Browse Month

July 2006

TN: A Ridge and three valleys

Jadot 2004 Pouilly-Fuissé (Burgundy) – Light, clear pear and faint dried orange with a thin layer of spice. Decent, quaffable, nothing special. (7/06)

My father-in-law’s favorite wine. Why? I have absolutely no idea. It’s recognizably white Burgundy, but beyond that…I dunno. Alcohol: 12%. Closure: cork. Importer: Kobrand. Web: http://www.louisjadot.com/.

Banfi 2004 Pinot Grigio “San Angelo” (Tuscany) – Light lemon-grapefruit juice with a sticky, palate-deadening texture. Off-dry? This is cocktail wine, totally unsuitable for food, and just reeks of industrialism. (7/06)

This is the pinot grigio style that has made it the most popular imported white wine in the United States: simple fruit, simple sugar, absolutely no complexity. There’s really not much to say about wines like this. They are what they are. Alcohol: 12.5%. Closure: cork. Importer: Banfi. Web: http://www.castellobanfi.com/.

Ridge 2002 Zinfandel Ponzo (Russian River Valley) – Big, almost explosive fruit and oakspice with a particulate leather texture, black earth, and an utterly compelling and enjoyable presence on the palate. Delicious and not yet fully mature, but drinking incredibly well now. (7/06)

96% zinfandel, 2% carignane, 2% petite sirah. This isn’t a vineyard Ridge has been vinifying separately for long (it used to go into a Sonoma blend), but the results so far have been highly promising. Alcohol: 14.4%. Closure: cork. Web: http://www.ridgewine.com/.

Ruffino 2001 Chianti Classico Riserva “Ducale Oro” (Tuscany) – Roasted strawberry-encrusted game and white-peppered earth, but overly restrained, as if tasted through gauze. Very matter-of-fact, with a simplistic finish. (7/06)

85% sangiovese, 15% “other.” A Riserva should be a masterwork of sangiovese and the terroir, but this wine has slid year by year into a sort of comfortable mediocrity. It’s a shame, too, given its ubiquity in the marketplace, as many people will get the incorrect idea that this is what Chianti Classico Riserva is about, and all it can achieve. There’s a lot of underachieving wine in Tuscany, and this is a sort of poster child for the underachievement. Alcohol: 13%. Closure: cork. Web: http://www.ruffino.com/.

TN: Pinot, Paul & Volnay (Oregon, pt. 4)

[rabbit painting]

Scott Paul – It’s easy to miss Scott Paul’s brand-spanking new tasting room (and their even less-frequently spanked new winery, still in semi-skeletal form across the street), because it’s sorta tucked between what looks like a grain mill and a bunch of construction vehicles. As a result, we zip right by it the first time, and have to double back…which isn’t really much of a problem in the micro-village of Carlton.

The facility itself is bright but cozy, with the much commented-upon rabbit prominently featured on one wall, and fairly quiet. Most of the winery principals wander through at one point or another – Scott Paul Wright ambles, looking concerned (quite possibly over the state of construction across the road, given the quickly-advancing summer), while winemaker Kelley Fox strides purposefully through the room as if she intends to smash through the front door with her forehead. We don’t bother them, instead settling at a central table and perusing the tasting options.

Most pinot noir producers would not openly invite comparisons to Burgundy. Why that might be would vary from producer to producer, but the most obvious reason is that the wines are usually so different that their proximity will show one or the other in ill light. Not so at Scott Paul, for Wright owns a small, specialized Burgundy importing company, and presents these wines alongside his own. It’s a bold move.

Huber-Verdereau 2004 Bourgogne Blanc (Burgundy) – Lemon, apple and grapefruit with a flat, slate-like texture. Crisp and a little chewy on the finish. A nice little chardonnay, with no particular aspirations.

François Gay 2003 Savigny-les-Beaune (Burgundy) – Big, ripe and floral, showing dark plum and medium tannin with a heavy, seemingly alcohol-induced palate weight. A bit thudding. It’s actually not at all a bad wine for the vintage, but it’s really neither my style nor what I look for from a Savigny.

Pascal Bouley 2003 Volnay (Burgundy) – Juicy raspberry sours with a leafy finish. It seems overtly malic (or at least the acidity is slightly out-of-balance on the high side, possibly leaning towards the volatile), with strong, drying tannin. Turns to cran-raspberry juice on the biting, tongue-numbing finish. There’s potential, and fans of this style might find much to like here, but it’s most definitely not for me.

Scott Paul 2004 Pinot Noir “La Paulée” (Willamette Valley) – A selection made in the cellar, assembled from the best lots, and named after one of the bacchanalian wine dinners for which producers in Burgundy are famous. It’s restrained and aromatically repressed at first, but it can be coaxed both with aggressive swirling and retronasal agitation. There’s strawberry and concentrated plum on a foundation of sweet lead, which trends towards the gelatinous but then finishes with the emergence of seeds and a grace note of bitterness. The acid’s flawless, the balance is fine, and the finish is extremely long. A lovely wine in the first throes of its adolescence.

We mention to our tasting room host that we’d be interested in seeing what else from Scott Paul is available for purchase, and she responds by offering to open a second wine for us. This strikes us as kind and generous, though we’re not about to object.

Scott Paul 2004 Pinot Noir “Audrey” (Willamette Valley) – The pinnacle of what’s available in a given year, and again a cellar selection; this time named after Audrey Hepburn. That’s a lot to live up to. And yet, the wine surpasses expectations: beautifully soft and elegant, full of life, and possessed of hidden strengths expressed with delicacy. The nose is pristine, showing red cherry and lavender, followed by the gentlest of explosions on the palate: flowers and light red fruit. The finish is lithe, silky and seductive, with spices intermingling with a fine particulate granite texture, and lingers until the sensation can no longer be separated from the memory. Stunning, world-class pinot noir.

TN: C’est Lavis

Lavis 2004 Beaujolais-Villages (Beaujolais) – A burst (that is, not quite an explosion) of delicious boysenberry fruit, with lighter red berry elements and a fresh, appealing nature. Nice acidity, maybe the faintest hint of prickle, and balanced, with a slightly tannic edge deep into the finish. (7/06)

Beaujolais-Villages is from one or more of the approximately 38 villages that are allowed to attach their name to the Beaujolais appellation – Beaujolais-Boston would be an example of how it works, though I’m quite sure there’s no gamay grown here – and, despite, that large number of villages, somewhat of a rarity. There are various reasons for this, mostly having to do with details and inconsistencies in the AOC system, but the resulting wines can be all over the map…both literally and qualitatively. 100% gamay. Alcohol: 12.5%. Closure: cork. Importer: Violette.

TN: Jesi Bucci Rosé John

[Bucci]Bucci 2004 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico “Superiore” (Marches) – Fresh but lively, with citrus rind and a seashore quality carried on striking (yet balanced) acidity. It gets more complex on the finish, throwing flowers and exotic but very gentle spices into the mix. (7/06)

See my previous note for more on this wine. Alcohol: 14%. Closure: cork. Importer: Empson. Web: http://www.villabucci.com/.

[Tablas Creek]Tablas Creek 2003 Rosé (Paso Robles) – Earthy mixed red berries with a soft elegance and some obvious, alcohol-driven palate weight. In fact, it’s too elegant; previous versions have shown more intensity, and I think this might be suffering from a mild cork taint. It’s so mild that the wine is still pleasurable, but everything that should be at this party, isn’t. (7/06)

64% mourvèdre, 28% grenache, 8% counoise. Tablas Creek varies the blend of this wine from year to year, using whatever the vintage gives them to maximum effect (when, that is, the wine is intact). This should not be viewed as experimentation – though there’s an element of that at work in every blended wine from this producer – but as the freedom to be flexible; the one advantage Paso has over the Perrin family’s better-known wineries (e.g. Beaucastel) in the Rhône Valley. Alcohol: 14.8%. Closure: cork. Web: http://www.tablascreek.com/.

Peillot 2003 Bugey Mondeuse (Ain) – The zip of blackberry soda without the sparkle, plus a hefty dash of black pepper and aromatic purple flower pollen, make this wine a true eye-opener. Fine acidity doesn’t hurt, either. There’s a ton of fruit, but everything’s in balance and harmony, albeit at a slightly higher volume than this wine usually achieves. (7/06)

One of the rare successes of the 2003 vintage in Europe (some of the others have been Loire reds), though the vintage renders this wine more than a bit atypical. The fruit is elevated, the intensity ramped up, and the earthiness is all but invisible, yet all the wonderful structural elements that usually inhabit this wine are still there, and carry it through the heat-induced difficulties experienced at most other domaines. Alcohol: 12%. Closure: cork. Importer: Louis/Dressner/LDM.

[ESJ]Edmunds St. John 2001 Syrah (California) – Solid, leathery blackberry with a lovely mix of earthen and fruit paste aromas lurking underneath. The wine’s a bit bass-heavy now, but with time the higher-pitched aromatics will emerge from what is already a highly aromatic wine. A terrific value, as well. (7/06)

This is a blend from all over California – Sonoma, El Dorado County, San Luis Obispo County and Paso Robles – constructed with the deft, light touch of ESJ at its best. It seems like a bargain wine, but it continues to show little sign of doing anything other than gentle, pleasurable aging…so if you have the will to preserve a few bottles, do so. Alcohol: 14%. Closure: cork. Web: http://www.edmundsstjohn.com/.

TN: Under the pink

[ Commanderie de la Bargemone]Rozan “Commanderie de la Bargemone” 2005 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence Rosé (Provence) – Sticky strawberry and raspberry with thick white apricot and a dense, mildly sweet texture. It’s flavorful, if a bit heavy, but it’s not at all refreshing. (7/06)

50% grenache, 30% cinsault, 15% syrah and 5% carignan. This is produced at an absolutely beautiful property in St-Cannat, created by the Knights Templar and admired by Cézanne. It’s a shame the wine doesn’t quite live up to its place of origin. Alcohol: 13%. Closure: extruded synthetic. Importer: Hand Picked Selections. Web: http://commanderie-bargemone.com/.

JM Raffault 2004 Chinon Rosé (Loire) – Much better than the previous wine. Strawberry is only the top layer here, with chalky-dusty white mushrooms forming a core around which are wrapped light fruit and gentle spring leaf aromas. A light, somewhat mysterious rosé that needs careful attention to draw forth its nuances. (7/06)

Cabernet franc, which lends itself to light-bodied rosés (more extracted versions are possible, but often unwise), is not a grape that’s much used for pink wines anywhere outside the Loire. And, as with the often brilliant nebbiolo rosatos of the Piedmont, I’m somewhat at a loss to understand why. Alcohol: 12.5%. Closure: extruded synthetic. Importer: Carolina.

TN: Who’s the Boss? (Oregon, pt. 3)

[DDO sign](The original version, with more photos and a slightly cleaner look, is here)

14 July 2006 – Willamette Valley, Oregon

Domaine Drouhin Oregon – This is an absolutely beautiful and expansive facility sitting on a marvelous hilltop, surrounded by tightly-controlled vines. We’re here a few minutes before opening, and a guy is shuttling boxes of wine from his car to the open window of the tasting room. I can’t resist commenting that I’ve always heard it’s supposed to work the other way.

It turns out that our anti-thief is Mark Bosko, the tasting room manager, and it also turns out that he’s from Boston. He gives us a short spiel, which includes the rather uncharitable fact that the price of the “Laurène” Pinot Noir has gone up $15 as of this morning. Why would you share that with a potential customer?

DDO (as some people tend to call it) produces just four wines: a regular pinot noir and three prestige cuvées – one chardonnay, two pinot noir – named after winemaker Véronique Drouhin-Boss’ children. The “Louise” is made in micro-quantities and not on offer, but the other three are…for a fairly princely tasting fee that is not easily refunded. Even though we walk out with $150 worth of wine, only one fee is absorbed. That strikes me as a little larcenous, but it’s their winery, and no one’s holding a gun to visitors’ heads (or wallets). I suppose I could have requested special access, especially since I’ve interviewed Véronique – one of the most relentlessly nice and generous people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and who once set up a memorable visit to their Burgundian cellars – but sometimes it’s nice to just get in, taste, and get out as efficiently as possible.

Drouhin-Boss is an involved but absentee winemaker, doing much of her work from Beaune via overnight-shipped samples, and there’s always at least one local talent on hand to oversee daily operations. Scott Paul Wright, long associated with the winery, has moved on to his own project (which we’ll visit later), and David Millman now fills this role, with Arron Bell as cellarmaster. Everyone wishes she would spend more time in Oregon – not just for her expertise, but because people appear to have great affection for her, both at DDO and in the Valley in general – but with her husband and young children in Burgundy, I’m sure it’s a difficult trip to make with any great frequency.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2004 Chardonnay “Arthur” (Willamette Valley) – Tight, showing fig, grapefruit rind and a hint of dusty gooseberry on the nose. The palate is more elegant but with youthful solidity; Rainier cherry and walnut skin flavors present as dry as a desert wind. This wine is stuffed to the gills with extract, but remains wonderfully textured and balanced throughout…a quality which really emerges on the finish. This is one of the best domestic chardonnays I’ve ever tasted.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2003 Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley) – Chewy nuts, but otherwise pretty tight and oddly disjointed; a strange performance, or a strange wine? It’s hard to say, but there’s just not much here to judge. Mild taint? Perhaps, but our pourer pre-tasted the wine.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2002 Pinot Noir “Laurène” (Willamette Valley) – Sweet plum, strawberry and black mission fig with a deep undertone of black earth and traces of thyme and leather. Medium-bodied, though with a full and strong palate presence, turning to juicier blackberry and other dark fruit on the finish. Brilliant balance and structure.

TN: A (mostly) great eight

[Houchart]Quiot “Domaine Houchart” 2005 Côtes de Provence (Provence) – Sun-drenched raspberry and strawberry, done up in semi-lurid fashion. Heavy, like so many Provençal rosés that hit the export market. And is that residual sugar, too? (7/06)

35% grenache, 25% syrah, 20% cinsault, 10% cabernet sauvignon, 5% mourvèdre, and 5% “other.” Don’t you just love categories like that? Anyway, this is either produced or owned by the Quiot family (better known for their Châteauneuf-du-Pâpes from Vieux Lazaret and Duclaux) – the bottle and the web site differ on this point – and could almost be said to taste concocted for the American market. It’s probably not, but what it’s definitely not is very good. Alcohol: 13.5%. Closure: molded synthetic. Importer: Ruby. Web: http://www.jeromequiot.com/.

Trimbach 2003 Pinot Gris Ribeauvillé “Réserve” (Alsace) – Heavy, with good metallic pear aromatics and fair acidity, but absolutely no finish. None. Wham-bam-thank-you-wine. (7/06)

2003 claims its European victims in many ways, and here’s yet another. Producers who deal in relentless residual sugar did a little better (or at least covered their tracks better), but all in all it’s not shaping up to be a particularly exciting vintage for the fatter Alsatian grapes (pinot gris and gewurztraminer). As for the rest, we’ll see. Alcohol: 13%. Closure: cork. Importer: Diageo. Web: http://www.maison-trimbach.fr/.

Renardat-Fache Bugey Cerdon (Ain) – A vivid neon froth of strawberries and raspberry flowers with touches of rose petal jam; incredibly flavorful, but a bit sudsier and more abrupt than previous releases. (7/06)

Gamay and poulsard, or maybe just gamay (there are apparently different lots of this wine in certain years, which can be differentiated by a lot number that’s very difficult to find), and…as always…“soda pop for adults.” Alcohol: 7.5%. Closure: cork. Importer: Louis/Dressner/LDM.

[Plaimont producers]Producteurs Plaimont “Les Vignes Retrouvées” 2004 Côtes de Saint-Mont (Southwest France) – Simple, earth-infused stone fruit, beaming sun and shade in equal measure. A simple little country gem, perfect in its own way. (7/06)

The cépage of this one is unknown, though arrufiac, courbu, gros manseng and petit manseng are all possible. This is a cooperative winery; cooperatives the backbone of “traditional” French viticulture, but are almost totally unknown in the States. Sometimes, it’s no big loss…and sometimes, it’s a shame, for quality-minded cooperatives can be a terrific source for inexpensive everyday wines with real character. Which this one is. Alcohol: 13%. Closure: cork. Importer: Carolina Web: http://www.plaimont.com/.

Dubourdieu “Château Graville-Lacoste” 2004 Graves (Bordeaux) – Fresh yellow/lime-green fruit and grass, with solid acidity. A bit foursquare and masculine – I’d prefer a little more spring in its step – but very tasty with the right food…something crisp and light. (7/06)

Mostly sémillon, with sauvignon blanc in a supporting role. This is the opposite of how the blend usually works in New Zealand, for a number of reasons (the greater marketability of sauvignon, a more variable quality to the sémillon, and the fact that Australia already does quite well with varietal sémillon bottlings), so it can be hard to readjust expectations enough to appreciate white Bordeaux on its own merits. Nor is it often well-served by comparison to the sauvignons of the Loire Valley. But what white Bordeaux is – or rather, can be – is a more elegant, more refined, and perhaps more dignified expression of the same thought pursued from Sancerre to Marlborough. Graville-Lacoste is typically quite adept at inhabiting this niche, though it remains a relatively “fun” wine in most vintages. Alcohol: 12%. Closure: cork. Importer: Lynch.

[Tablas Creek]Tablas Creek 2004 “Côtes de Tablas” Blanc (Paso Robles) – A rich mélange of raw, roasted and pressed-into-oil nuts, with wet grey minerality, a creamy texture, and a pleasant overlay of peach and nectarine purées. Long and structurally sound, with aging potential. (7/06)

55% viognier, 29% marsanne, 8% grenache blanc, 8% roussanne. The Perrin family’s California venture (they’re the ones who make Beaucastel in France) is better-known for its Rhône-style reds, but I think the whites are a more remarkable achievement; other producers had already proved that California could be successful with the Rhône palette of red grapes (though few make them as well as Tablas Creek). Whites, however, have been a decidedly mixed blessing elsewhere…either too thin and uninteresting, or too fat and overwhelming, or oaked and tarted up in the manner of the most abused chardonnays. The whites at Tablas don’t have the same intensity of slightly oxidative minerality that their Rhône ancestors do, but they’re developing it vintage by vintage (could it be related to vine age?), and the results are a lot of fun to drink. Alcohol: 14.5%. Closure: cork. Web: http://www.tablascreek.com/.

[Viret]Clos du Paradis “Domaine Viret” 2000 Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Saint-Maurice “Cosmic” (Rhône) – Beautiful, dry-roasted dark berries and rich, organic black earth with mixed herbs, sandy-textured tannin, and interminglings of maturing, autumnal fruit. Just beautiful. (7/06)

Viret’s Dressner-specific cuvée, meant for earlier drinkability (though I wonder if there will be any more, as it used to be represented on their web site, and is no longer there) than most of their more strong-willed bottlings. Still cosmocultural, and still delicious. Who cares how they make it, if these are the results? (Well, obviously they do.) Alcohol: 14.5%. Closure: cork. Importer: Louis/Dressner/LDM. Web: http://www.domaine-viret.com/.

[Durban]Leydier “Domaine de Durban” 2002 Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (Rhône) – From 375 ml. Sweet peach and pear with quartz-crystal minerality and freshening acidity. Striking, satisfying, and complex. Year after year, this is the best muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise on the market. (7/06)

It’s interesting that, even fortified, this is lower in alcohol than many high-octane California whites and reds. What’s more interesting is that the quartz-like minerality carries through to Durban’s striking Beaumes-de-Venise red. Anyone still doubting the influence of terroir after tasting these two wines is just ignorant (or possibly mean-spirited). Alcohol: 15%. Closure: cork. Importer: Lynch.

TN: I’d like to bi another valve, Pat (California, pt. 6)

(The original version, with more photos and better formatting, is here.)

[tree]24 April 2006 –San Francisco, California

Hog Island Oyster Co. – Is it pigging out when a single person devours three dozen oysters? Oh, who cares…they’re terrific, especially the succulent Effingham Inlet oysters from British Columbia, which are so enticing on this day that my third dozen is 100% Effingham. And kudos to Hog Island for continuing to present a thoughtfully-conceived short list of oyster-friendly wine, beer and sake.

Uvaggio 2005 Vermentino (Lodi) – California vermentino? From Lodi? Well, sure, I’ll try anything once. Or twice, as it turns out, because this is eminently pleasant, alive with intense green fruit and flowers bolstered by reasonably fair acidity. Somehow, it reminds me more of sauvignon blanc than any Sardinian or Corsican vermentino I’ve tasted, but the flavors are just different enough to set it apart. It’s no Tayerle, but it’s a clean, juicy accompaniment to briny oysters.

Caffè Greco – Yes, that’s the accenting they use. This busy North Beach café serves up one of the biggest lattes I’ve ever seen, though I’m not sure as to the value of such a size, as the end of the drink is considerably cooler than most people prefer their coffee. As for the contents themselves: the weight is right, but they’re texturally gritty and very slightly overroasted (not to the typical Starbucks extreme, though). Plus, the milk could be a bit fresher. Despite the great location and authentic ambiance, this is a bit of a downer.

San Francisco Brewing Company – We join some of Theresa’s conference-mates (and, though most with us are unaware, her soon-to-be employer) at this sticky…anyone ever heard of cleaning fluid?…pub/restaurant with tons of slightly dodgy atmosphere. It’s trying for the perfect English pub feel, but it’s not quite spot on. There’s food, but we’re meeting friends later, so we stick to the brewed offerings.

San Francisco Brewing Company Shanghai IPA – Sweet and hoppy, with a coriander-scented froth. It’s long and properly biter, but a little odd; what’s with the sweetness?

San Francisco Brewing Company Andromeda Wheat – Seriously, what is with the sweetness? This is light, with particulate wheat grain and a soft finish. But the sugar stands out, and can’t even be knocked back with lemon. (On the bar’s menu board, this is listed as Andromeda Hefeweizen.)

A16 – In the wealthy Marina District, and packed to the gills from stem to stern and opening to closing, there’s little reason to expect continued high quality here…and yet, the quality remains, even with changes in the kitchen. The most common food-related complaint is that the pizza isn’t perfectly crispy, but the restaurant counters that the thin, fully-crispy crust people expect is Roman, not authentically Neapolitan…and that it’s the latter style that the restaurant is trying to emulate. In any case, their signature pizzas are excellent, with simply-presented toppings that feature both themselves and their foundation.

But there’s a lot more to this menu than pizza. An appetizer of tuna and artichoke is perfect in its simplicity and the interplay between the diffident greenness of the artichokes and the oily brine of the tuna, with the fishy elements of both binding the dish together. Asparagus with a walnut crema is deepened by a faint truffle note, and again works together to bring out the quality of the individual ingredients. And grilled calamari with ceci beans, tomato and fennel tastes as if it had been flung directly from the sea to the fire. Moving on to bigger plates, a heavenly, light-but-heavy gnocchi dish with peas and chili flakes sneaks up on the palate with its simple and pure appeal.

The only complaint I have about A16 is the din, which rises to conversation-obscuring levels for most of any dining period. But since this phenomenon is hardly uncommon in the restaurant world, it’s probably not worth complaining about.

A16’s wine list is very, very heavy on Southern Italian offerings, which means the majority of it will be completely opaque to Americans, who are rarely familiar with anything south of Tuscany. I have no problem identifying a few dozen wines I know and like, but on a list of this breadth I like to expand my horizons…and thus I enlist the help of Skye LaTorre, one of the three young wine specialists that assist A16’s wine director, Shelley Lindgren. (Of that quartet, three are women, which is both unusual and commendable in the often-conservative world of restaurant wine.) I give her my criteria: acid required, lighter on the wood, no goopy 2003-style wines, unusual is just fine, and anything earthy or mineral-driven is a plus. She literally hops with excitement, and scurries away to find something intriguing.

Dettori “Badde Nigolosu” 2004 Romangia Bianco (Sardinia) – 100% vermentino from a noted sub-region of the island, and Skye has definitely taken my encouragement towards the unusual literally. This wine is slightly cloudy, showing fat, spicy white melon and a powdery complexity on the palate that turns silky on the long finish. Like many Old World wines, it rises and falls in intensity proportional to the demands placed upon it by the accompanying food. Really, really interesting.

Marcassin 2002 Chardonnay Zio Tony Ranch (Russian River Valley) – Needless to say, this is not one of Skye’s suggestions, but rather a kind gift from a nearby table who notes the extent to which we’re geeking out over the wines. It’s extremely thick, showing wave upon wave of yellow fig – it’s more than a little monotonal – with a hint of peach, plenty of syrupy wood, and absolutely no finish. I suspect that people who like this style of oil wine would greet this with adoration, but I do not number among those people.

Viticoltori de Concillis 2003 Paestum “Naima” (Campania) – Also a gift from a neighboring table, and 100% aglianico. Dense, thick, and slightly woody, showing slow-braised blackberry, boysenberry and blackberry that turn to chocolate-covered jam on the finish. Again, probably yummy to some, but it tastes like a caricature to me. And where’s the aglianico? For that matter, where’s the Campania?

Argiolas 2002 Isola dei Nuraghi “Korem” (Sardinia) – A wine I know fairly well…but while Skye offers to exchange it for something else, no one else at the table is familiar with it, so we forge ahead. A blend of bovale sardo, carignano (carignane) and cannonau (grenache), showing roasted walnuts, roasted berries, red cherry and some earthy/loamy undertones. The wine is unquestionably thick, but balanced and nicely softened on the finish. It’s a bit internationalized, to be sure, but not in an offputting way.

Gaetano Pichierre “Vinicola Savese” 1994 Primitivo di Manduria (Apulia) – Bizarrely authentic and untouched by modern convention, this is dark red cherry and strawberry syrup with a gorgeous Mediterranean sweat character (better than it sounds, I suppose). It’s sweet, alcoholic and thick, with a short finish, but is fascinating enough in its uniqueness that other faults can be overlooked. Or not; it’s not particularly popular among my dining companions.

TN: And for dessert: Peru (Oregon, pt. 2)

[lavender & vineyard](The original version, with many more photos, is here.)

13 July 2006 – Portland, Oregon

Andina – A busy nuevo-Peruvian restaurant that’s surprisingly dressy at lunchtime; I feel a little out of place in my shorts. There’s no hint of this displacement in the service, however, which is almost top-notch (they bring me the wrong wine at one point), and quite knowledgeable about the food.

The space is airy and bright, though anything other than the window-adjacent tables is definitely second tier. I order a special ceviche (or “cebiche” by their spelling) of ono, which is overly tart (a little too much residual juice) but delicious, and surprisingly filling. That’s followed by a pair of decidedly mixed tapas: fine octopus on endive that’s rendered bizarre by the addition of a fruity, lavender-colored sauce (allegedly “Botija olive,” though that can’t be all that’s in there), and cheese-stuffed yucca, lightly fried and served with a cheese sauce that tastes uncannily like one of those cheese-in-a-jar products you’d find at a supermarket.

At least the wine list is good, with quite a few nice offerings by the glass.

Olga Raffault 2005 Chinon Rosé (Loire) – What I actually order is the JM Raffault Chinon Blanc (I even point to the wine list), but this will do in a pinch. It’s a light memory of strawberry, preserved in wax and dusted with chalk.

Ameztoi 2005 Txakolina (Northwest Spain) – Ordering this wine leads to an amusing exchange with the waiter, who informs me that I’m “the first person to ever pronounce ‘txakolina’ correctly.” I find that a little hard to believe, but accept it with a smile…which increases when I notice that he’s left this glass off my bill. I guess all that practice at Piperade finally pays off. As for the wine, it’s terrific, showing intense minted lime and a vivid, vivacious, crystalline texture full of zesty yet invisible bubbles. It’s not sparkling, exactly, it’s just alive.

After lunch, I stroll around town for a while, then collect both our rental car and my wife and head south, in the endless traffic jam that is the road to the coast, and also to and through the Willamette Valley. It’s the latter that’s our destination….if, that is, we ever actually arrive.

13 July 2006 – Dundee, Oregon

Black Walnut Inn – In a spectacular setting far above the valley, with Erath’s vineyards several steep downslopes and dense, mossy forest in the glade behind, sits this very new (our room is only two weeks old) and luxurious B&B-style accommodation. It’s removed enough to be strikingly quiet, with the only noises coming from the chickens in a nearby coop (they supply many of the eggs for breakfast) and the occasional resident cat scratching at one’s door. Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson are visible on any semi-clear day, while a five-minute hike across the property gets you Mount St. Helens and Mt. Rainier as well. It’s not cheap, but it’s about a third of what it would be in Napa…which somehow makes it feel like a bargain. Anyway, lodging options in the Willamette Valley are limited, and on short notice it’s either this or the Travelodge…

Red Hills Provincial Dining (276 Highway 99W) – As we’ll soon find, dining in the Willamette frequently means dining in a converted house. This, however, looks like it could be somewhere in the wooded hills of New Hampshire; it’s ultra-cozy, charming, a little kitschy, and perhaps just a wee bit on the dark side. Plus, there’s not exactly unlimited parking. Nonetheless, our server brightens the room with her cheery smile…and it’s soon dark outside, anyway.

The restaurant serves homey, French-inspired country fare, cooked very well, but lovers of plated complexity or refined restraint will probably shrug at the offerings. What they won’t shrug at is the (horribly-formatted) wine list, which is extraordinarily long and deep, and – amusingly – at its weakest when it comes to Oregon pinot noir. For example, an ’89 Trimbach CFE for $100 has got to be one of the great wine bargains of all time…assuming that it’s actually in stock. (More on that in a moment.)

I begin with an excellent pâté, correctly served with sharp mustard and cornichons, while Theresa rhapsodizes over her succulent crab cakes (the secret ingredient: Ritz crackers), and we both opt for braised rabbit in a very intense black olive and pinot noir sauce…one in which a few large sundried tomatoes are a completely unnecessary and distracting addition. The rabbit’s so good, however, it’s easy to ignore everything else.

Eyrie 1999 Pinot Noir “Reserve” (Willamette Valley) – Fully mature, showing dried cranberry and tart cherry steaming on the forest floor. Little hints of pine needle and very mild brett dance around the forest. A bit archaic vs. modern styles, but in a good and thoroughly enjoyable way.

We’re both too full for dessert, but a half-bottle of well-aged Maculan Torcolato at a ridiculous price beckons. Unfortunately, they don’t have it. Nor do they have a similarly-underpriced 18-year Macallan by the glass. The waitress makes up for having to disappoint me twice by offering a generous pour of 12-year Macallan on the house, but it’s not quite the same.

Macallan 12-year Scotch Whisky (Highland) – Grapey, oaky and a bit strident, with crisp caramel and some radish on the finish. I’ve always found this to have a significant burn on the palate, which is why I rarely order it.

TN: The Colbert report

[chateau & vineyard]Henri de Colbert “Château de Flaugergues” 2005 Coteaux du Languedoc La Mejanelle Rosé (Languedoc) – Bright, sunny raspberry and strawberry in their full, unadulterated freshness…as if right off the vine. There’s a hint of lavender on the finish. Extremely pleasant quaffing rosé. (7/06)

A saignée-style rosé made from grenache, cinsault and mourvèdre, from a terroir fairly well-known by its use at Domaine Clavel. Wines like this aren’t made for analysis, but rather for chilling and drinking on a hot summer day (or night). And the screwcap closure – rare and almost revolutionary for a French winery – preserves this quality better than any cork ever could. Alcohol: 12.5%. Closure: screwcap. Importer: Ideal. Web: http://www.flaugergues.com/.