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!
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