Oregon-itis

I'm still reeling from my June trip to Oregon. I promise to have more posts up about it very soon.

Project Green Fork Turns 3!

One of the most unique (& necessary) organizations is turning 3 years old & the party is not to be missed. Project Green Fork (founded here in the creative & delicious city of Memphis) works with restaurants to help them become less wasteful & less burdensome to the environment, among many other things. Details for the birthday celebration are below. Come sip some delicious cocktails & wish PGF a happy birthday!

Really, I'm not kidding

"I'm allergic to sulfur".

Really? Really? You have to be frigging kidding me. I've heard this garbage over & over again & it is exhausting to listen to.

"What organic wines do you have? I know they don't have sulfur in them because they're organic."

Uggh


"I don't want anything imported," after she asked for an Alsatian wine of course "Everything imported has tons of sulfur in it because it has to be preserved."

Jesus lady who fed you this horseshit?

"Well maam we do have quite a few organic & biodynamic wines but their farming practices doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their ahem sulfur content. Also, imported wines (such as the Alsatian you just asked for) don't necessarily have more ahem sulfur content than domestic wines."

"Well, I'm allergic to sulfur so I have to be careful."

gag

"Let me ask you this; how is your reaction?"

"I get sick to my stomach & I get a headache."

"Thats interesting because the 1% of the population who is actually allergic to sulfites has difficulty breathing when they ingest sulfites. Not headaches. Not nausea."

"When you wind up in a coma because of sulfites you tend to be more careful."

You have to be shitting me. Is this woman for real?

Whoever perpetuated the falsehood that getting a minor headache or a bit of hot flashes equals a sulfite allergy should be drawn & quartered. This weekend preferably.

A Few Oregon Pics

My friend Darlene & the tasting lineup at Erath Vineyards.



Dinner time at the Stoller House.



I love wearing a jacket in June



Neighbors



About to get some delicious Argyle bubbly



Damn I want that bottle of Brut Rose



Rollin Soles' mustache is way cooler than yours

Come On

I really don't like it when a sales rep tries to sell me a wine by telling me "so & so store is flying through this. They bought, like, 6 or 7 cases of it." Come. On. Really? Are we that store? No. So don't compare us.

Lachini, finally

I have been a huge fan of Lachini Vineyards ever since my good friend Elizabeth brought them into the Memphis market about 4 years ago. Ron Lachini's wines are elegant yet display such power & grace. I finally got my chance to visit this outstanding vineyard site on my Oregon excursion a few weeks ago. The day couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was shining, spotty clouds were keeping it from being too bright & the vines & Valley were splayed out before us. John Peacock greeted us with snacks & open bottles. Since it was our fourth stop of the day the group was a little restless but we soon were laughing, sipping wine & snacking on sushi. First up was the rose of pinot noir. Such a gorgeous faintly blushing hue but with a deep aroma of fruit, spice & minerals. The texture was lush but very thirst-quenching. It was easy to tell that this bottle would be a perfect foil for a rustic grilled meal. It's also La Tache clone which almost made my head explode when I found that out! Wow.

John poured us some Estate Pinot Noir as we wandered out into the vineyard & relaxed on the stone patio. Nearby is where the new tasting room will be built. That is without a doubt going to be a welcome addition to a neighborhood that also includes Bergstrom & Adelsheim. The pinots are hauntingly good with finishes that won't let up. Delicious. Ron Lachini himself led us through the estate vineyard to discuss farming practices & the trials & tribulations of growing pinot noir.

Lachini not only produces exceptional pinot noir from Oregon but he also crafts gripping reds from Washington State as well. Bold cab & cab blends that can age for 10 years or more. These wines would put any California Bordeaux style blend to shame. But who's comparing?



Thank you Ron & thank you John for an experience the group will never forget!

Now I'm thirsty for some pinot....

Oregon- Day 2 Pt 2

From Owen Roe we headed over to Dundee to one of my absolute favorite producers; Argyle. This winery makes exceptional pinot noir, chardonnay & riesling. But what makes me really swoon is their sparkling wine. It's just....well....just....words don't really describe how much I love their bubbly. The Brut is yeasty, lush yet crisp, & palate caressing. The http://argylewinery.com/2000-Knudsen-Vineyard-Brut.php (I couldn't find current notes) is absolutely haunting. So elegant yet with an underlying, subtle power & grace. It's a bubbly that I want to save for special occasions yet its a wine that I want to drink every weekend. Now how to balance that....



That was a very big tank that wasn't full at the time but I would have loved to have swam around in it if it was filled with some Extended Tirage 2001



Speaking of which...

Argyle was an incredible stop & they really showed the group absolutely everything. From production to aging to dosage to tirage. We tasted old vintages of chardonnay, every bubbly (except my favorite the Rose) they make & even had a delicious lunch in their private room. Rollin Soles (founder & winemaker) came out & spoke with us about Memphis BBQ & really had a great time interacting with the group. I'll never stop drinking their wines.

Onward to Torii Mor where we had a 3:00 pm appointment with Todd Stewart, National Sales Manager.

Todd was a fellow Southerner & just moved from North Carolina to take the job with Torii Mor. His passion for the wines was blatantly obvious & infectious. It's hard not to be passionate about wines as good as that & located in such a gorgeous setting. Their pinot gris was austere, elegant & loaded with mouthwatering acidity with hints of floral notes & nuttiness. The pinots are elegant, gripping, earthy & obviously can be long-lived. We used the black label Willamette Valley Pinot Noir for wine club in June at Joe's. It was a magical experience for a few to taste one of their wine club wines at the very site it was made.

Now on to Lachini Vineyards