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

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.)

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Friday Flights - A Wine Tasting Event

FRIDAY FLIGHTS - Hollywood Wine & Espresso, Portland OR (2/15/2008)

Hosted by Hollywood Wine & Espresso shop in Portland, Oregon and featuring Oregon winemakers Rich Cushman of Viento Wines, and Tim Schechtel of Erin Glenn Wines.

Viento Wines

Poured by Viento winemaker Rich Cushman

• 2006 Viento Verona - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  A blend of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, this white blend had me thinking "Caymus Conundrum" on first sip. Nice light sweetness, smooth acidity, and bright fruit flavors. I would enjoy tasting this next to a bottle of Conundrum! (86 pts.)


• 2006 Viento Riesling - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
  Incredibly sweet, even for a Riesling. Lots of sugar that just coats the mouth. Nice flavor, but not for me. (85 pts.)


• 2005 Viento Sangiovese Cuvée Tuition - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
  Nice and light, great berry fruit on the nose, which carried over to the palate. Integrated tannins. Wine of the flight. (88 pts.)


• 2004 Viento Syrah Cuvée R - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
  Smooth, fruity, light tannins. Very quaffable. (87 pts.)


• 2005 Viento Barbera Lonesome Spring Ranch - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
  Dark fruit on the nose and palate. Long, highly tannic finish that drys the mouth thouroughly. (87 pts.)

Erin Glenn Winery

Poured by Erin Glenn winemaker Tim Schechtel

• N.V. Erin Glenn Tantrum - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  An interesting blend of Pinot Noir, Merlot and Barbera. Heat on the nose, along with cherries. Big cherry fruit attacks the palate. Nicely integrated tannins that are so smooth they are barely detectable. A great food wine. (85 pts.)


• 2006 Erin Glenn Tempranillo - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  Smooth and fruity with slightly dry tannins on the finish. (85 pts.)


• 2005 Erin Glenn Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
  Heat on the nose, nice raspberry fruit hits the palate and coats the mouth. Excellent tannins on the finish. (87 pts.)


• 2005 Erin Glenn Syrah Blind Dog - USA, Oregon
  Spicy nose of pepper and chocolate, with some berry undertones. On the palate, I get smoked meat, melon (!) and nicely integrated tannins. Wine of the Flight. (89 pts.)


• 2006 Erin Glenn Gewürztraminer Estate Late Harvest Gemini - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
  Wow. I was expecting this to be your typical super-sweet dessert wine, but the spiciness of the Gewurtz is amazingly refreshing. A sweet-spicy combo is like a 1-2 punch: Very effective! (88 pts.)

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