Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Celebrate subtlety with Erath Wines!

The more wines from Oregon I taste, the more I love Oregon wines. (And it's a good thing because I'm going to be spending the next 4 days in Portland!)

It’s easy to get inundated with Californian wines when you live within an hour of many winegrowing regions in California. But Oregon wines offer something that California wines often lack—subtlety.

Don’t get me wrong; subtlety does not equal a wimpy wine.

Yes, there are times when a full-bodied Cab from Napa is just the ticket (for example, when you’re grilling up rib-eye steaks). But for someone who eats very little red meat, I don’t want a wine that will hit me over the head with tannin, fruit (i.e. a fruit bomb), or alcohol. I find myself gravitating towards wines that have subtle nuances and modest characteristics.

That being said, when I poured myself a glass of the 2010 Erath Pinot Noir (Oregon, $19/bottle), I was surprised. Albeit a pretty ruby hue, the wine was transparent in the glass—it looked more like a rosé than a red wine!

But one sniff and I knew this wine was more powerful than it looked.

Rose petal, red fruit, dusty earth, and violet aromas jump from the glass. According to a  friend of mine who just moved here from England, the smoky quality to the nose is reminiscent of a widely used wood polish in the UK*. I thought it smelled more like saddle leather, but I have never polished wood in an old English home (and I hope I don’t ever have to, haha).

*There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to wine—it’s all subjective. And that’s the beauty of it!

This elegant Pinot Noir expresses understated flavors of brandied cherry, red currant, and raspberry. It has very high acid without being abrasive; the mouthfeel is juicy and soft. Although I was skeptical at first, I really enjoyed this wine. And for $19 a bottle, it’s my new favorite Pinot Noir for under $25.

This wine would be great with ahi tuna—whether tartare or lightly seared and served with as a salade niçoise. It would also pair perfectly with an Italian anitpasto plate of proscuitto, salumi, olives, and peppers.

Before we “nose-dived” into the Pinot Noir, we tasted the 2011 Erath Pinot Gris (Oregon $14/bottle). This wine was a great way to start the evening; it’s a terrific apperatif.

Tart and snappy with vivacious acidity, the Pinot Gris is perfumed with Meyer lemon, pear, and citrus blossom. The palate confirms the nose with additional green apple and banana flavors. It is a pale straw color in the glass and finishes with very slight nuances of freshly cut grass and pineapple.

We enjoyed this wine with a honey goat-milk Gouda cheese from Trader Joe’s before we sat down for dinner. This wine would also go nicely with quiche, lobster bisque, or summer veggies.

Sidenote: I loved that both of these wines have cork-free closures. Without a cork, there's also no foil to mess with (and therefore less waste). These bottles were received courtesy of Erath Winery for participation in the Thirsty Girl Twitter tasting. Thank you both!

I am attending the Wine Blogger’s Conference from August 16-19. Please follow me on Twitter and like me on Facebook for updates. Thank you and cheers!

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