Owen
Roe's David O'Reilly is out in the Vineyard,
Harvesting
AND
WE HAVE THE NEW WINES!
Owen
Roe Zinfandel 05 $32.36/$35.95 http://www.northwest-wine.com/Owen-Roe-Zinfandel-2005.html
What
a crowd pleaser! The nose combines sweet
red cherry and raspberry fruit with fresh
forest - a hint of the scent of swishing
through fall leaves on a cold sunny winter
day.
Flavors are of
candied red cherry, sweet raspberry, rich,
rich flavors yet uplifted by a well integrated
streak of fresh fruit, hints of white pepper
and spices, and a long, long finish. The
'05 is more balanced wine than last year's
'04, and explodes in the mouth with intense
layers of fruit. An example of a Zinfandel
that is at once lovely for sipping yet will
work with many foods.
Grapes for this
wine came from both Hillside and Erickson Road
Vineyards.
Owen
Roe Ex Umbris Syrah 04 $21.55/$23.95 http://www.northwest-wine.com/Owen-Roe-Ex-Umbris-Syrah-2005.html
Aromas of blackberries and
marionberries, entwined with the wine's trademark
smoky scent, make this a Syrah standout from
the moment it's opened. This is a juicy, fresh
and lively Syrah that shows layers of berry fruit
flavors. It's structured with balanced acidity
and well managed, fine grained tannins that are
present but never intrusive.
Ready to drink, "refreshing", "appealing",
"lively" are some of the words tasters have
used to describe it. David continues to make
the price super competitive - this is an Owen
Roe "Best Buy".
Latin for “out
of the shadows”, this wine was originally
crafted to express the smoky notes imparted
to the Syrah grapes by a raging wildfire.
One of the characteristics of this noble
grape is its inherent smokiness, a flavor
that comes through even without Mother
Nature’s assistance.
If you remember
back to the first release of this wine, the
vineyard was literally next door to the
edge of a forest fire, and the first vintage
was so stongly flavored with smoke that some
people found it atypical ... and many people
loved it. Each vintage thereafter has showed
less of the smoky quality imparted from the
fire, and this vintage has just an intriguing
hint of bacon fat-laced smoke.
Owen
Roe Sinister Hand 05 $21.55/$23.95
http://www.northwest-wine.com/Owen-Roe-Sinister-Hand-2005.html
Every
year, this wine is an exhuberant, lush,
lively, juicy blend of Rhone varietals.
This year it's 52% Grenache, 39% Syrah,
7% Mourvedre, and 2% Counoise, all from
Elerding Vineyard in Washington.
The nose is appealingly
bright and fresh, and the flavors are classic
Rhone, with great lively, uplifting notes
of red fruit. Flavors are of bright, red
and black fruits, with lots of white pepper,
good acidity and tannins and nothing out
of place. Very well made and balanced. There's
lots of "back of the mouth" feel in the finish.
The label shows the severed hand of Owen Roe
O'Neil- the Irish patriot whose severed hand
appears on the coat of arms of winemaker David
O'Reilly's family.
Owen
Roe Pinot noir "The Kilmore"
2005 $37.76/$31.95
http://www.northwest-wine.com/Owen-Roe-Pinot-noir-Kilmore-2005.html
Named
for the old abbey on the O'Reilly clan's land
in Ireland, on Trinity Island. The label is
a handpulled etching of a photo of one of the
Romanesque arches in the ruins of the Abbey.
Very limited.
A huge, intense nose full of
dark plum, sweet nutmeg, cedar, and burnt hazelnut
shell just sets the tone for this rich yet
beautifully balanced wine. Violets, rose, fresh
herbs, white pepper, and nutmeg linger in
the background. Flavors are of ripe blackberry,
black currant, black cherry, and hints of creamy
vanilla bookending the fruit flavors. Sweet
spice and cedar are pervasive throughout, particularly
in the long, layered finish. The balance in
this wine is impressive, with fresh, lively
flavors with perfectly integrated acidity matched
to tannins that promise cellaring but never
intrude. The long finish of red raspberry,
red cherry, and spice refreshes and suggests
this wine will go well with a wide range of
foods.
The
Kilmore Pinot is made from grapes from Cummins
Ridge and Lenne Vineyards, both in the Yamill-Carlton
appellation. Unfortunately, it's very, very
limited.
Owen
Roe Sharecropper's Pinot noir 05 $18.86/$20.95
http://www.northwest-wine.com/Owen-Roe-Sharecroppers-Pinot-noir-2005.html
BEST BUY!
Big aromatics, well balanced sweet red
fruit, good acidity, and well integrated tannins.
A wonderful value. This label hearkens to the
spirit of the original sharecropping ideal of
a partnership between landowners and the laborers
who toiled producing the crops.
The
2005's nose is intense, with violets, lavender,
red raspberry, blackberry cobbler, and
red cherry present. Flavors are of red raspberry
and cherry, lots of soft sweet spice notes,
and an ethereal puff of violet perfume hinted
at in the finish. It's refreshing, silky,
supple, and expansive, opening in the mouth
to show layers and layers of fruit, spice,
herbal notes, and
pepper.
Uplifting,
refreshing acidity and balanced tannins make
this wine great now, but ageable. Quite a
deal, we couldn't help but compare it to
other, higher end Pinots and find it really
just about as good, at a really reasonable
price.
In case you missed last week's
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