Wine Swingers

When vineyards are highlighted in the winemaker’s world, it typically indicates fruit of a higher quality. Only when we opened a bottle, we realized how great of a gift the 2017 Founders Reserve Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir was. It took around 20-30 minutes for the wine to open up and release aromas of dark red rose, red cherries and raspberries, cherry tree tar, and raspberry leaf. The flavors were an exciting combination of ripe fruit of black cherries and raspberries, sweet tea and cola, cherry pith, vanilla, and oak.

Scallops with orange and pomegranate sauce likely the best gourmet food you can make in 15 minutes. Other ingredients are sea salt, black pepper, a couple of cloves of garlic, medium orange, and half a cup of pomegranate juice. Instead of pomegranate juice, we used 2-3 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. Thanks to the orange-pomegranate sauce, it can pair well with Champagne such as Albert Lebrun Grand Cru or sparkling such as Luc Belaire Gold Brut.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier comes from one of the last great independent and still family-run Champagne houses founded in 1776. After the upheavals of the early 1900s, particularly the First World War that destroyed more than half of the Louis Roederer estate, Léon reconstructed the vineyards and decided to buy grapes to ensure the House’s continuity during this challenging period. Following the bottling, Brut Premier is aged for three years in Louis Roederer’s cellars and at least another 6 months after dégorgement (disgorging). On the nose and palate, it was a classic Champagne: creamy mousse and vibrant acidity, aromas of freshly baked brioche, fresh-cut grass, and chalky minerality; flavors of apple and ripe lemon.

Chablis Premier Cru Butteaux 2015 by Louis Michel & Fils is in a way like a time capsule in the bottle. It’s fascinating that those monks almost a millennia ago did pretty much the same in the same place: planted vines, harvested grapes, and made wine. 2015 Chablis Premier Cru Butteaux comes from four separate plots on the Butteaux slopes in the western part of the Montmains valley. Lastly, at $35-40, Butteaux is a bargain because Premier Cru Chablis is just a notch below in quality from Grand Cru and costs two to ten times less, if not more.

Do you ever wonder what wine like 2015 Château Prieuré Lichine might have tasted like when medieval monks made it for the very first time? Now owned by the Ballande group, the Château has entered a new phase of its history with the addition of eight hectares of vines in 2012 and a brand new cellar. In the words of the winemaker: “2015 will go down in the history of Prieuré Lichine’s vintages as one of extreme refinement… the end of season weather helped make it a stand-out vintage…Most definitely an excellent vintage for Margaux and for Prieuré-Lichine.” While 2015 Château Prieuré Lichine most definitely will turn into more complex wine, it’s ready to be enjoyed now.

When do you think is the right time to open aged Oregon Pinot Noir like the Archery Summit Arcus Estate 2011? The grapes for this 2011 Archery Summit Pinot Noir came from a single vineyard Arcus Estate in Dundee Hills AVA of Willamette Valley of Oregon. In the 2011 Archery Summit case, the wine is produced with fruit from the Arcus Estate vineyard located in Dundee Hills AVA of Willamette Valley of Oregon. Archery Summit Arcus Estate 2011 is a well-balanced and rounded Pinot Noir that demonstrates that skilled winemakers of Willamette Valley can produce excellent wines even in challenging years.

Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc is an entry-level non-vintage sparkling from this trendsetting producer in Napa Valley of California. It’s a crisp sparkling wine with a creamy mousse sensation and the flavors of Granny Smith apples, ripe lemon, and chalky minerality. While many American producers tend to produce more of a New World style, almost off-dry sparkling, Schramsberg sticks to tradition with its Blanc de Blanc. So if you feel presidential and are a fan of traditional bubbles with refreshing acidity, Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc is for you.

To produce Feather – Cabernet Sauvignon’s Washington expression, Allen invited Robert Dunn – the legendary Napa winemaker. Over a decade at Caymus, Randy earned a reputation for California Cabernet Sauvignon’s style that became a benchmark for the rest of Napa Valley. Feather 2016 is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon blend from a select few Walla Walla and Columbia Vineyard’s handpicked by Randy. The ripe character of the 2016 vintage manifested itself in the flavors of prune, ripe black cherry, and dried sour cherry dipped in bitter-dark chocolate.

Have you ever had Albert Lebrun Grand Cru Champagne? In France and the rest of Old World wine regions, the quality, reputation, and price of wine are determined primarily by the place and its terroir rather than the winemaker, label’s name, and marketing might. Brands and labels aside, there are three Champagne quality levels made: Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru, and Champagne Grand Cru. Albert Lebrun was a second Grand Cru Champagne we tasted within a few weeks.

Willamette Valley Vineyards, an Oregon winery, offers wine lovers a unique experience of tasting wine and dining in a safe and friendly environment. The Willamette Valley Vineyards team members are sure other wineries will pick up this creative solution. Having experience tasting wine on a frigid and breezy morning out during the Pour Oregon event taught us that outside temperature variations might affect our ability to detect aromas. Oregon wine lovers and state visitors can’t wait to return to regular wine tastings and dining!