Wine Tasting - Owen Roe Wines at Hollywood Wine & Espresso's 3-Year Anniversary

3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY WITH OWEN ROE - Hollywood Wine & Espresso, Portland, OR (9/18/2008)

Hollywood Wine & Espresso celebrated their 3rd anniversary with a special Owen Roe Wines tasting event, that ran Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I attended Thursday with my girlfriend Kristina, and Friday with friends Mark, Trish and Phil. 10 Owen Roe wines featured, for a paltry $10 tasting fee.

O'Reilly's Wines

The first three wines are from Owen Roe's lower cost label, O'Reilly's, named for winemaker David O'Reilly.

• 2006 O'Reilly's Pinot Gris - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
  Nice fruit, with some melon and citrus. Decently acidity as well. (83 pts.)


• 2007 O'Reilly's Riesling - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
  Bright, slightly sweet. Much tastier than the Gris. (84 pts.)


• 2007 O'Reilly's Pinot Noir Oregon - USA, Oregon
  Much lighter and thinner than the 2006, and much less flavorful. Almost bitter, but, this IS a very young wine. (85 pts.)

Sharecropper's Wines

The second pair of wines are from the mid-price label, Owen Roe Sharecropper's.

• 2007 Owen Roe Pinot Noir "Sharecropper's" - USA, Oregon
  Wow, this is like night and day, compared to the 07- O'Reilly's Pinot. Great nose of earth and cherry, following to the palate. Very tasty! (88 pts.)


• 2006 Owen Roe Cabernet Sauvignon "Sharecropper's" - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  Great fruit, nice low tannins, and very smooth drinking. A tasty cab at a great QPR! (90 pts.)

Owen Roe Wines

The final, and largest, flight was of true Owen Roe wines, with a mix of their lower-level tier, and one from their upper-level tier. Delicious, all!

• 2007 Owen Roe Abbot's Table - USA, Oregon/Washington
  Much more integrated than the last time I tried this, with much lower tannin levels, and much smoother fruit. I think this is going to be outstanding in 6 months to a year! (90 pts.)


• 2007 Owen Roe Sinister Hand - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  A bit on the thin side for a Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre blend. Nice fruit, some pepper and earthiness in there as well. Again, in 6-18 months, this will be drinking fine! (90 pts.)


• 2006 Owen Roe Syrah Ex Umbris - USA, Oregon/Washington, Columbia Valley
  Delicious. Pepper and smoke on the nose, with dark fruits and a very long, tasty finish. Always one of my favorite Owen Roe wines. (93 pts.)


• 2005 Owen Roe Zinfandel - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
  I'm not usually a Zin fan, but wow! This wine is intense...not the hyperfruity spice juice most Zins taste to me. Great berry fruit, some earth, pepper and low tannins make this one a serious 'drink now' candidate. (91 pts.)


• 2005 Owen Roe Red Wine Yakima Valley - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
  Most definitely my Wine of the Night. Just incredible blend of fruit, acidity and tannins. So easy to drink, and with another year or so in the bottle, I can see this wine pulling down a 95 score from me. Outstanding!! (93 pts.)

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