Those-In-the-Know Insider Favorites:
the Hard to Find,
Stevenson Barrie 2005 Pinot noirs

Avalon specializes in "insider wines" -- wines usually only available if you happen to live down the road from the winery, or know the winemaker. The best of the tiny production, personal labels of Oregon's best winemakers are usually grabbed by people in the wine industry, saavy chefs, and fellow local winemakers. We make those hard to get wines available to our customers.

Michael Stevenson is winemaker for Panther Creek Cellars. Michael's personal label, Stevenson Barrie, has a strong local following. The wines are rarely found out of state, selling to local Oregon restaurants and a close-mouthed group of loyal fans. Rarely submitted for reviews, the wines disappear quickly from local word-of-mouth sales alone.

Michael gets press every once in awhile, although he rarely submits Stevenson barrie wines for review. Matt Kramer, a Wine Spectator writer who lives in Portland, writes occasionally about Michael, usually in the local Oregonian newspaper. He called Michael's 2003 Freedon Hill Pinot "gorgeous...one of the standouts of the vintage. It's very much worth hunting down."

The 2005 Stevenson Barrie Pinot noirs

Stevenson Barrie Pinot noir Temperance Hill 05
$32.95/$29.66
“Pretty” is the word that best describes the ’05 Temperance.  Bright red fruit perfume, light floral and earth aromas give way to candied cherry flavors.  Add a dollop of red currant and pie spice, juicy acidity and fine tannins, and you have a great nimble Pinot noir—perfect for salmon.

Stevenson Barrie Pinot noir Shea Vineyard 05
$32.95/$29.66
The most structured and weighty of the 2005 Stevenson Barrie Pinots, with aromas of dark violets and leather, with savory dark berry.  The fruit is more refined, a complex blend of dark cherry, berry, and plum flavors.  Cellar the Shea for 1-2 years or decant for near-term drinking.  From the famed Shea Vineyard.

Stevenson Barrie Pinot noir Freedom Hill Vineyard 05
$31.45/$28.31
After an initial note of earth, caramelized sugar and coffee, the Freedom Hill opens to show ripe peach and apricot hints that start in the aromas and complement the cherry fruit core.  The mid-palate is full of sweet, lush fruit with a streak of acidity that lifts through to the lingering finish.  The Freedom Hill would pair nicely with grilled lamb.

Stevenson Barrie
2005 Pinot noir Tasting Case $349.00

contains
4 Stevenson Barrie Pinot noir Temperance Hill 05 $32.95
4 Stevenson Barrie Pinot noir Shea 05 $32.95
4 Stevenson Barrie Pinot noir Freedom Hill 05 $31.45

Save $40.40 from retail price $389.40

A Bit More about the Winemaker

Stevenson-Barrie is Michael Stevenson’s own label, which he owns in partnership with Scott Barrie and has made at Panther Creek since 1995. It’s exclusively devoted to Pinot Noir from a selected group of Yamhill Valley sites.

2007 will be Stevenson’s 14th consecutive vintage at Panther Creek. He hired on as cellarmaster in 1994, became assistant winemaker in 1998 and was elevated to winemaker in 2000.

Before that, he had worked the crush at Flynn, now Firesteed Cellars, and bartended at the Golden Valley Brewery & Restaurant, where his beer-making knowledge was enhanced by then-brewmaster John Eliassen, now winemaker and co-owner of La Bete Wines.

“I came to Oregon from North Carolina because this was the mecca of microbrewing,” he said. “But I ended up becoming interested in wine. I didn’t know much about it, but I had some great teachers who have become close friends.”

Those teachers and friends included Terry Casteel of Bethel Heights, Mark Vlossack of St. Innocent, Steve Doerner of Cristom and Myron Redford of Amity.

-thanks to Oregon WIne Press for permission to exerpt

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