Sunday, August 24, 2008

Wine Tasting - Hollywood Wine & Espresso's Oregon: Dundee Hills Extravaganza

Hollywood Wine & Espresso

OREGON: DUNDEE HILLS EXTRAVAGANZA - Hollywood Wine & Espresso, Portland OR (8/23/2008)

  • 2006 Dobbes Family Estate Pinot Gris - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Smooth, nice flavors or citrus fruit and honeydew melon. (86 pts.)

  • 2007 Torii Mor Pinot Gris - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Very bright, with snappy citrus fruit and harsh acidity. Methinks this is a very young wine. (84 pts.)

  • 2005 Dobbes Family Estate Viognier - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
    Very floral on the nose, with a sweet taste of pears and flowers. Very nice! (88 pts.)

  • 2006 Wine By Joe Pinot Noir Really Good - USA, Oregon
    Wine shop owner called this "spaghetti wine" and I certainly agree. It needs some food to go with. On it's own, not so good. Muted fruit, a bit of earth, but really, a "MEH" wine for me. (82 pts.)

  • 2006 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Willamette Valley - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Nice cherry fruit, with some of that Oregon earthiness I enjoy. Somewhat bitter however. Needs more time to integrate I think. (86 pts.)

  • 2006 Torii Mor Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Select - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
    Much better than the "Willamette Valley" cuvee, and very young. Tannins were heavy, but controled by the fruit and acidity. I think this one will age well. Raspberry and cherry fruit with some spice in there as well. (90 pts.)

  • 2006 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Premier Cuvée - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
    Wow! Big fruit, but very well integrated. Lots of berries in this one, with some very tasty tar/earth/tobacco in there. Long and supple finish makes me want to take another sip just to keep it going. (91 pts.)

  • 2006 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
    Wine of the Tasting! But, of course I expected this. At $100/bottle, definitely a pass for me, but this is a HUGE Pinot! Heavy tannins, oakey, but with big fruit under the tannins that shines through. This one is very very young, and needs a good 5-10 years to really show its stuff. (93 pts.)

  • 2004 Dobbes Family Estate Syrah Grande Assemblage Cuvée - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
    Lots of fruit, almost a fruitbomb. Blackberries and cherries, with a sweet but slightly tart finish. Reminds me of a $20 Aussie Shiraz. (91 pts.)


Posted from CellarTracker

Friday, August 08, 2008

Wine Tasting - Cork Friday Flight with Dubost/Crooked Road Wineries

FRIDAY NIGHT FLIGHT - Cork - A Bottle Shop, Portland OR (8/8/2008)

Cork - A Bottle Shop

Special 08/08/08 tasting event at Cork with Dubost Ranch and Crooked Road wineries. Poured by Dubost/Crooked Road winemaker, Jake Raines.

  • N.V. Dubost Viognier - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    Slightly sweet, flavors of pears with some crisp acidity. (86 pts.)

  • 2004 Dubost Chardonnay - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    Very lush, tangy citrus flavors, very tasty but with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Lovely nose! (88 pts.)

  • 2006 Crooked Road Grenache Windfall Gypsy Rosé Special Release Starr Ranch - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    One of the most intriguing rosé wines I've tasted. Flavors of watermelon, and sweet berries abound. Quite tasty. Winemaker mentioned the Grenache fruit was from pre-ripe cuttings that are usually dropped on the ground. They threw the grapes into the press and made this rosé. A joint project between Dubost and Crooked Road wineries. (87 pts.)

  • 2004 Dubost Syrah - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    Big sweet fruit, with a lot of minerals. Reminds me of a CdP that is very young. Blackberry fruit is very prominent. (87 pts.)

  • 2004 Dubost Tempranillo - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    Clearly the Wine of the Tasting for me, and others in my group. Incredible mouth-coating fruit, jammy, but not overbearing. Licorice, cigars, raspberries, blueberries and chocolate flavors all mixed together, hitting different parts of the tongue. Absolutely delicious! (93 pts.)

  • 2004 Crooked Road Cabernet Franc Starr Ranch - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    Lots of cherry fruit, very tannic, drys the mouth. Some heat and bitterness in there as well. Not popular with my tasting group. This wine seems very young and disjointed still. Give it 4-5 years? (83 pts.)

  • 2004 Crooked Road Odysseus Starr Ranch - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    Very nice Bordeaux blend. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot. Big raspberry fruit, still quite tannic. Very tasty now, and something that can lay down for 5-10 years. (90 pts.)

  • 2004 Dubost Negrette - USA, California, Central Coast, San Benito County
    My first experience with this varietal. Right off the bat, I can tell this is VERY young...lots of heat, green flavors, tannic as nails. Some fruit in there somewhere, but way too young to be enjoyable. (82 pts.)


Posted from CellarTracker