Saturday, April 18, 2009

Owen Roe at Great Wine Buys

OWEN ROE WINE TASTING - Great Wine Buys, 1515 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232 (4/18/2009)

A free wine tasting hosted by Great Wine Buys, poured by Eric Brasher, the Director of Winemaking for Owen Roe Winery.


Corvidae Wine Company - The new budget label from Owen Roe, with great QPRs!
  • 2007 Corvidae Wine Co. Rook Cabernet - Merlot - Syrah - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    77% Cabernet Sauvignon from Ironbird Vineyard in Applegate Valley (So. OR), 15% Syrah, and 8% Merlot. Quite fruity on the nose, with lots of plum and blackberry. Nice and rich, coating the mouth nicely. Fantastic QPR! (91 pts.)

  • 2006 Corvidae Wine Co. Syrah Lenore - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
    Peppery blackberries, with a touch of blue fruit as well. A tad bitter on the finish. Not as good a showing as the last time I tried this, but it was decanted last time... (90 pts.)

  • 2007 Corvidae Wine Co. Cabernet Franc The Keeper - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
    Not labeled yet, so will be released in about a month. Mostly Cabernet Franc, with a dollop of Sangiovese to add some acidity. Lots of tobacco notes, with some wood and cassis flavors as well. (89 pts.)

  • 2007 Corvidae Wine Co. Petite Sirah Fable - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
    Also not labeled yet, and will be available in about a month. This monster was still quite primal, with wild aromas of chocolate and flowers. Some nice earthy raspberry or blackberry flavors, and a touch of dark chocolate on the finish. Quite interesting...a Washington Petite Sirah! (90 pts.)

Owen Roe Winery - The top-end wines from Owen Roe.
  • 2007 Owen Roe Cabernet Franc Rosa Mystica - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
    I really enjoyed the 2006 vintage of this wine, so I was looking forward to trying the 2007. I was not disappointed! Still showing a bit young, there was lots of ripe berry and some earthy black olives present. Tasty, but I think it deserves some more time. (90 pts.)

  • 2007 Owen Roe Syrah "Lady Rosa" - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
    WOW! This was by far the wine of the tasting for me. Damn...I overheard the winery rep stating that the 2 Owen Roe wines had been opened the day before, and allowed to breathe. Maybe that was what made this wine work so well, compared to the last time I had it (Thanksgiving), or maybe it was the additional 6 months in bottle. Whichever, this wine rocked the house! Black as night, huge, coating mouthfeel, and so rich and complex I had to keep smelling and sipping! Violets, blueberry and pepper are all present and accounted for. This is a delicious wine...I may need to pick some up! (94 pts.)


Tasting notes posted from CellarTracker