July 2004

July 31

Italy's offering was a Pinot Noir from Marche of all places. Impero is a cliffside vineyard six hundred meters above the ocean in a vineyard area two centuries old. The Pinot planting is far younger.

The Pinot Noir is as tannic as most Italian Pinot Noir. The herbal notes predominate too, but there is some very lovely sweet fruit throughout.

July 30

Eyrie's 2001 showed some volcanic soil herbal character as well. I won't hide my lack of interest in Eyrie. I find the wines light and boring, I find their well-attended and well-publicized tastings of ancient Pinot Noir more like an autopsy than a wine tasting.

But the 2001, while light, seems to have something I don't remember seeing often in their Pinot Noirs. I am going to taste this wine again, when I can, and plan to look for the next few vintages too. There may be a resurgence at work here.

July 29

Westrey's Reserve 2001 was a little strong in Brett for my taste. But we all go through phases with regard to these characteristics – I'm in a grouchy phase with Brett.

I normally really like David Autrey's wines at Westrey. Not this time and not this one.

EOS offers pretty reds, over the top buttery Chardonnay and a decent Pinot Noir. The 2001 was herbal and smoky.

July 28

Quail's Gate from British Columbia is another estate worth watching, though Pinot Noir is still a faint dream in BC. It showed smokiness (barrel), earthiness (Brett) and not a lot else except tannin. They make better wines than this one.

Hitching Post is always overlooked. I suppose that's because it seems like it must be the house wine for Frank Ostini's restaurant. But what Frank and partner Gray Hartley do is far more worthy than that. The wines age well, if nothing else, and I'm stingy with such observations of California Pinot Noir. This was as firm, crisp and fruity as strawberry skins.

July 27

Fred Scherer makes lovely Zinfandel but I am far less persuaded by his efforts with Pinot Noir. Still, his 2001 was friendly and round if overripe.

Oregon 's Maysara poured a sample made by winemaker Jimi Brooks that was bubbling with fruit (not literally) and tasted very, very young. I like Jimi's wines and think he's bound to make far better wines as he gains experience – I mean, he's young!

Alan Phillips at Foley has seen lots of experience and it shows in his wines. They're crafted, assured, even dense. The Foley Santa Barbara 2001 Barrel Selection has pretty much everything you could hope for in California Pinot Noir, though it's showing a tiny bit short at present.

July 26

One of the more unusual samples was a Yarden Israeli Pinot Noir from the Golan Heights. It was far too hard and tannic. Not only were the tannins not at all ripe, but neither was the fruit itself. On the other hand, thank god somebody's trying this. Maybe in a few years, in the right year, they'll get it right. I'll keep watching

Goldeneye, well, I couldn't recommend that one.

July 25

J.K. Carriere was as stylish as that producer's wines usually are. The nose was very bright and raspberry-tinged; the finish firm and structured. This is good wine.

Domaine Serene, not surprisingly, put on a good show with its 2001 Reserve, though the spice and oak dominated the proceedings. The finish is a bit hard for the character of fruit, but this is probably the worst time in the wine's life to draw any sort of conclusions about its structure and future.

July 25

Alex Gambal's Burgundies are usually of moderate interest to me. His Chambolle Musigny was a little austere (it's a 2001) but very true to Chambolle.

There was a Gevrey Chambertin Clos Preiur bottle that was from a producer I hadn't seen before – Roy ?, well, I promise to find out more and add it here. It was certainly earthy, but not from Brett. Instead, it was very true to its appellation and very rich as well. One of the beauties here.

July 23

The open tasting of 2001 Pinots at the International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon offered wines that were barely more classically proportioned. The Sokol Blosser Old Vineyard has pretty acidity; I was pleasantly surprised as I sometimes find their wines a bit gloomy.

Scott Henry has a famous name; he helped craft a famous trellising technique. Most of the time his wines have been less important than his contributions to the industry. But the 2001 shows lots of pretty, floral Pommard clone fruit and is very likeable.

July 22

The mass tasting of the 2002's in Oregon were barely a relief from the difficult character of the 2003's– alcoholic, fairly tannic, hardly the breath of fresh fruity air that Oregon is supposed to provide from the monolithic sameness of so many California wines.

This global warming thing is getting a little bit old. Oregon tastes like California , Germany has eight great vintages in a single decade, and ten thousand French elders drop dead in August of 2003. There are now commercial studies underway to determine what grapes varieties will best suit the classic regions in fifty years when they are at least four degrees on average warmer than today.

I like the wine business because it's in constant flux. But this temperature shift is ridiculous.

July 21

Steve Doerner is one of the easiest visits to a winemaker I know. He is so at ease with his wines, even when they're insolent, screaming children, he just chuckles. He doesn't miss a thing but he isn't getting worked up about it. He just keeps learning to be a better parent.

His 2003's are tannic.

His Syrahs are really good. Uniformly good. The clones are all showing pretty well, but aren't offering much distinctiveness for Syrah; the 383 and the 174 are flavorful but a little boring. Only the 470 has real depth, and it doesn't seem to stick out to others the way it does to me. It has meatiness without Brett or excess oak.

July 20

Had a remarkable visit with Terry Casteel, the only winemaker Bethel Heights has ever had. He struggled in the late 1990's, though the wines scarcely revealed that struggle, and he has come out of it with wines even stronger than they were. And they have always been important, full of personality, and sometimes frustratingly so.

But there are lots of famous names that have made screwed up wines and Terry hasn't ever done that. He has just been frustrated.

And now things are different. The wines are intense, perhaps even gutsy, and are far more important than any California Pinot you will drink this year.

July 19

Tasting this morning with Doug Tunnell. Brickhouse is a brickhouse, as in brick…howwwse. Mighty, mighty. Just letting it all hang out.

But alas, 2003 was not a vintage to let it all hang out. It's tannic, hot, in fact, it's (horrors!) Californian!

Don't get me wrong, Doug's wines are not Californian. But they are powerful and well-sculpted and among the best Pinot Noirs (and possibly the best Gamay) made in the U.S.

July 18

A visit to Domaine Drouhin in Newberg, Oregon. We didn't have time for any barrel tasting so we just sat and chatted over a bottle each of Willamette Chardonnay 2002, Willamette 2001 Pinot Noir, Cuvee Laurene 2001 Pinot Noir and Louise 2001 Pinot Noir. I don't care what doubts and complaints you may have about or have heard about DDO. They're wrong.

These wines have been very, very good for a long time. And they continue to be very, very good.

The Louise is enough to make a California Pinot lover quiver. For me, a Burgundian by preference, it's enormously persuasive in a style that's not.

The Laurene 2001 is a little leafy, a touch herbal, it's got that sage thing that comes of volcanic soil Pinot Noir, but it's so pretty under that floral and strawberry character. It's tart too, in the finish, in a way that Californians will spend hours insisting is no different from the finish in their best wines. They are so wrong.

July 17

Dinner in Portland with some good friends. We drink three Germans – two Weins Prum: the Graacher Himmelreich 2002 Kabinett and Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2003 Spatlese. The first was clean and the second was sick fat. Then we did a bottle of Dr. Loosen 2002 Kabinett. Of course, the tasting should have been in a different order but we were elbow deep into grilled chicken with peanut sauce.

We tossed in a Grand Cru Pinot Gris from the coop in Alsace, Furstentum 2001 and that too was far too fat for normal. A Trimbach 2003 Pinot Gris Reserve failed to excite.

July 16

One of the fun discoveries in Oregon was a sparkler called Meriweather. New to me as it probably is to you. The 1999 was clean, leesy, bright, fruited and well-built. All my friends kept telling me to try the Reserve, “It's far better!”, they said. Wine geeks always do that.

I looked for it but to no avail. I'm not done looking, as the 1999 was so pretty.

July 15

Random notes – Airlie Breckenridge 2001 Pinot Noir – plump and tannic. Charles Audoin Marsannay Longeroies 2001 – always a sleeper appellation and while this has a whiff of unsightly Brett, it's very nice, bright wine with plenty of earth. I don't know the price, but I'd like to find it. Marsannay is never priced too far beyond reason, as is so much Burgundy .

Cedar Creek Platinum Reserve 2001 may be their best block of Pinot Noir but it's a fairly frustrating wine without a lot of reward. I love what's happening in British Columbia , but Pinot Noir is a work in progress at best.

July 14

Random notes – Domaine Alfred Pinot Noir Chamisal Vineyard is a fairly typical though well made California Pinot – dark fruits, tannic, notes of tobacco. But it's good.

July 13

Vision Cellars makes a very un-Pisoni like Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir. Gary 's Vineyard is how he labels it and it doesn't remind me of any other Gary Pisoni Pinot Noir. I greatly appreciate that.

The husband and wife who own Vision Cellars are charming. He had some great quotes but I think this was pretty good – “Sometimes we have to operate blind at Vision Cellars.”

July 12

Joe makes a Fiddlesticks Pinot Noir as well. His 2001 is a real treat, intensely floral and crisply balanced. This seems to me proof that the best spots for California Pinot Noir are still unsung and nearly unexplored.

July 11

Joe Davis' Arcadian Pinot Noir is far easier to love than most California Pinot Noir. Indeed, I prefer his Pisoni Pinot Noir to most other versions from this over-hyped vineyard. They're alcoholic (I mean the wines), over-wrought and generally over-extracted. I mean, for godsakes, this is Pinot Noir, not Rhone wine!

Joe doesn't do that version, at least not completely, and his 2001 has the density of the vineyard's famous examples but with a defter touch at the press, from the barrel and in the finish.

July 10

Why not? I have no idea. No, I have an idea. Perhaps it's a little like a dinner at a famous restaurant with a young Master Sommelier who shall remain nameless (Hey! Even I have my standards). Nameless MS strongly suggested a Burgundy from a producer that I haven't ever really liked. It was a joke. New World fruit, no character, no regionality, and no finish. It was as if said MS had never tasted real Burgundy .

Tall Poppy is Oregon wine, of course. But there is a lot about it that reminds me of old Gevrey, old school Gevrey.

It is, however, not fruity, not densely packed, and not smoky and barrel laden. It is more like Burgundy and if you haven't had a wine like that, you should probably give up. You'll spend years looking for just such a bottle and when you find it, your friends will tell you it's not that great.

July 9

Stephen has struggled with the character of the Pinot Noir from his hillside vineyards on the western side of the Willamette Valley . To call them tannic is an understatement. He has toyed with all manner of winemaking techniques trying to tame them. To no avail.

Instead, you could say that he has embraced them as they are. He gives them time to mellow, he softens them where he can.

And with his Tall Poppy bottling, he crafts a fascinating wine from the best barrels. I've tasted several friends on the wine and most of them don't get it.

July 8

I am a complete fan of Stephen Carey, the winemaker at Yamhill Valley Vineyards. In truth, he is an unknown figure to most in the industry. But he has done wonderful things for the wine business. In the 1980's he acted as a broker for most Oregon wineries, single-handedly promoting them when the press had just begun to open its crusty eyes to what was happening in Oregon .

Of course, the Oregon wineries never gave him enough credit for that. They're Oregonians after all and they always thought he could have done it better, could've been more organized, and could've promoted their individual wines more aggressively. Well, duh.

Since then he has been a leading light in helping to organize the Steamboat Conference, which helps Pinot Noir producers focus upon their struggles with that unfaithful grape. It's no exaggeration to say that Steamboat has done more than any other single event to improve Oregon Pinot Noir.

July 7

The quality of Eric Hamacher's wines continues. His 2001 was warm and rich with an absolutely seductive nose.

His wife Louisa continues to make wines of personality and character at Ponzi. They're very different from Eric's wines and indeed are different from any other Oregon winery. That alone demands attention. It's not like she needs my nod of approval; most people like them. Yet, in a style of Pinot that's more muscular than I prefer, I find that I always like her wines a lot.

July 6

Archery Summit has improved. That's the headline. The news underneath is, well, written by a very cranky reporter. I don't like their wines and I never have. I'd like to say that I'm mystified by the praise heaped upon them, but I'm not. People have been mistaking oak power and tannic kick for character for a few decades now. Even in Pinot Noir. It's like they've never had real Pinot Noir.

At this rate, maybe they won't. Archery Summit seems to have backed off the oak and extract a tad, but someone else will simply take their place. And tasters will continue to believe that Pinot Noir is supposed to taste like Zinfandel.

July 5

Robert Mondavi has a new, apparently cheap label called Spyglass. It's pretty good, whether it's the Merlot, Cabernet or Chardonnay you're looking at.

J. Lohr continues to offer decent value from California as well, though I'm less enamored of the Riverstone Chardonnay than I used to be. It's not the wine, it's me. The Seven Oaks is still pretty though.

July 4

More Alsace wine for me; celebrating French wine seems like a good way to celebrate our nation's birthday. Pierre Sparr Reserve Riesling 2003 is thick and joyous juice, with apples (skins and white meat both), pears, (ditto), peaches (little ones), apricots (sweet ones), tinges of spice and long, crisp

July 3

Laurel Glen occupies some space in my cellar and I'm happy about that. Laurel Glen, the top bottling is one of the gems of California Cabernet and ages like a champ. Try the 1986 is you want to see how all those other, more famous bottlings, can get their rear ends kicked by something that didn't cost so much. And his Reds bottling is great value!!

July 2

Today I bought my normal macchiato from my local coffee roaster, Broadway Café. They're amazing but this story isn't about how they're coffee sets standards most roasters don't even know exists.

Instead, one of the baristas told me he shames people into buying macchiatos by telling them that I buy only macchiatos. Well, always glad to help, if it helps.

But the barista didn't realize that two years ago, those folks had to shame me into ordering macchiatos. Until then I always ordered lattes. One of them had a sort of hurt look when I ordered a latte and said, “I'm surprised that you, someone who appreciates taste, would order that drink.” I started by ordering macchiatos whenever he was around. Before long, they were all in on it.

Now I have friends who think I shouldn't order macchiatos. I should just have straight espresso. They should shut up.

July 1

St. Supery is a king with Sauvignon Blanc as well. The ex-winemaker went on to make other great Sauvignon at Wattle Creek.

But Voss Vineyards is just as consistent with that grape. The wine is as creamy as dessert, and as crisp as spring fruit.