The reason I'm so fascinated with Mike Etzel and his winery, Beaux Freres, is that I identify with him. We've both stayed with the same jobs, season after season, for a long time - me a wine shop & web site, and Mike a vineyard & winery. He bought his vineyard land in the mid-80's, about the same time I started Avalon Wine.

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Staying put, doing the same thing year after year, might look like not much is changing. Grow the grapes, make the wine (Mike); update the database, help the customer (me). But underneath a lot is changing. Better code for the website (me); a new way of nourishing the vines (Mike). It's the little details that keep improving things and make the work satisfying.

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I'm envious of Mike this year, because he's exploded. All those little changes, incremental improvements he's made over the years have reached critical mass like a simmering volcano. And the lava flow is made of Beaux Freres 2008 Pinot noir.

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His first release, the 2008 Willamette Valley - whoa Nellie.

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Here's where I would put the tasting note, full of fruit and flowers and spice, sophistication, culmination, and ecstasy. But really, all I need to say is - try it. If you've ever wanted to know what Mike Etzel is all about - try it. And if you are a longtime Beaux Freres fan, get ready, because 2008 is what we've all known he is capable of, given his years of experience PLUS a perfect vintage.

The 2008 vintage was small and sales are exploding.
To assure availability, order now.

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Beaux Freres
Willamette Valley Pinot noir 08 $44.95/40.46

This month the Willamette Valley is previewed at $45.
The regular $50 price goes into effect next month,
depending on availability. Shipping starts March 15th

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A succession of eighteen vintages, starting in 1991, culminates with the 2008 Beaux Freres Pinot noirs.

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The 2008 Willamette Valley is everything you expect from Beaux Freres, increased exponentially. It has the balance and body to taste great after 24 hours exposure to air. It's complex, focused, and sophisticated. I thought I was drinking the Estate ($80).

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Big, ripe, smooth, a juicy red fruit scent with raspberry prominent. A very round, full bodied Pinot, immediately mouthwatering, full of red plum and cherry, with a hint of bramble, and an intense core of fruit, spice, and smoke. The balance is typical Beaux Freres - you can practically feel the perfect posture of this wine, the flavors winding around a center of silky tannins.

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