Red Wine with Fish

Last week I had the opportunity to taste a 1994 - 2007 vertical of Chehalem’s Reserve Pinot Noir. I have had some of those wines individually and tasted smaller verticals, but this was the first time I had tasted through them all. It was instructive. It definitely challenged conventional wisdom about what makes a “good” vintage.

Since 1994, there have been a number of “great” vintages in Oregon according to the press. Let’s compare Wine Spectator, Robert Parker’s view of the vintage and my experience with Chehalem’s Reserve Pinot:

It seems that I am not on the same wavelength as Harvey and Robert, particularly on the older vintages. A great Oregon Pinot to me is one, I guess, from a so-called lack-luster vintage that has 5+ years of age. In my view, the “great” vintages: 1994, 1999, 2002 and, by extension, 2006, are for drinking within the first couple of years, before the alcohol and tannin takes over the fruit.

I am going to finish off my 2002 - 2004s and 2006s. The 2005s, 2007s and eventually 2008s are going to sit for a long time.

Of course, this is only one set of data-points and might not apply equally to all producers, all AVAs, etc. But I think it is a good starting guide. I am not convinced at this point that most producers lower-end bottlings will have the longevity of the higher-end stuff (this is the “Reserve” after all), but I am not sure. It could be that, in a cool vintage, there is too much underripe fruit in the non-reserve stuff but perhaps not.

We also did a 1996 - 2007 vertical of the Ian’s Reserve Chardonnay. More on that later…

So let me get this straight, after eight years of creating the biggest budget deficits in US history, the Republican Party is offended because the stimulus package is too big, at least in part due to the fact they (the Republicans) insisted on tacking on $30 billion in tax cuts. As a result, they are going to force the Democrats to knock out $110 billion in education, infrastructure and budget relief to the states. BUDGET RELIEF TO THE STATES! This money would be guaranteed to be spent immediately due to massive state budget shortfalls.

It seems the Republicans, despite rhetoric to the contrary prefer a big federally-mandated tax cuts (which incidentally generally forces states to do the same) to allowing the states to determine how best to spend the money on their own.

Of course, the Republican Governors are pissed. They are facing massive budget short falls largely through no fault of their own.

$600 billion went to find WMDs that everyone pretty well knew weren’t there. $700 billion went to bail out wreckless and greedy financial institutions. Saving the states from budgetary disasters and rebuilding schools doesn’t seem like it should be controversal at this point.

I think the Republican Governors should start their own party. To quote Brad Delong:

Raze the Republican Party to the ground. Plough it under. Scatter salt in the furrows so it can never grow back. We need another, very different opposition party to face the Democrats. We need it now.

The time for bi-partisan outreach is past. If the party won’t play, they have to pay.

Yesterday, I came back from Dallas, Oregon with 300+ lbs of beef in the back of my Mini Cooper S. We had ordered a half-cow (heretofore named Bessie) from McK Ranch which we split with a co-worker of mine. Tonight we had our first cut. It was a round steak. I marinated it in Lea & Perrins for 30 minutes and broiled it. On the side we had brussel sprouts from our CSA and cheddar mashed potatoes from a local farm. Other than the 2004 Switchback Merlot from Napa, it was a very, very local meal.

How was it? Good. Needs work. I have, in the past, hovered between a very small number of specific cuts of beef that I know how to deal with: NY strip, tenderloin, sirloin, petite sirloin and skirt mainly. This one was new to me and, in future I think I would marinate longer with more acid, perhaps some lime; break down that muscle tissue a bit. Nice flavor though.

The Switchback is massive. Not a “food wine”. At 15.5% alcohol and, I think, a tiny bit of residual sugar, this is almost a dessert wine. Not generally my style, but fun in a hedonistic kind of way (to borrow from Parker). A rich chocolatey nose with a touch of rose (EA?), massive and mocha-like, no, more like mocha mousse in the mid-palate and coffee-flavored sandpaper on the finish.

So, thank you Bessie for giving your life for our sustenance and enjoyment. I will endeavor to do a better job with your delicious meaty flesh next time. And hopefully choose a wine that complements your subtle and delicious flavors a little better.

Amen.

I don’t drink much wine that costs $6. I drink a lot of Pinot Noir. For $6, the Pinot Noir you get is probably not very good. Well, actually, the bottle is empty and the cork missing. $6 Pinot Noir doesn’t really exists from what I have seen.

Anyway, I tasted the Campo do Borja Vina Borgia, a 100% Grenache wine that was selling at our local Roth’s grocery store for slightly under six bucks. I figured it would be amusing. Nope. It was very impressive. It would have been impressive for twice that. Or three times.

Plum, cherry and spice on the nose and bright red fruit, white pepper and black current in the palate. Impressive acid and barely a hint of the stewed quality I so often find in hot-weather wines. Nice clean red fruit on the finish.

Really, really nice. It’s simple and straightforward and went great with the wok-fried lamb, chard and baked rice dish I made.

Recommended at twice the price. A steal for the actual price.

I know Hal Medici prefers his 2002, but at least as of right now, I would rather be drinking this one. Light to medium in body, with pretty red and black fruit and nice clove-like spiciness, this paired quite nicely with the roast leg of lamb. Aroma of dried strawberry with a hint of toast and vanilla and that funky smell that my friend Rob likes to call “Pinot Stink”. Nice bright food and a sweet raspberry finish.

It is drinking really, really well and I expect it is pretty close to its peak.

2001 is a funny vintage that a lot of the locals, my boss included, don’t like. It was cool and damp and most of the wines are light in color and extraction. I can’t rightly say I remember what they were like when released, but I find I like the vintage a great deal, particularly for food-friendliness. I think I just might try to find a little more of this wine.

This is the third in the case of Otis Kenyon wines I have bought. The first one was the “Matchless” red which,

despite being the least expensive of their wines, was excellent. The Merlot from 2005 was decent, but a little hot. I have yet to try the Cab. The Syrah is very impressive–probably my favorite so far–although at the price-point I would probably go with the Matchless since I am guessing it is mostly made from the Syrah anyway.

Like the Matchless–and unlike the Merlot–the Syrah had bright acidity and red fruit. At first opening, it almost seemed tart, but after a few minutes it opened and softened. Aromas of dried strawberry and toast compliment red cherry and milk chocolate on the palate. The finish is long with vanilla and a touch of coffee.

I suppose this isn’t an earth-shatteringly complex wine, but it is beautifully fresh and fruity. The tannins are soft and any structure is from the rather impressive acidity.

This is among the most Pinot-like Syrahs I have had. Other than being a little bit fuller on the palate it would pass for an Oregon Pinot in a warm year. I actually thought the Matchless might have had some Pinot blended in, but I think it is their Syrah I was tasting. Interesting.

Riedel tells us that we need a dozen different wine glasses; one for each type of wine and each region. The question is, do we believe them. They have glasses to sell so of course they want us to buy as many as possible, so they probably do not provide a particularly unbiased point of view.

Personal experience tells me that the glass does matter, to a point. For example, the other day, I was at a Pinot Noir tasting with a friend of mine. He was carrying the standard Riedel “Red Wine” glass that you so often find in restaurants. I was using the Riedel Oregon Pinot Noir glass. I commented how earthy the wine showed and he looked at me like I was insane. He said that he was about to say how full-fruited the aromatics were. We switched glasses and both immediately saw what was causing the difference in our perceptions.

So, in short, glass does matter. The volume of air to wine, the ability to swirl, the size of the opening, I think all profoundly influence the aromatics of a wine. I don’t necessarily think the difference between the standard Burgundy glass and the Oregon Pinot glass is that dramatic. Nor do I believe the taste of wine is much influenced by glass shape.

I can tell you one thing for sure. I am going to standardize the glass I use. I don’t believe that I can make accurate or useful comparisons of aromatics without doing so. I will have to do some testing to see what glass to standardize on. The small one is certainly more portable and is the most commonly used.

More testing is definitely necessary.

Generally, people underestimate how well Oregon Pinot Noirs can age. I am often asked at Chehalem how long to cellar a wine for and I generally give a monologue on ageability rather than a pat answer. You can all it copping out if you want, but the question is a tough one. My experience has shown that Oregon does the most ageable Pinot in the country. But that assumes you like what becomes of our Pinot Noir when it has been in the bottle for a while. If you like the big, juicy berry fruit, drink them in the first couple years, because that isn’t going to get any better. But for my palate, the fruitiness is replaced by something lovely and interesting.

Case in point: the 2000 Medici East Vineyard Pinot. Not a fruit bomb by any stretch. The fruit was pretty, but staid. The color was red-orange with definite brick-color developing. The nose had that distinctive funk of old Pinot and oak which smells a bit like BBQ sauce and maraschino cherry… (wait for it)… but in a good way. The wine was light-bodied with earth and red fruit and a bit of a tart bite, which I liked very much. It finished with flavors of coffee and cherry, with still a touch of tannin after all these years.

It was fantastic and worked perfectly with the grilled Copper River sockeye I made.

Interest Factor: ***+
Yum Factor: **
Value: **

Beautiful wine. If you are ever in Newberg, Oregon, visit them at the Dark Horse tasting room.

Grilled Copper River Sockeye Salmon
Oakhill Organic Green Salad
2000 Medici East Vineyard Estate Reserve Pinot Noir

Grilled Carlton Farms pork chops
Mixed green salad with Champagne vinaigrette
2006 Domaine Drouhin Arthur Chardonnay