Friday Find October 4th

Each Friday we highlight a wine from the Northwest that we think is a real "find." By find we might mean that it's a steal, as all of these wines we'll feature weekly are at or under $20. We might also mean "Hey, you really need to go find this" and it might be a wine that we feel not enough people know about. In any case, with the weekend pending we're hoping to help you "find" a wine to kickoff the weekend right. We'll tell you a little bit about the wine and try to help you track it down here in the Northwest.

You can call me lazy today if you'd like, but I was reminded of the sheer genius of this Friday Find from last year by one of our readers, and given the "pumpkin creep" we're currently experiencing. That is to say, all the pumpkin beverage displays and cute little "pumpkin spice salvation" coffee tweets I'm seeing, it's time to dig in my heels and make my stand against this madness. To that end I bring you today's Friday Find, updated from about this time last year. Enjoy.

The pumpkin craze has gotten out of hand.  Pumpkin is good for bread, and pie, oh, and for pumpkins.  There are probably some other satisfactory uses of pumpkins, I know for example that people use them in catapults. These people are probably unemployed and so they've found this relatively harmless way to occupy their free time, to them I say, VOLUNTEER!

I have been accused of being curmudgeonly before, and frankly, I believe that I'm probably too handsome to be a curmudgeon but I do not care for the pumpkin beverage craze.  By that I mean the coffees and the beers. Pumpkin beer was a novelty ten or so years ago. At the time I lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan and there were three small craft breweries in the vicinity, Kraftbrau, of course Bells Brewing and New Holland Brewing. Only one of them, New Holland, made a pumpkin beer. These days if you were in a town with three microbreweries, you'd likely have 12 pumpkin beers between them. It's not funny anymore folks, it's not cute and the fact is there's so damn much pumpkin beer being made that you can drink it in April.

Pumpkin coffee? Sick. I love coffee, you know what I like my coffee to taste like? Coffee.  When I go off on one of these rants people say, "But Clive, you love pumpkin, and you love coffee." Yeah, you know what else I love? Mushrooms.

To further complicate this tirade I've got to get into a bit of full disclosure. I love pumpkin pie, but actually, just the cheap frozen kind.  I know what you're thinking. "Okay mister pumpkin beverage hater, what gives?"  I'll tell you, first, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," but to further explain, I came from a small blue collar neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Meat and potatoes, and at Thanksgiving, that meant frozen pumpkin pie. To me, that's what pumpkin pie is, and that's what it tastes like and that's how I like it.

To that point, it's pumpkin season, we know not because of the awesome jack o' lanterns we're all carving but because Big Box Coffee and every micro and macro brewery in America has unleashed their damned pumpkin beverages upon us. But, I'm here to save the day with an actual wine that pairs nicely with pumpkin pie. Riesling is probably the single best pumpkin pairing but a Pinot Blanc from Oregon will also do the trick. Today's Friday Find is the 2012 Pinot Blanc from Youngberg Hill.

The wine is very pretty and while less well known than the other two wines produced in the Willamette Valley that also begin with Pinot, it's a wine more folks oughta get to know. The aromatics are floral, fresh white flowers mostly, peach skin and lime zest. Flavors dig a bit deeper into that peach skin, with a fair amount of pronounced stone fruit, grapefruit makes the scene and there is a rounded spice note as well, maybe that's coriander. That could be attributed to the warmer vintage or perhaps it's a result of the neutral oak used in the wine. The acidity is there, but it's tame, balance achieved. It's a nice pumpkin pie wine, but frankly, it's just a nice wine period, even if you decide to skip the pumpkin all together. Youngberg Hill produces small lots so if you're into trying this out, you should contact them at the winery to find out where you might be able to score some. Consider it the anti-dote to all the pumpkin insanity that has been loosed upon the world.

You could instead continue down this road to ruin of pumpkin flavored beverages, but don't say I didn't warn you.

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Youngberg Hill; Site and Scenery in the McMinnville AVA

A short drive out of McMinnville and a steep sharp right hand turn leads the way up and up to Youngberg Hill. The sight and site is one to behold in terms of viewpoint, and Pinot Noir, it turns out.  The bed and breakfast, owned and operated by Wayne and Nicolette Bailey, is smack dab in the middle of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vineyards that certainly add romance to the sweeping views of the Willamette Valley as well as points north and south.

The inn is reason enough to make both the trip and that steep climb. My room had views of the vineyards below and the rolling hills of the McMinnville AVA. On a clear day Mt. Hood, Jefferson and the Sisters add to the show. The place is all sorts of charming, and in addition to the views and hospitality it grants you, the location would put it on the shortest of short lists in terms of rooms with a view for exploring Oregon's Willamette wine country.  

While Youngberg Hill is a Valley gem in terms of  accommodations what is most interesting about the place is their Pinot Noir, particularly from the Jordan Block.  The site, which lies slightly outside of the panorama visible from the front porch, sits on a steeper angle than the rest of the property at between 750 and 800 feet elevation. The block is a "field blend" of Pommard and Wadenswil clones on the well draining, sedimentary Steiwer soil.

Back in 1989, while Ken Wright owned Panther Creek, he convinced the property's owners to plant Pinot Noir in what is today the Jordan Block, (named for one of the Bailey's daughters). Wright bought the fruit exclusively until 96 when he sold Panther Creek. That winery continued to buy the Jordan Block Pinot until Wayne bought the Youngberg Hill property in 2003, he was tipped off to the place by Jimi Brooks. Wayne moved the vineyard in the direction of what he calls "holistic farming." For Wayne, holistic farming is "not quite biodynamics." He's not following the moon per se, but it's about creating a closed system, allowing for biodiversity and taking an approach that considers the entirety of the farm, not just the grapes.

Wayne treated myself and a few other writers to a vertical tasting of the Jordan Block Pinot Noir beginning with the 2006 and wrapping in 2010. For Wayne, 06 is three years into his holistic farming approach and the wine would show "the essence of this place." As we moved toward the most recent vintages, Wayne suggested we'd see vintage variation but perhaps an evolution in the site.  My overall impression of the Jordan Block as a site is of one that brings a lot of minerality (read "earthiness"),  tannins and acidity to Pinot Noir. Fruit character and aromatics are more subdued, except perhaps on the cooler vintages, 2007 and 2010 showed elegant and slightly more fruit forward aromas. The site produces fine Pinot Noirs, including one of the most enjoyable and vibrant 2008s I've had to date, thanks to that acidity.  (I have included my tasting notes at the end of this piece on each vintage.)

Youngberg Hill is already pretty much booked through the high season a year out, so if you go visit (and you should consider it) go in the Winter and take your bicycle, if you're so inclined. The driveway makes for a nice challenge. What's special to me is that they clearly have a beautiful place, it's a destination within wine country to be sure. Often times "destination wineries" put a lazyperson's emphasis on the wine part of the equation. Wayne Bailey does not, he is making serious and intellectual Pinot Noirs worthy of anyone's consideration.

2006 Jordan Block- Fainter aromas of crushed stone and forest floor and a flavor profile that includes mushrooms, hints of blackberry, clove and white pepper. Great balance and tannins show this wine as only really just getting started.

2007 Jordan Block-Lots of vibrancy and bright acidity in this cool site, cool vintage pairing. Aromatics of early season red raspberry, and flinty stone took some time to coax from the wine. Brighter berry flavors, and a mineral finish.

2008 Jordan Block-The fullest bodied Pinot from Youngberg's tasting that night but I found it to be one of the most redeeming examples of the vintage. I am finding, at least as I'm drinking them now that the 08s are a little clunky, and dull. The Jordan Block however gets a great lift in vibrancy from the acidity that this site imparts.Substantial tannins, and roundness as well as dark fruit flavors. Aromas of cedar and baking spices.

2009 Jordan Block-This wine was a bit of a departure from the others. Not the least of which was the substantial improvement in the label change. The nose was quite closed up and the wine felt a bit angular. High acids and flavors of white pepper, chalk, eucalyptus and a touch of red fruit. This vintage of Jordan Block perhaps needs more time, I'd love to revisit it in a year.

2010 Jordan Block- My love affair with 2010 in Oregon continues with this Jordan Block Pinot Noir. The elegance of the aromatics do the job with aromas of violets and sweet candied fruit. The wine was also quite pretty to drink, with a soft mouthfeel, more demure acidity and loads of blue fruit flavors. While my favorite of the flight was the 2008 this one has the most glaring potential.

I stayed at Youngberg Hill as a guest of the Inn and Winery.

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2012, The Mayans Were Wrong!

The year is over folks, well, nearly, by the end of today it'll be all over. Most people are doing something, something Top 10 what have you on their blogs. We won't do that, if only because we know Jenny Mosbacher hates it.  Instead we're just going to reminisce a bit. The blog was dark last week as family was in town from the east coast, the kiddo was home from daycare and there was a whole lot of cycling to be done. 312 miles to be exact.

We're back with something resembling a vengeance.

I suppose we're all glad the Mayans were wrong. I mean it's possible that soon we'll discover a compound of people in black Nikes who were kinda hoping the world would end but for the most part everyone agrees. We at the Anthem are really excited that life gets to continue on earth for a number of reasons, and some of them even have something to do with wine.

If there is anything to be chomping at the bit about in the immediate future its gotta be the 2011 vintage from Oregon. One of our highlights from 2012 was certainly seeing the releases of the 2010 vintage. The vintage it turns out, despite some nay-saying and a bit of bird action was perfect for Oregon Pinot Noir. While some of the Bordeaux varietals that I've tried from Washington have been a little bit underwhelming the Syrahs have been absolutely outstanding. Wines from both Avennia and Rotie Cellars were standouts of the 2010 vintage and they were not alone.

2012 marked the blogs first birthday in May. In 2012 there were 134 posts on the Northwest Wine Anthem. That's one every few days. There were posts written by eleven different people. Our crack staff and two contributors, Charlotte Chipperfield and Lara Bain, we also added a new staff writer in Lucha Vino, aka Marty Sparks to try and bring a bit of gender balance to the blog. We brought you 49 Friday Finds, that's 49 weeks with a Northwest wine under $20. That's a lot.

The highlights for me were all of the new content and new writers we were able to get out there. Two different trips I was invited to take to Oregon this year also provided opportunities for rubbing elbows with really invested Pinot Noir producers. The first trip in March was sponsored by The Oregon Wine Board. Stops in the Gorge, Portland and Dundee made for a great trip.   My first crack at some of the best vintages of Oregon Pinot Noir with some of it's founding families was probably the icing on the cake.

I just recently got back from a trip to McMinnville's Youngberg Hill. We'll have a feature on the B&B and winery just outside of McMinnville soon; but the vertical tasting we did of the site's Jordan Block was a unique opportunity and one that came with outstanding scenery.

Another huge highlight for me of 2012 was spending a day with Dick Boushey touring around his vineyards outside of Grandview, Washington. The man is a legend within the Washington Wine industry and rightfully so.

As we get set to enter 2013, we'll be looking forward to celebrating 30 years of the Yakima Valley AVA, taking a look at a mini vertical of Van Duzer and a fantastic cool vintage Syrah from Waters Winery in Walla Walla. And that's just January.  Stick around.

As is customary, as in it's happened once, we're going to pick a wine of the year only this year we'll be picking one from Oregon and one from Washington, in an effort to please everyone. Which is impossible.

My 2012 wine of the year from Washington was the 2010 Northern Blend from Rotie Cellars. It's amazing. I tasted it at Taste Washington and was pretty sure it was my top wine of that event and then got to taste it a few days ago yet again.  It's Syrah with just 5% co-fermented Viognier, resulting in a wine with an Old World charm, while also being earthen, funky and deep and savory. The earthen and dark fruit flavors and finish last forever. A Syrah that is exactly what I love about Syrah. Amazing, I know, I said that already.

My 2012 wine from Oregon is the 2010 Zenith Vineyard Pinot Noir from Grochau Cellars. John has created a humdinger in this wine from the Eola-Amity Hills. I tasted it with him recently and was really wowed. John likes to play with whole cluster fermentation quite a bit and whatever he did to this wine it's gorgeous. The elegance that 2010 is developing a reputation for is all over this wine but what nailed it for me was the super long finish that feels a tad like a candied blueberry is just sitting there on your tongue. It's got great acidity, classic bramble-berry flavors and a bit of savory spice. It's pretty plain and simple.

Happy New Year everyone from your friends at the Anthem, see you next year. 

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