This will be a great opportunity to find out what all the fuss is about with the 2010 Pinots from Oregon. We have four at different levels and I think they all show case what the vintage is all about………Pinot Noir in its purest form. As I put the tasting together I realized that all five of the wines in the flight have a story to tell. So, I’m going to give it to you now;
Brooks- Jimi Brooks was a great friend of the shop and poured at our very first few Anniversary parties. Jimi was struck down with a stroke when he was only 38. This is a great story of love and perseverance. Jimi was much loved and a number of his wine buds came together to make sure harvest and winemaking happened that year (he died right as harvest approached). The winery is now owned by his son Pascal, age 15! Jimi’s sister, Janie, has helped greatly from her home in Monterey and the continuation of the winery couldn’t have happened without the support from many, many people. Jimi was truly loved by all!!!!
Sineann- This wine is always $30 per bottle but the winery has already released their 08 and 09 and have a bit of this beautiful 07 left so we have a great value here. As many of you know the 2007 vintage was panned by critics before the first wine was released. Now they’ve all said their apologies and 2007 is considered a first rate year. This is a real beauty!
Bow & Arrow- John Paul at Cameron seems to have a way with teaching his assistants to make great wine. All three of his recent assistant winemakers have gone on to create their own wineries. You have Jay Sommers with his J Christopher winery, Tyson Crowley with Crowley Wines and now Scott Frank and his lovely wife Dana have started Bow & Arrow with this very first release.
Coattails Winery- Talk about young guns. I thought Jim (Arterberry) Maresh was young but these brothers don’t look old enough to drink. Of course when your father is Mike Etzel, co-owner/winemaker for Beaux Freres you’ve probably been schooled from an early age. The Horsetail is the entry level wine and as much as I was impressed with the 09 I think this 2010 is fantastic and even better. And you have to hand it to the boys. They’ve gone out on their own and sourced fruit from some very good vineyards……none of which is the Beaux Freres Vineyard. Just a gentle ride on their father’s coattails.
Walter Scott- This tiny winery is owned by Ken Pawlow and his new wife Erica Landon. Ken had worked for years as assistant at St Innocent Winery and then moved on to rep the wines for Evening Land. Erica has worked in some of the best restaurants in Portland and is responsible for many of the finest wine lists in town. This is a strong duo for sure.
And Cristom just continues to turn out some of the best Pinots in Oregon.
What a fun tasting!
The Lineup
2010 Brooks, Pinot Noir “Runnaway Red”/ Willamette Valley $17
2007 Sineann, Pinot Noir/ Oregon $18
2010 Bow & Arrow, Pinot Noir “Medici Vineyard”/ Chehalem Mountains $29
2010 Coattails Winery, Pinot Noir “Horsetail Cuvee”/ Willamette Valley $29
2010 Walter Scott, Pinot Noir “Holstein Vineyard”/ Dundee Hills $37
Premium Pour ($5)
2009 Cristom, Pinot Noir “Jessie Vineyard” Estate/ Eola-Amity Hills $50
Sandy Thompson, Proprietor
Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
4316 SE Hawthorne Bl
Portland, Or. 97215
(503)235-4444
