Prefer Cayuse main labels to HP but it's a good representation of WA Syrah. Really fucking earthy. I'm not sure if I like the $121 price tag though. Shit like Bionic Frog and God Only Knows are better IMO
I don't receive allocations from Cayuse but they are cheaper than Horsepower if you're on the distribution list. I can see some average pricing info from people that leads me to believe Bionic Frog is about $100, Armada and GOK are about $90, Cailloux, En Cerise and En Chamberlin are about $80. I've seen the last three in a retail store and they were asking $105 and that was 5 vintages ago. I'm guessing current retail price would be at least what HP costs. I am on the No Girls allocation list and those run $75 per bottle.
Do you (or anyone else) have a recommendation for a winery close to Seattle that I can post up at and get tanked in late May?
Boys if you have 2013 Oregon Pinot it’s time to drink now. I was hoping it would cellar like 2011, but it’s just not holding up much longer.
I bought a fair amount on discount and I generally felt they weren’t ready last year but that may be specific to Patricia Green and Evening Land. What were you drinking?
I’ve tried Coleen clemens, Bergstrom and Penney Ash all in the last two weeks. They are similar region, but you do have a better cellaring setup than I do so they might hold on longer.
May open a 2013 De Ponte tonight. My other options in that vintage are Goodfellow and Cristom. While I haven’t yet had a ton of experience with older bottles from either, I think they both have a reputation that the wine likes a little more time so hoping they will improve with a year or two more. Given I don’t have much, I’ll probably roll the dice.
Don’t know Goodfellow as well, but my guess is the Cristom would cellar better if I were a betting man.
I have way more 2013 Oregon than I realized. I knew I bought some that I don't buy every year (2 Colene Clemens Margo, 3 Evening Land Seven Springs & 6 Patricia Green Freedom Hill) because there were great deals at the end of the vintage But I just realized I've barely touched my wine clubs (DDO, Le Cadeau, De Ponte) because I remember thinking they needed time when I opened them shortly after vintage. I guess maybe that time has come.
Let me know what you think on the 13s. I’ve gone 6 different 13s over last month or two and all of them were tasting like they were on the turning point downward. Maybe I’ve had some bad luck
Will do, this guy is going down shortly. Very excited that it's only 12.9% as I started buying really with the 2014s and even my favorites from that vintage are pushing 14%.
Nice, that’s a good bottle of wine. 13 was such a weird year here with the rains falling mid harvest. The 14s I’ve tasted recently have all been showing well but definitely have time left with them.
I look forward to the feedback on that because that bottle is 2 of my 2013s. P.S. I like the countertop.
I opened a 2013 Le Cadeau which typically makes wines that are built to age for a medium term. I can confirm it’s much further on the aging process than I would expect. It looks like I’ll be drinking through a lot of 2011s and 2013s this year.
Thank you, moved in earlier this summer and had some work done in the kitchen which included the counter. Glad we did natural stone. The wine I had last night was definitely ready to go, wish I had given it a little air before drinking but we were not at home. Had some good herbal / forest floor stuff in the last glass that I didn’t pick up on early. That said, I didn’t necessarily get the impression it would be closing down immediately either but I may not be the best judge of that.
With mine tonight I got a lot of that mushroom, forest floor profile that I typically expect on an aged Pinot. I personally like that but it is definitely a personal preference of fruit vs more earthy. I like a little bit of the mix which is why I said I'd be drinking a lot of 13s.
I opened 2013 Evening Land Seven Springs (Eola Amity Hills) tonight. It is exactly what you expect from a pinot 6 years past vintage, mostly fruit with little bit of mushroom on the finish. It is in a good place but still has plenty of time left. Interesting that it seemed much more lively than my 2013 Le Cadeau from this past weekend. I feel like this had more acidity which may explain some of the difference.
We poured 2014 Seven Springs Vyd against 2015 JF Mugnier Clos de Marechale last week. Admittedly the Mugnier was 20 years too young, but wanted to show our club members the huge value to be found with Evening Land and that the quality is truly world class. Our club price for that wine is pretty insane, so thankfully sold a lot of wine.
13's are weird since the rainfall/cold weather hit mid harvest. For wineries who picked early they were unaffected and therefore probably have more cellaring time in them. I think all of mine picked post rain which is why they are breaking down faster. You might want to shoot them a note Rabid and see when they picked to give you an idea on what you might be able to cellar longer.
I love Evening land, I can usually find their estate bottles for sub $30, and that becomes an easy open whenever bottle.
2013 Bergstrom Silice vineyard, Pinot noir. This has a little more life in it than the other 13s I’ve had recently. Still think it’s about peak but a nice bottle.
The conundrum red bled is excellent. A little sweeter than I would like, but it's really good. Can definitely taste the blackberry. A little syrupy on the back of the tongue. Gonna buy some. $22 bucks at my store.
Putting the finishing touches on the trip to Napa Valley in late April... we went last year but we had so much fun we’re going back. Trying to get lined up at Wheeler Farms. Are scheduled for David Arthur as well. Also have a tasing set up at 750 Wine in St Helena... very cool wine shop that does tastings with lots of smaller boutique wines. Once again couldn’t click the right buttons fast enough to get a French Laundry reservation so that eluded us again... oh well.
Can someone either offer a good rundown on places to visit for tastings/tours in the Willamette Valley, or point me to a page/post ITT with that information? Considering a trip there this year, but I live far enough off the beaten path that I don't have much access/exposure to many of the Oregon wines discussed ITT to know which places should be at the top of my list for a visit.
DistantFactor is a local I've been to Domaine Serene and Sokol Blosser and recommend both. Doesn't get any better than Willamette Valley Pinot Noir IMO.
What type of Pinot do you like? Bigger fruit or more of the delicate lighter varietal? If you can give me a few of the Pinots you like I can try and help steer you in the right direction.
So in January I left Skurnik Wines in NYC for Winestyr based in Chicago, an online wine club shipping direct to consumer from wineries up and down the west coast. The club has seriously grown, as has the list of producers we're working with, and I'm now running the entire winery side of things. We've got Domaine de la Cote, Adelsheim, Enfield, Arnot Roberts, Martha Stoumen, Rotie Cellars, and many others at some pretty insane prices for club members. Anyway...shameless plug I guess. I've got a code for anyone who wants to give the club a try (free cancellation at any time for any reason) WHELAN20. Basically, I think the wines are awesome and the prices are too, so, there ya go. Club Sign Up Here
Appreciate both big fruit and delicate. Probably lean towards big fruit, but wife prefers delicate. Generally would prefer a laid back atmosphere, but would also enjoy expediting something more high end. I would have time for multiple. I guess a little from column A and a little from column B.