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Speaking of NW Pinot Gris...


detlef
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Was just visited by somebody representing Bethel Heights, Solena, and Bergstrom

 

The Solena Pinot Gris was exactly what I was talking about in the summer drinks thread. A bit weighty and lacking balance. Nice enough but not really my thing. The Bethel Heights, however, was really nice. Great minerality to go with the deep fruit. Nicely balanced with decent acid on the finish.

 

Actually all the Bethel Heights whites were banging. The Pinot Blanc was really pretty and uncomplicated. If I wanted to sound like a pretentious a-hole, I'd call it naive. OK, I'm a pretentious a-hole. None the less, I dug this stuff a lot.

 

The Chardonnay was f-ing stellar. Tasted like a dead ringer for a 1er cru Puligny Montrachet that cost 3x the price I had last week. Laden with sultry nuance, honey fruits and citrus marmalade. Oregon Chards suffered early on because they were planting the wrong clones and making uncharming and overly acidic wines. Now that they've got some Dijon clones planted, they seem to have righted the ship.

 

The Bergstrom Riesling was about as impressive an example as I have tried from the US. Pretty regal and certainly not short on sexy fruit.

 

I wish I could say the same for the Pinots and I know dude is a rising star but they seemed almost antiseptic. The Bergstrom Vineyards showed some nice aromas and maybe it was just closed up tight but the Cumberland Reserve was largely unimpressive and had a bit of a blind spot on the palette. Thing is, at $55 and $35 wholesale for the two, I can find much tastier juice. Well at least for drinking right now which is sort of important for a restaurant.

 

The Solena Grand Reserve Pinot was pretty straight forward but entirely likable. Very solid and extracted example especially for less than $20 wholesale.

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Was just visited by somebody representing Bethel Heights, Solena, and Bergstrom

 

The Solena Pinot Gris was exactly what I was talking about in the summer drinks thread. A bit weighty and lacking balance. Nice enough but not really my thing. The Bethel Heights, however, was really nice. Great minerality to go with the deep fruit. Nicely balanced with decent acid on the finish.

 

Actually all the Bethel Heights whites were banging. The Pinot Blanc was really pretty and uncomplicated. If I wanted to sound like a pretentious a-hole, I'd call it naive. OK, I'm a pretentious a-hole. None the less, I dug this stuff a lot.

 

The Chardonnay was f-ing stellar. Tasted like a dead ringer for a 1er cru Puligny Montrachet that cost 3x the price I had last week. Laden with sultry nuance, honey fruits and citrus marmalade. Oregon Chards suffered early on because they were planting the wrong clones and making uncharming and overly acidic wines. Now that they've got some Dijon clones planted, they seem to have righted the ship.

 

The Bergstrom Riesling was about as impressive an example as I have tried from the US. Pretty regal and certainly not short on sexy fruit.

 

I wish I could say the same for the Pinots and I know dude is a rising star but they seemed almost antiseptic. The Bergstrom Vineyards showed some nice aromas and maybe it was just closed up tight but the Cumberland Reserve was largely unimpressive and had a bit of a blind spot on the palette. Thing is, at $55 and $35 wholesale for the two, I can find much tastier juice. Well at least for drinking right now which is sort of important for a restaurant.

 

The Solena Grand Reserve Pinot was pretty straight forward but entirely likable. Very solid and extracted example especially for less than $20 wholesale.

 

 

I don't drink a lot of whites. Once I find one that I like, I tend to stick with them since I drink them so infrequently. I have had a few Oregon chardonnays that have impressed me lately. The Lemelson chard was a recent standout. For Pinot Gris, the Elk Cove is pretty consistent from year to year. Looks like I have a few more to try.

 

I'm surprised about the reaction to the Bergstrom Pinots (other than that of price which I'd agree with completely). Josh Bergstrom really isn't an up-an-comer in the region. He's pretty established and his Pinots are solid Oregon Pinots. I haven't had either of the wines you listed though. If you were drinking the 06s, I'd expect the Bergstrom Vineyards to still be pretty tight. In general the 06s are much more approachable earlier, but this one typically needs more time than the others. I had an 06 Bergstrom Shea a week ago though that I thought was pretty damn good but did sit in a decanter for awhile.

Edited by Seattle LawDawg
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I don't drink a lot of whites. Once I find one that I like, I tend to stick with them since I drink them so infrequently. I have had a few Oregon chardonnays that have impressed me lately. The Lemelson chard was a recent standout. For Pinot Gris, the Elk Cove is pretty consistent from year to year. Looks like I have a few more to try.

 

I'm surprised about the reaction to the Bergstrom Pinots (other than that of price which I'd agree with completely). Josh Bergstrom really isn't an up-an-comer in the region. He's pretty established and his Pinots are solid Oregon Pinots. I haven't had either of the wines you listed though. If you were drinking the 06s, I'd expect the Bergstrom Vineyards to still be pretty tight. In general the 06s are much more approachable earlier, but this one typically needs more time than the others. I had an 06 Bergstrom Shea a week ago though that I thought was pretty damn good but did sit in a decanter for awhile.

The rep assured me they were as they were not flawed so they must have just been a bit tight. To be honest, they might have just seemed shut down in comparison to such aromatic and friendly whites and a somewhat slutty pinot that she showed me before them.

 

My guess is that if somebody opened up a bottle that had sat for a few years, I'd be singing a whole different song.

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