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“Late Harvest” Riesling 2007

Mr Whirly says:

This “ Oh so delicate wine” arrived in  November 2009 to take over from the very successful 2002 LH Riesling.  Its an incredibly delicate wine with a smokey feel and again hints of Lychee and Elderflower. Very much a wine for the Spring and Summer with Acidic puddings. Not at all sticky which is a plus in so many ways.”

Winemakers tasting notes:

“The 2007 Late Harvest Riesling shows both aromas and flavours consisting of lime and lemon zest, ripe stone fruits such as apricots and nectarines, mineral notes of wet rock and flint, with hints of honey, petrol, and savoury spices like tarragon and lemon thyme.”

Alcohol: 9.0%

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Amity “ Willamette Valley” Pinot Noir 2008

2008 “ Willamette Valley” Pinot noir 2008

Mr Whirly says:

“ I tasted this wine in March 2012, having felt it needed a little time in the bottle and its full of Kirsch and marinated cherries, which I first found in the 2002 Schouten single vineyard wine. Yet its also very subtle and refined. I think this wine is just at the beginning of it’s life and ascendancy.”

Alcohol: 13.0%

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Amity Gewurtztraminer, “Willamette Valley”, 2008

2008″ Willamette Valley” Gewurtztraminer, Single Vineyard, “ Sunnyside”

Mr Whirly says:

“This grape is only found in certain regions of the world other than Alsace and the Willamette valley.   Amity send this grape to the press with a little added extra spice. As always with Myron Redford’s and Darcy Pendergrass’s winemaking skills, this wine has finesse and class. It is a far more complex wine than the 2006. Quite honestly I think it ranks up there with a Rolly Gassmann, this wine exudes class.  A little Elderflower and hint of cinnamon and five spice round it off.  This wine is dry on the finish but with some lovely Conference pear added too.”

Alcohol: 13.0%

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Amity Pinot Blanc 2007

Mr Whirly says,

“This wine was tasted at the end of August 2009 on my last trip to Oregon. It was the first wine I have had the joy of tasting with the winemakers from Amity and Bethel Heights. We were on the deck of Myron’s house in Amity, a lovely wooden structure surrounded by woods and rolling hills, on a beautiful late summer’s evening with the wonderful echo of the tree frog, underneath the decking, waltzing around the amphitheatre of our little party. It really was a special night and this wine kicked off the show so admirably! I was taken with it immediately, loving the fact that this “ workhorse of Alsace ” was so clean, fresh and vibrant with hints of Lemon sherbet on the nose and pear drops too. It really is a very uplifting wine, very much a special Pinot Blanc to be drunk as an aperitif or with food throughout the year and for many years to come ( it will get better with a little age.)

Review: Wine Enthusiast, December 15th 2009, Paul Gregutt

“ This Pinot Blanc threads honeycomb highlights into juicy, ripe fruit flavours of yellow apples and Asian Pear. Dry with  a good grip, it’s another wine that is showing that Oregon winemakers have an opportunity to claim this under-appreciated grape as their own.”

Alcohol 13.0%

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Amity Vineyards, Amity

I shall always remember my first visit to Amity and my meeting with the infamous character of character’s, Myron Redford, owner of Amity Vineyards. It was a cold and wet November day just before “Thanksgiving” in 2004 and I had driven north from Los Angeles for the best part of two days. I arrived bedraggled and worn out but received the most lovely reception from Myron and tasted the most beautifully integrated and clean wines. I left in awe. I had been drawn to the vineyard simply by the name, Amity, which I liked and it had yet again proven to be the most  delectable of lucky guesses. I love it when that happens. I always remember seeing Myron for the first time with his big Huckleberry Fin character with his long beard and dungaree’s. It was such a refreshing sight after the slightly  more business orientated attitude of some winemakers in Napa that I had experienced a few days earlier. This was real country and these were real people. Myron sent me on my way with a wave and then called Willakenzie to say I was running a little late. Share and care world of the Willamette Valley.

To show how varied the soils are in this region compare the wonderful 2008 Pinot with the one from Bethel heights. They are both quite superb and yet so different.

Please click on the links below to see the vineyard website as well as individual tasting notes and bottle shots for each wine.

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The Tranquil haven of the Willamette Valley, God damn it!

(pronounced Will-r-met!)

The road to Pinot country

My first venture north of California to discover Oregon was in November 2004 and I was on Highway 5, the main freeway from San Diego all the way up to Seattle ( by the way did you know that odd numbers head north-south and even numbers east-west, hence route 66, probably the most famous takes you from Chicago in the north to Los Angeles in the south west) in the trusty ( well actually since this time I have discovered its not quite so trusty, breaking down 25 miles short of The Black Rock Desert as the sun was coming down one evening in August 2006) 900 Saab Convertible, silver-grey. I have been working on Whirly wine for a year or so and I am heading all the way to Seattle to see an old friend “Scouser John” and his family for Thanksgiving.

There’s an alternative route to Oregon, the much slower and more attractive 101 and 1 up the coast, which I have since taken in the Summer of 2005. It’s very windy and curvy but the wonderful route 1 is sublime and although my favourite part of this road is around Carmel and Big Sur and south towards Santa Barbara, which I first drove in 1986 after leaving Los Angeles, and arrived 4 days late in San Francisco delivering a hire car, naughty boy, but it was worth it at the age of 19. It is very peaceful and quiet on this northerly section; open and empty sandy beaches abound, reminiscent of a recent trip to the Western Isles of Scotland in May 2009 which was barren and gorgeous. There are little hidden caves and the Redwood National Park just north of Eureka is truly amazing.

But back to route 5. This takes you up and over the Cascade mountains at Siskiyou Summit just north of the  California border which at a height of 4310 feet is the highest point on this very long freeway that is an integral part of the Pan-American highway that stretches 48,000 kilometres. I remember stopping just south of here and wandering off the freeway to snow covered tracks and railway lines, a picture of which is below. It was pretty cold up there in the Saab Convertible, I was wrapped up, hatted, scarfed and gloved.

TRAVEL PHOTOS FROM 2003-2007 132

I followed my nose as I headed north and eager to get off route 5 and explore I turned left just north of Eugene, tree loving capital of the world, into an altogether greener and wetter countryside than where I had some from. I crossed the Willamette River on the old “ Wheat Sheaf Ferry ”, that was jerked across the wide Willamette by chains: this was the first pointer to me that this was country that had not changed in decades. I now call it “Back to the Future” country, it’s literally like being transported back to the 1950’s, and this is nothing but a massive compliment. They pride themselves on being a little bit more laid back and real up here. They wear dungaree’s and long beards, they drive old Massey Ferguson tractors, that have been ploughing the land for 60 years and are still moving; the land here is anything but wine country, indeed if you did not know there were wines here you would quite easily miss them.

TRAVEL PHOTOS FROM 2003-2007 182

I work with two wonderful vineyards in the Willamette, again please click on the links below o to see their wines

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Casal Garcia Rose 2010

Casal Garcia Rose NV

New stock of this delightfully fresh rose has just arrived in July 2013

Mr Whirly says:

“I tasted this wine in San Francisco in April 2010 and fell in love with it. It’s Strawberry cheese cake in a glass!  Although a little strawberry sweetness on the middle palate it finishes dry and steely which is a positive attribute. This wine bubbles with intensity and flavour and with a freshness that is simply so wonderful for the summer. So at 10% alcohol I truly think it’s the perfect rose for all year round. Pomegranate in appearance this wine is made from three grapes: Vinhao, Azal Tinto and Borracal.”

Alcohol: 10.5%

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Ribas Blanc 2012

New wine arrival!!  November 2013

I tasted this wine in April 2013  when the weather was wet and changeable in Mallorca. I loved the wines depth and integrity: it has a real worthiness and direction to it.

This wine is made from 85% Prensal Blanc and 15% of the lovely Viognier grapes that they have here in Mallorca.

Mr Whirly says:

“ This wine has its own identity, which I like. Its full and rich with some lovely expressive fruit. The Prensal Blanc provides the fruit and the Viognier the depth. I think this would be a lovely bottle of wine for Christmas day morning to get you in the mood. It has a hint of Christmas spice to it, and all things nice! Once I have tasted the wine with clients in the next few weeks I shall add more detailed notes.

Alc vol: 13%

Winemakers tasting notes: ( to follow shortly)

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Ribas Sio Negre 2009

Ribas Sio Negre 2009

Sió wine was conceived in 2000 as a tribute to our grandmother Sió (the Majorcan diminutive of Concepció). An elegant, fresh, fruity wine with a mineral base owing to the predominantly calcareous soils of our vineyard

Winemakers Notes:

Vino de la Tierra Mallorca

Grape varieties:

50% Manto negro

25% Cabernet Sauvignon

15% Syrah

10% Merlot

Aging: 12 months

Barrel type: 50% new French oak and 50% second year French oak from Ribas de Cabrera.

Elaboration:

The grapes are harvested by hand before being selected, grape by grape, and carefully prepared at the winery´s facilities. The grapes had to be scrupulously selected from the oldest Manto negro vine stocks, a Majorcan variety with amazing aromatic potential that adds a fruity aroma and warmth. It is complemented with 25-year-old vines of more structured varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Alcoholic Strength: 14.5%

Life: 8-10 years

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Ribas Negre 2009

New Arrival!

The new 2011 vintage arrived, November 2013….a little sweeter and subtler than the 2009. More tasting notes  to follow early in 2014.

On the 17th June 2011, I tasted this wine with Araceli and she told me:

“ The player in the team gives the fruit.”

She is refering to the grape, Mantonegra, which is an indigenous grape to this Mediterranean island. Its a lovely grape, it really gives this wine some wonderful fruit and intensity.

50-60% Mantonegra, 30% Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot make up the last 10%.

Mr Whirly says:

“ Plums, lovely fresh fruit, tabacco, great balance, intricate details, very exciting wine. A lovely sweet middle to the wine acquired from the Mantonegra grape, a berry found on this island.”

Winemaker’s tasting notes:

“ Since the beginning, our main concern when making this wine has been to capture the primary, fruity features of the Manto Negro grape.

And so, with a clear objective and after manually selecting the grapes (to overcome any variability in ripening of the young plants), the wine is fermented at moderate temperatures (~27º C) to avoid over-maceration. We then age some of the wine in 3 to 4- year-old casks, which enables us to prevent the excessive liberation of tertiary aromas or a hardening that the wine would not be able to survive. Blending this aged wine with another part of the wine that has been stored in stainless steel tanks intensifies its primary aromatic potential

The result can be found in its varietal aromas such as fresh red fruit (like blackberries or strawberries) and its mineral and spicy touches. A balanced palate once again emphasises the freshness of the fruit and the wine has a pleasant finish.

Alc vol: 14.5%