Pinot Noir Tasting Willamette Valley versus California at Cafe Maxx

“Every day I spend my time
Drinking wine, feeling fine
Waiting here to find the sign
That I can understand, yes I am”
-Everyday by A$AP Rocky ft. Mark Ronson, Miguel & Rod Stewart

We are light on number of tastings in the next couple of weeks but the few we have are high quality. Next Wednesday we are featuring Pinot Noir from Oregon and California. No place on the planet outside of Burgundy produces great Pinot consistently than these two western states.

Generalizations are dangerous; Willamette Valley Wines tend to have the bright fruit of the new world with structure and earthiness found in Burgundy. Every region has vintage variation, Oregon’s are more pronounced than most. Distinctive with small producers being the norm with a bevy of microclimates, it is fascinating how individual wineries portray each vintage. 

 California tends to be on the fruit forward end of the spectrum. Whether it’s the bright red cherries and spiciness from Santa Lucia Highlands, or the deeper red fruits from Russian River, Pinot from California offers immediate pleasure drinking.

These tastings at Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. Eight wines are pre-poured in order to allow them to open up. Master chef Oliver Saucy will be sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines.  These tastings are a great opportunity to get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time.  The fee for the tasting in $35+ tax+ Gratuity for reservations call 954-523-9463

Pinot Noir Tasting Willamette Valley vs. California at Cafe Maxx
Wednesday July 29th
6:30pm

Tasting Line-Up

LaFond Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2013
Price: $30.00   Sale: $26.40   Case: $316.80

The Santa Rita Hills is a small appellation at the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley that has gained national recognition for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The Valley runs west to east, opening a gap in the coastal range, allowing the late afternoon ocean fog to roll in where it lingers until early morning. The surrounding hills trap the fog before it is dissipated in the wider Santa Ynez Valley.

The fog cools the vines from the day's summer heat and it is this combination of warm days and cool nights that gives the wine its complexity as well as providing acidity to give it structure.

Picked at night to take advantage of this coolness, the grapes are processed the next morning. Cooler grapes are firmer and suffer less damage in handling.

Seven Clones of Pinot Noir are present in this wine, which come from 6 different blocks in the Lafond and Burning Creek Vineyards. Eighteen different fermenters were used. This mixture and blend allows for layering of complexity and brings out the character of Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir.

Paraiso Santa Lucia Highlands 2013
Price: $20.00  Sale: $17.60  Case: $211

This delivers plenty of ripe Pinot fruit without heaviness, over-ripeness or heat.  Raspberry, cherry, and wild berry fruit flavors gain complexity from a touch of earthiness and a kiss of French Oak and fine-grained tannins and bright acids give freshness and support.

Stewart Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2013
The 2012 Stewart Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was farmed and picked on a row-by-row basis to ensure optimal ripeness, then hand sorted and whole berry fermented in small lots. Aged in barrel for 10 months in 40% new French oak, this wine was neither fined nor filtered prior to bottling; a testament to the effort and skill of our winemaking team. 
Hailing from what is often referred to as the “true” Sonoma Coast AVA, only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, this Pinot Noir bursts forth with rich aromatics of blackberry, violet, and smoky tobacco. The palate is elegant yet dense, featuring flavors of pomegranate and blackcurrant. Savory and subtle notes of dried mushroom and clove reveal themselves in a lingering finish while fine tannins and well integrated French oak provide backbone to this engaging Pinot Noir.

Hansel “ South Slope” Russian River 2012
Price: $50.00   Sale: $44.00   Case: $528

The South Slope begins at the highest elevation and the furthest South of all of our Vineyards blocks. It slopes from South to North about 45 feet and it's soils are predominantly sandy loam. The berry size is medium with a high berry count giving cluster weight that has yields approaching 2 1/4 tons/acre (our highest yields). It is 100% French clone 777, and tends to show it's earthy side far more then our other clones. Although this wine definitely has a French origin, each year it becomes more and more new world.

Vivid ruby. Sexy red berry and rose pastille aromas show very good clarity and a good dose of Asian spices. Silky, sweet and expansive on the palate, offering energetic raspberry and cherry flavors and an exotic touch of blood orange that adds a bitter edge. Pure and precise, with excellent finishing lift, cut and gentle tannins that fold into the lively red fruit. The most elegant of this set of Pinots today, and one that should age well on its balance. (93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar)

Benton Lane Willamette Valley 2012
Price: $22.00  Sale: $19.36  Case: $232
This dark crimson hued wine has aromas of black cherry,cassis and red licorice. The texture is quite plush and velvety with integrated tannin, so it will pair with a variety of cuisines. The flavors are classic Oregon Pinot Noir cherry and berry nuances, with notes of cured meats and baking spices layered in. With a little less acidity and structure than a typical Benton-Lane Pinot Noir, it’s precocious enough to enjoy now, but will improve with 1-2 years aging.

J Christopher Willamette Valley 2012
Price: $31.00   Sale: $27.28   Case: $327

The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is the flagship J. Christopher wine. The 2012 is blended from excellent vineyards in four of the Willamette Valley’s AVAs: Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, Yamhill-Carlton and Eola-Amity Hills. Made with native fermentations and up to 18 months of barrel time, this is classic Oregon Pinot Noir.
Appellation: Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, Yamhill-Carlton and Eola Hills

Belle Pente, Murto Vineyard, Dundee 2011
Price: $45.00  Sale: $39.60   Case: $475

As fans of Mike and Robin Murto's Dundee Hills vineyard know, this is a high elevation site that can struggle to get ripe in cool vintages.  However, these 30+ year-old vines somehow manage to pull it off every year!  This particular wine started out "lean and mean", but went through a profound transformation during it's second winter in barrel, and has continued to evolve beautifully over it's first year in the bottle.  This is perhaps our most "Burgundian" Pinot Noir to date, checking in at whopping 12.3% alcohol!  It is fun to drink today, but has the balance and structure to age beautifully for many, many years.
We have made single vineyard Pinot Noir wines from Murto since 1996.  Over the 16 vintages, we can see significant variation in the textural aspects of the wine, but the core sensory characteristics are remarkably consistent from year to year: red fruit, fresh earth, and spice.  This 2011 version reveals reticent strawberry and red cherry flavor and aromas, with alluring notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, Asian 5-spice, sandalwood, white and black pepper.  It is medium bodied with moderate, polished tannins and bright, fresh acidity.
620 Cases Produced

Z’Ivo, Eola Amity Hills 2008
Price: $43.50   Sale: $38.28  Case $459

The wine is very dark red and delicately scented with cherries and spice. It has great structure and the whole cluster addition has added tremendous spice to complement the black cherry fruit commonly found from Eola-Amity Hills AVA Pinot Noir. It has a rich round soft mouth feel. We are excited about its aging potential.