Went to the Multnomah Village First Friday this evening and ended up at John's Market (http://goo.gl/maps/jVerf) for a wine tasting of some delish wines... tasted an amazing GSM from Hahn Winery. It was their 2011 vintage and at $8.99 a bottle, we purchased several :)
On the nose it smells like tobacco, leather and blackberries. The legs are fast, thin and mesmerizing :) Front pallet is an amazingly delicious melange of butter, spice and cherry. Mid pallet brings a burst of spice and the wine finishes with a delightful currant flavor.
We had this with Thai food and I can only imagine this would go pleasantly well with any meal... thanks Mr. Mike! We are really glad you let us taste this evening!!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
2010 Edgefield Primitivo
B and I decided to head to the McMenamins in our hood for some late night eats, brews and vines... Upon the urging of our fav waiter we tried the Primitivo. Wow! This primitivo hales from the Columbia Valley and is 13.5% abv.
Smells like tobacco and blackberry
Mid pallet is a burst of blackberries and a hint of cherry.
Finishes smooth with a bit of bark, but super wet... awesome drinkable red. Reminds me of a Zin... would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner!!
Everyone should try a glass and tell me what they think :)
xoxo,
kegw
Sunday, October 28, 2012
2009 WillaKenzie Kiana Pinot Noir
B and I were coming home from the Oregon coast this afternoon and stopped in at one of our favorite vineyards, WillaKenzie, for some wine tasting and to pick up a bottle for dinner. We tasted several yummy pinots and had a bit of a tough time deciding what to take home. While perusing the available wines for purchase, we saw the '09 Kiana. We asked if they had a bottle open to taste and unfortunately they did not. We have had the pleasure of tasting and purchasing a bottle of the Kiana before and knew how incredibly smooth and amazingly delicious it is. Of course, not being able to taste the '09 Kiana just made us want a bottle even more :) So B made an executive decision and asked to purchase the Kiana.
Sidenote: We were fortunate to taste WillaKenzie's Pinot Noir Thibaud's Couvee during our visit. It was SO TASTEY!!! If it were for sale we would have purchased some. We were told it is sold exclusively to a small group of restaurants in San Francisco. If anyone knows what these restaurants are I'd LOVE to know. I would love to grab a bite there next time I'm in San Fran.
Anyhow, we got home and started making smoked chicken for dinner...we figured it would go real well with the '09 Kiana (we were right). We let the bottle sit to open for about 20 minutes. The following are my wine notes :)
ruby in color
slow eye-droplet looking legs
nose - tobacoo, cherry and vanilla
first - soft vanilla
mid - berry/blackberry
finish - tannins, leather, dry
If you haven't been out to WillaKenzie, GO THERE. The grounds are gorgeous and the tasting room is spectacular. It's located in the Ribbon Ridge...a new personal favorite area for grape growing. Their tastings involve 6 tastes; two whites and four reds, and are $15. They waive tasting fees with any $25 purchase. Which isn't hard to do since most of their wines are between $30 and $50. The bottle of Kiana B purchased was $48 and worth every last penny. Thanks B ;)
Cheers!
xoxo,
kegw
Anyhow, we got home and started making smoked chicken for dinner...we figured it would go real well with the '09 Kiana (we were right). We let the bottle sit to open for about 20 minutes. The following are my wine notes :)
ruby in color
slow eye-droplet looking legs
nose - tobacoo, cherry and vanilla
first - soft vanilla
mid - berry/blackberry
finish - tannins, leather, dry
If you haven't been out to WillaKenzie, GO THERE. The grounds are gorgeous and the tasting room is spectacular. It's located in the Ribbon Ridge...a new personal favorite area for grape growing. Their tastings involve 6 tastes; two whites and four reds, and are $15. They waive tasting fees with any $25 purchase. Which isn't hard to do since most of their wines are between $30 and $50. The bottle of Kiana B purchased was $48 and worth every last penny. Thanks B ;)
Cheers!
xoxo,
kegw
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
"It's Been a Long Time"
Holy smokes, I have so much to write about!! For those of you who don't know, I've been in the process of moving for about the past month. It's been a whirlwind and I am very glad to say, It's over :) Now all settled in my new digs, I am ready to start publishing reviews I've taken while being off the radar (so to speak). Here's a quick update...
Firstly, we attended the TeSoAria quarterly pick up party, which was held at the Ford Building's - Ford Food & Drink (http://www.fordbuildingpdx.com/). Neat space, great people, drool worthy food, and damn delectable wines. After tasting the '08 Mistral as well as several other bottles, B and I decided we needed to up our quarterly bottle amount... I know, shocking right!? We went in expecting to take away 6 bottles and instead walked away with 9. Seems like that always happens to us :) We also attended Savor Southern Oregon, which was held on a delightfully sunny and hot Portland afternoon in Director's Park. What a great turn out. The food was tastey and it was lovely to try wine from more of Southern Oregon's vineyards. However, I would say that at some points the music was far too loud, and I am still confused as to why there was a coffee roaster there (coffee screws up your tasters!). We snagged bottles of Delfino's 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cowhorn's 2010 Grenache58, Melrose's 2008 Baco Noir, Cliff Creek Cellar's 2006 Claret and 2006 Syrah, and Agate Ridge Vineyard's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. Don't worry, I will be publishing reviews of all of the aforementioned wines, as B and I have drank all but two of the bottles we purchased that afternoon thus far. I also joined Cliff Creek Cellar's wine club at Savor Southern Oregon and have had my first shipment from them as well (reviews to follow)! October is here, which means Trader Joe's is stocking their shelves with some interesting inexpensive wines around this time of year. I have (of course) been stocking up on said wines, and I will report back.
Anyhow, I'm glad to be back typing my fingers off :) More soon!
xxoo,
kegw
Firstly, we attended the TeSoAria quarterly pick up party, which was held at the Ford Building's - Ford Food & Drink (http://www.fordbuildingpdx.com/). Neat space, great people, drool worthy food, and damn delectable wines. After tasting the '08 Mistral as well as several other bottles, B and I decided we needed to up our quarterly bottle amount... I know, shocking right!? We went in expecting to take away 6 bottles and instead walked away with 9. Seems like that always happens to us :) We also attended Savor Southern Oregon, which was held on a delightfully sunny and hot Portland afternoon in Director's Park. What a great turn out. The food was tastey and it was lovely to try wine from more of Southern Oregon's vineyards. However, I would say that at some points the music was far too loud, and I am still confused as to why there was a coffee roaster there (coffee screws up your tasters!). We snagged bottles of Delfino's 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cowhorn's 2010 Grenache58, Melrose's 2008 Baco Noir, Cliff Creek Cellar's 2006 Claret and 2006 Syrah, and Agate Ridge Vineyard's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. Don't worry, I will be publishing reviews of all of the aforementioned wines, as B and I have drank all but two of the bottles we purchased that afternoon thus far. I also joined Cliff Creek Cellar's wine club at Savor Southern Oregon and have had my first shipment from them as well (reviews to follow)! October is here, which means Trader Joe's is stocking their shelves with some interesting inexpensive wines around this time of year. I have (of course) been stocking up on said wines, and I will report back.
Anyhow, I'm glad to be back typing my fingers off :) More soon!
xxoo,
kegw
Sunday, September 9, 2012
TeSoAria 2010 Syrah
Its a slightly gloomy day here in Portland, OR and in honor of the coming Autumn B really wanted to open a delicious dark red. We went over to the old wine rack and spent some time debating what to open. After careful consideration we chose to open one of our bottles of 2010 TeSoAria Syrah. YAY!
This syrah is a deep purple-ish red. In fact, it is difficult to see through the glass because this '10 syrah is so dark. Which I know deep dark reds are always my favorite. In doing my favorite 'swirly test' (as I like to call it) this '10 syrah revealed thin fast running legs.
The TeSoAria 2010 Syrah has a very enticing aroma. I smell tobacco, blackberries and spice. B mentions that he smells pepper, which I think he does because that is what he is hoping to taste :) However, B was speaking with the wine maker and learned a fun fact about the syrah grapes. TeSoAria's wine maker went to another grape grower to potentially purchase the syrah grapes used in his syrahs. Evidently, when the wine maker got out to the fields to inspect the grapes, he could smell the pepper from the syrah grapes and knew he wanted to purchase the grapes. Anyhow, this syrah starts off pretty creamy with hints of raspberry and chocolate. Mid pallet this wine explodes with an earthy blend of pepper and plum but finishes delightfully dry. B says its good to the last drop and I whole heartily agree.
If you like syrah, you should definitely give this one a try.
xoxo,
kegw
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Patton Valley Vineyard 2010 Pinot Noir
Just enjoying a lovely evening with Winona, her husband (AKA J), and B. Cracked a bottle of Patton Valley pinot and really enjoying the spice on this pinot. Smells like blackberry, chestnuts and tobacco. Front pallet bursts with fruit. Mid pallet is enticingly spicy. This pinot finishes with a delightful tannin which Winona and I both appreciate.
Cheers!!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Vercingetorix Vineyard
B and I found ourselves in Newberg, OR two weekends ago and decided to hit up some vineyards for tastings. We wanted to taste at vineyards we hadn't been to before and our first stop was Vercingetorix Vineyard AKA VX (http://www.vxvineyard.com/). VX is located on Corral Creek Road just off of Hwy 99. The grounds are gorgeous and you really feel like you are out in the country almost in your own oasis there. VX only offers pinots so, if you don't like Oregon pinots don't go there :)
On this particular day, VX was offering 5 different pinots to taste; pinot blanc, pinot gris, '09 pinot noir, '08 reserve pinot noir, and their '09 cuvee.
The pinot blanc was far too sweet for my pallet. Unfortunately I could not finish my glass. This pinot blanc smelled like grapefruit and seemed extremely oakey, but the wine steward said the wine was not aged in oak barrels. I was thinking perhaps it was cured with oak chips in the barrel...IDK. B seemed to like it, but mentioned that he would not purchase a bottle.
The pinot gris was also too sweet for my pallet. To me, the pinot gris tasted like strawberries and nothing else. Unfortunately, it was an overwhelming taste. In my wine notes, I mention that if I was already drunk, I would drink this wine on a hot day...as so long as it was served cold.
The 2009 pinot noir unfortunately smelled like alcohol. The '09 pinot was a light, light burgundy ...almost a bright ruby color. To me, it tasted really dry, and I think it should sit another 2 to 3 years before it's okay to drink.
The reserve 2008 pinot noir was a very pretty burgundy color and smelled like chestnuts and boysenberries. It was (for me) surprisingly medium bodied. It had this amazing mid-pallet burst of bold flavors, but it quickly fizzled into a flat taste... no bueno.
Finally, the 2009 Cuvee is made from three different pinot grapes and seemed black cherry in color. The cuvee smelled like spice... my fav :) It tasted kinda crazy; like nothing I have tasted before. It was tarte to start and oddly sweet mid pallet, and unfortunately finished very sweet. It was burst of concord grape, blueberry and bing cherry. I am sorry to say it was too much fruit for me, and a very hard taste for me to adjust to.
This all being said, if you like sweet whites and reds, definitely go visit Vercingetorix Vineyard. I will be back here in about two years to re-try all of their offerings.
xoxo,
kegw
On this particular day, VX was offering 5 different pinots to taste; pinot blanc, pinot gris, '09 pinot noir, '08 reserve pinot noir, and their '09 cuvee.
The pinot blanc was far too sweet for my pallet. Unfortunately I could not finish my glass. This pinot blanc smelled like grapefruit and seemed extremely oakey, but the wine steward said the wine was not aged in oak barrels. I was thinking perhaps it was cured with oak chips in the barrel...IDK. B seemed to like it, but mentioned that he would not purchase a bottle.
The pinot gris was also too sweet for my pallet. To me, the pinot gris tasted like strawberries and nothing else. Unfortunately, it was an overwhelming taste. In my wine notes, I mention that if I was already drunk, I would drink this wine on a hot day...as so long as it was served cold.
The 2009 pinot noir unfortunately smelled like alcohol. The '09 pinot was a light, light burgundy ...almost a bright ruby color. To me, it tasted really dry, and I think it should sit another 2 to 3 years before it's okay to drink.
The reserve 2008 pinot noir was a very pretty burgundy color and smelled like chestnuts and boysenberries. It was (for me) surprisingly medium bodied. It had this amazing mid-pallet burst of bold flavors, but it quickly fizzled into a flat taste... no bueno.
Finally, the 2009 Cuvee is made from three different pinot grapes and seemed black cherry in color. The cuvee smelled like spice... my fav :) It tasted kinda crazy; like nothing I have tasted before. It was tarte to start and oddly sweet mid pallet, and unfortunately finished very sweet. It was burst of concord grape, blueberry and bing cherry. I am sorry to say it was too much fruit for me, and a very hard taste for me to adjust to.
This all being said, if you like sweet whites and reds, definitely go visit Vercingetorix Vineyard. I will be back here in about two years to re-try all of their offerings.
xoxo,
kegw
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