A Little NW Love

I feel that I've been pretty good about keeping my wine tasting out of one specific region thus far, but in order to do that I feel that I've neglected my home-base, the Pacific NW, namely Oregon.  I felt I needed to fix that tonight and after getting out of work early I mulled over what I had in the cellar that should be drunk tonight.  I ended up swinging through a wine store to pick up a white as I had drunk everything I already had.  The two accompanying reds have been stored in my father's wine cellar.

The first was a delightful 2012 Viognier from Maryhill Winery in the Columbia Valley.  I really like this vineyard not only for their wines but because of the fact that they hold live music all summer long in a beautiful amphitheater overlooking the Columbia Gorge.  Another cool feature at Maryhill is the modern Stonehenge replica nearby on highway 14.  The replica is part of the local museum of art and helps make Maryhill one of the best vineyard destinations in the NW.  It also helps that their wines are spectacular in both value and taste

This wine was clear, pale straw colored and fairly low viscosity.  It had a clean nose full of florality, and dominated by apple and pineapple.  On the tongue it was high acid and alcohol but had some residual sugar which allowed the fruit flavors to become almost banana like.  It had a lingering finish and tons of complex fruit .  I loved this one and would put it with a whole range of foods, cheese, summer salads, and Thai food all came to mind immediately.  I also found this one for around $10 so it's a great bargain. 

The second wine was an enigma, a strange grape from a strange winery.  It was a Marachel Foch from Nehalem Bay Vineyards.  They do not put vintages on their labels so we had to guess based on when it was bought so we think it was a 2011.  Marachel Foch is a hybrid grape originating in Alsace.  It is no longer really grown in Europe but has found small niches in the New World wine industry.  Nehalem Bay is known for doing some outside the box things with wine and this one definitely fits the bill.  The wine had a very dark mahogany/brick color and high viscosity.  On the nose it was a powerful spice bomb, with black cardamom and prune.  On the palate it had very low tannins, high alcohol and medium body, it aromas were so dominant that they carried all the way through tasting so it stayed pruney and spicy.  We plan on saving the rest of this one for tomorrows barbecue as the spiciness will really match well with that.   I couldn't find any pricing without knowing its vintage so I have to judge it on taste alone, and give it 2 glasses.  It was unique but pretty one dimensional. 

The last wine was a show-stopper, we were amazed that it had not only survived but flourished so well over the years.  It was a 1998 Erath Vineyards Vintage Select Pinot Noir.  Experiencing a cellared wine getting poured and changing colors as it decants is magical not to mention smelling it as it opens up.  At first pour this wine smelled of nothing but alcohol and acid but as the time went on it bloomed into explosive cherry with hints of dust and pepper.  After allowing it to open we tasted and the cherry aroma got that much more powerful on the palate, it finished very strong with hints of wild mushroom.  This wine's flavors were not so complex but focused on the things that make Pinot Noir so delicious.  I will let the wine's color speak for itself as well as it really signified how wonderfully this wine aged in the cellar.