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…

I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years.

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.

2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure

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.

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.

See you this summer!

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.

I certainly don’t know what is going to happen. It is hard to imagine that in many critical ways Obama will disappoint. Despite the Democratic majority, and in spite of promises to the contrary, politics will still exist in Washington. Times are hard and I deeply believe that no-one really knows what we need to do to fix the failing economy.

That said, I have more hope for change than I have had in a long time. The people are calling for a real healthcare system and now, finally, we have someone who wants to give him one. Obama’s proposed tax package is very progressive and he has as mandate to pass it: I just heard on NPR that Obama actually managed to get a majority of the votes from people with incomes exceeding $250,000, the very same group he is planning to tax so the rest of us can get social services and tax relief. Pretty amazing.

And, of course, something has changed in the US when an African-American can get elected President. Yes, he is a man of priviledge and education, but the fact remains that a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama is going to be President. I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime.

I don’t know where I am heading with these thoughts, but that there is room for optimism for the first time in a long time, despite the dark clouds that still hang above us.