However, 2006 was an extremely warm vintage in Oregon and garnered ripe lush fruit, integrated tannins and big juicy round texture that make it a great partner to heavier meats like steak.
The 2006 Cancilla Pinot is full of lively red fruit in a silky package. Sweet raspberry pie, red currant, wild strawberry and milk chocolate coats your palate. Juicy acidity balances the almost sappy fruit on the finish. The 06 Cancilla is flashy and seductive, yet retains some of the elegance and delightful earth characteristics of Cancilla Pinots.
Cancilla Cellars is an "indie" winery you want to get to know. It is a small estate winery where Ken Cancilla is owner, vineyard manager and winemaker. Small productions of Pinot noir, attention to detail, and a focus on quality have led Ken's Pinots to be a consistent favorite. You could definitely cellar this pinot for later but I would DRINK IT NOW!
Make it your Friday night solution to a tricky dinner pairing or just sit down and enjoy a glass.
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
Week: 3-11-08
Best of Both Worlds: Antica Terra Pinot Noir 06
Maggie Harrison makes Pinot Noir. Very very good Pinot Noir. True to the varietal, real Pinot Noir. And she adds a touch of her California winemaking roots to her Oregon blend, with delicious, best of both worlds results.
Antica Terra was founded in 1989 by Mark Peters and Marty Weber, who sold the winery in 2005. Now owned by Maggie and three other business partners, the 2006 is the first vintage she's made in Oregon. Previously, she was assistant winemaker at Sin Qua Non in California for ten vintages.
Tasting through a group of 2006 Pinots this week, one wine really stood out: Maggie's Antica Terra Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 06 $46.
It's a truely lovely wine. First impressions are of a generous, bountiful nose of floral rose and violet notes, mingled with scents of raspberry jam and a hint of toast. Flavors are luscious, primarily berry -- fresh blackberry and raspberry with hints of black currant and newly turned earth. There's a tiny hint of pie spice in the long, silky finish. The minimally intrusive oak accentuates how true to the varietal this wine is, even with the "Californiaesque" intensity and richness it exhibits.
Learning about Maggie's winemaking techniques - aging wines on the lees, an unusually hot fermentation temperature, stirring the wine while in barrel - I was struck by similarites with Patty Green's methods. And in retrospect, the Antica Terra has some similarities to Patty's Pinot Noirs. I'd love to get them together and watch the winemaking talk begin!
Jean
Week: 3-2-08
Mega-Hottie: Boedecker Stewart Pinot Noir 05
I love starting my day with George Clooney... the mega-hottie happens to grace the most current issue of Time magazine (a guilty pleasure) that I was thumbing through over breakfast. The ever charming Clooney oozes charisma and notes that "people don't like to hear you complaining about being famous". It's a little like "people don't like to hear you complaining about wine tasting" as part of your job. But after a very long day of zigzagging through the Willamette Valley, and doing the "taste, spit, repeat" of about fourteen wines my palate and generally cheerful demeanor was starting to wane.
Of all the wines I tasted, I honed in on the 2005 Boedecker Stewart Pinot Noir $33.95/$30.56 and couldn't seem to stop enjoying it. I thought my palate might be off due to the long day of tasting, but without other prompting our entire table of dinner companions (including winemakers, consumers, and vineyard managers) turned up with bottles of the Stewart to share with dinner. I guess we were all on the same wavelength.
Generous, juicy cherry and ripe raspberry flavors just keep on giving. The wine is succulent and sweet, yet balanced with vibrant acidity. Earth and brambles notes pick up on the finish, while the pure fruit persists. I enjoyed my glass of Stewart with a hearty chorizo soup that nicely matched the slight spiciness in the wine but left the palate salivating for more.
Looks like I'm not complaining after all... does that make me as endearing as Clooney?
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
Week: 2-22-08Buzzed at work: Abeja Cab is stunning
Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon 05
It is a common misconception and joke that we actually get to "drink" on the job. What we do get to do is "taste and spit" which is so much less sexy. However, the Abeja (which means bee in Spanish) Cab 05 is a wine worthy of a good buzz. At our weekly staff tasting, we were so excited about the Abeja Cab that a good natured fight almost broke out over who was going to take the rest of the bottle home. We decided to that the only equitable option was to have dinner together and share the bottle, friendly banter and a few steaks.
There's no need for a decanter.
The Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon 05 ($44.25, on sale $39.55) shows off its big aromas of black fruit, espresso, milk chocolate, graham, and violet-infused smoke that carries through. Very supple and expressive Cabernet fruit, with a ripe black cherry and cassis core, and a little bubble of cherry candy that bursts just before the finish. Hints of graphite unite with perfectly-integrated toast and lingering, sweet black fruit. Needless to say the Abeja Cab is "phe freaking nomenal".
The lush dark fruit and layers of sweet smoke in the wine call for an equally seductive food partner. There is nothing more elegant and simple to show off the beauty of the Abeja Cab than a perfectly seared filet mignon. Served medium rare with a wild mushroom fricassee, the finely balanced Cab deftly matches the weight of the steak and opens up to reveal the subtle earth notes mirrored by the mushrooms.
The ever so slight "burst" of cherry acts as a bright pop of flavor on the palate, which leaves your mouth refreshed and excited about the next sip. We enjoyed our filets served with creamy potatoes gratin which revealed the silky and integrated tannins of the Abeja Cab. Over the course of the evening, the wine continued to evolve and show a slightly caramelized violet depth that was so stunning that we didn't end up ordering dessert.
There are certain meals that make life worth living, Abeja Cab with a beautifully prepared filet is certainly one of them.
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
Week: 2-14-08Retro Chic and Water Aerobics
Quercus Harmonia Pinot Noir 06
Fashion trends, water aerobics and wine don't generally assimilate, but somehow found their way into my week...
Retro chic is everywhere these days from wide wale corduroy to fondue, but my favorite is water aerobics class at the community pool. I had horrible visions of Jane Fonda in water wings when I first agreed to take my grandma to class last summer but was pleasantly surprised to find a young hip class of working professional women. We banter about politics, swap recipes and review the work day. Inevitably, I end up chatting about wine.
Last night, slightly out of breath from wall push-ups, I discussed the merits of "value pinot" as a necessity to have on hand. "Value pinot" is a workhorse of a wine, extremely versatile for a range of weeknight dinners, unexpected guests, or just a glass to unwind with at the end of the day. My current favorite is the Quercus Harmonia 2006 $22.45/$20.20. Light and supple, full of red raspberry a little bit of sweet baking spice and just a touch of earth it is refreshing and charming. Harmonia is the perfect daily drinker that won't break the bank.
Though retro chic may be the current fad, I think "value pinot" is a trend that is here to stay.
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
Week: 2-7-08Trust Me, it's Good!
Trust Cabernet Sauvignon 05
Not to sound conceited, but I get set up on dates A LOT. I guess I've hit the almost 30 mark and my friends are concerned I'll never get married. The Trust Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 05 $37.95/$34.16 reminds me a few blind dates I've had lately: great first impression, a little bit of work towards the middle of the date, and after a little bit of time a definite reason to call him for dinner and a movie.
Big and bold on the nose, the Trust Cabernet Sauvignon 05 has a very layered dark chocolate and black cherry intensity that is appealing. There is a faint whiff of fresh mint and floral violet complexity that is intriguing. The Trust Cab is ever so slightly restrained on the palate but, like good conversation, opens up over time. I went back to the Cab the following day and was excited to see the fruit developing even further on the palate and a nice balance of structure and acidity that will give the wine a long life in the cellar.
Trust Cellars was created on the blind trust of creators Steve and Lori Brooks who left their high powered jobs at CNN and moved their life to Walla Walla. Trust me, we are glad they did.
Amy
(NOTE- if the guy in the stock photo to the right above would contact Avalon Wine, Amy might be interested in a date. - Jean)
Week: 1-31-08
"Sweet Revenge: How J. Christopher Chardonnay saved my New Year's Resolution"
It's true, I ate two double chocolate rolo filled cupcakes and a piece of chocolate cream pie for dinner on Sunday night. In my defense, my niece Chloe turned three and demanded a princess themed birthday party which left me covered in sparkles, glitter, and pink sprinkles. Needless to say, with each chocolate filled bite I saw my New Year's resolution of healthy eating going down the tubes.
Oddly enough, it was a bottle of wine that got me back on my diet track.
The J. Christopher Chardonnay Chehalem Mountain Vineyard 06 $19.45/$17.50 is the perfect glass of wine with a dinner salad made with sliced fennel, avocado, grilled chicken and mixed baby greens.
Full of sweet lychee, white peach and preserved lemon zest it is a complex and refreshing. Made with no oak and no malolactic fermentation the J. Christopher Chehalem is pleasantly crisp and bright but surprisingly rich on the palette.
This Chardonnay is a breath of fresh air during the winter months of big, bold reds. Enjoy with a savory winter salad or poached halibut.
Happy drinking and good eating,
Amy
Week: 1-23-08
Va Piano Bruno's Blend III
"Bruno's Blend III is sinfully good but blessedly guilt free"
Va Piano Vineyard's Bruno's Blend III is sinfully good but blessedly guilt free. Full of lush blackberry, ripe plums, and sweet baking spice it is the perfect mid-winter answer to heavier meals or a glass of wine by the fire. Bruno's Blend is charming in its understated simplicity and finds a wonderful balance of fruit and texture.
I should tell you up-front that I'm predisposed to love the Bruno's Blend: I'm Catholic, I love Florence, and Fr. Bruno is the reason I starting drinking wine in Italy. That aside, the wine is delicious. This is a wine that should be shared in the same way Fr. Bruno taught me to enjoy wine: open a bottle, invite over friends, share a meal together and build community. Below left, Father Bruno.
Like its namesake, the wine is generous in its composition as well as in charitable giving. Part of the proceeds of each bottle sold is given to charitable causes in Africa and Italy. Fr. Bruno, a priest in Florence, Italy painted the beautiful depiction of the Duomo that graces the label of Bruno's Blend III. The wine, a collaboration between Va Piano Vineyards and Fr. Bruno is creating a union of culture, creativity and goodness.
Va Piano Vineyards, the brainchild of Gonzaga University graduate and fourth generation Walla Wallan, Justin Wylie has been an "Indie" hit at Avalon and his wines consistent selections for our Big Red's Club. Small production, phenomenal quality and attention to detail has brought a dedicated following.
Read more about Father Bruno: Va Piano Vineyard: New Walla Walla Winery Producing a Blessed Blend
by Christina Kelly
