Being an artist I love taking these artsy pictures of the people behind their wines through my Reidel wine glass and filled with the wine - the Oregon Willamette Valley Vineyards' Pinot Noir in this case. It helps to show visually the connection that exists between all the players this way. I also think I got three beautifully thought-provoking and very pleasing/soothing pictures this way as well. I hope you like them, too.
My favorite of the bunch this go-round with Lauren our rep for Washington Wholesalers was the MARKHAM Sauvignon Balnc because it was the lightest, most ready-to-drink and enjoy with the hotter, more humid and sticky weather of the moment here in Cleveland Park N.W. Washington D.C. just a couple of blocks down from our National Zoo.
I was disappointed with the Italian ( was it Veneto or Friuli ) Pinot Grigio because it was too old and way too expensive at $23 or so a bottle on our shelves. Both Chris Barker and I could not believe our ears when we heard the price and I am sorry to say that we gave Lauren a hard time about it, too. Sorry Lauren : you did not make the wine. However, you should check the vintages when you pour them. It looks like the people that pulled the wine for you in the warehouse pulled it from the bottle room where sometimes really old bottles of wine are still available a bottle or two or three at a time.
I know having worked for Forman Brothers years ago in another lifetime that this type of thing would happen frequently enough. It was especially bad when a rep would work with a sales manager for the winery or with the owner or wine-maker which was even worse!
The HALL Sauvignon Blanc from California was bigger, fuller, more viscous and thick and for me just nowhere as pleasing considering the heat and the humidity of the moment. Maybe served later this evening at night inside and with a meal I would have changed my opinion : especially if it was a really good match with the food. However, on it's own at this mid afternoon time of the day I would have just poured another glass of the MARKHAM and been very happy indeed : especially considering that it is less expensive as well. This is, I fully admit my own opinion. Lauren liked the HALL very much, the people, their story ( the woman Katherine behind it very much ) and kept arguing for it. I respect that.
The zen/concentration of opening a bottle in the picture above : I love it.
The current vintage of the WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS' Oregon Pinot Noir needed some food on this day to really shine. It was at this stage in it's development an bit tight and closed-in with too much spice and touches of weed and tobacco and tar to make it shine. The middle fruit just was not filling out the middle palate for me and without the food here on this hot/sticky spring afternoon it needed something : perhaps some take-out from Lavandou Provencale restaurant down at the end of our block : a plate of crudites? That would have been lovely and under these circumstances I would be less-hard on the wine.
Judging a wine all by itself without any other garnishing can and often is brutal and cruel and one must always imagine what the wine would taste like in the proper conditions of stemware, temperature of the wine and the room ( or the outdoors ) and the food and occasion that it is served in? Don't forget all this as you evaluate a wine's potential as well as it's age? Is it mature ? Is it still not really ready to enjoy? Have you let it open enough in the glass to properly evaluate or not? Be understanding and always try and imagine the larger picture to make the best decisions.
With a nice lamb dish I would have been much happier with this WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS' Pinot Noir. Maybe Tim Gural, Lauren's boss can invite me the next time to Lavandou for a quick lunch to better evaluate and appreciate all the merits of this Oregon Pinot Noir?
Here's another artsy photo of Lauren taking notes as I sample the WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS' Pinot Noir. It sure does look good here in my Reidel glass. Too bad I do not have a bottle here at home on Monday, June 7th, 2010 at 9:24 as I plan my day and make plans to later make dinner for my family as it is my day-off.
I like all the ceiling light reflections on the Reidel glass here in the picture above : all so serene as in another world : Lauren's world of wine all held within the confines of this wine-tasting glass? That's the artist in me coming out to discover and to play ...
I won't get into what the Italian Pinot Grigio was as I want to try a fresh vintage before commenting any more. Let it suffice to say that it was the one at first that I was looking the most forward to tasting when I saw all the bottles lined up on our tasting table. I believe that it was from the 2007 vintage. I think it came from the Alto Adige region of Italy now that I think of it : an area that I love for great wine-production of lots of variety and very high quality, too.
Lauren did talk about the Pinot Blanc from this same Italian vineyard up in the northeastern part of Italy and how much she liked it. Chris and I are waiting to try both Lauren : hint, hint.
I love showing the color of a wine off the label from the bottle that it was poured to make the complete connection. Color is such a strong stimulus and it makes me want to try this wine all over again. We should have more pictures with the reviews so that we may also see the color and the clarity of a wine to help prompt us out of our seats to go in search of said bottle.
I like this picture of Lauren above : smiling she looks like she has got the opening of this bottle under wraps here.
Thanks Lauren for the tasting. It's always an eye/palate opener for me. We'll discuss more soon about all of these. We have sold already well the Katherine HALL Sauvignon Balnc and the WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS' Pinot Noir though it has been some time now and so we will have to perhaps use them in an in-store weekend wine-tasting that you conduct for our customers in the future Lauren? This is always a good way for us to rationalize a wine-placement here now as there are so many choices. This way we may determine how our customers like and feel about the wines tasted : do they like them enough at their prices and styles to buy a bottle or more right on the spot? Often there is always someone to snap them up and help make our day at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 , sales@clevelandparkwine.com , www.clevelandparkwine.com, we are also now on Facebook at this same address , and chatart.blogspot.com and chatpoetry.blogspot.com ) here in nation's capitol just that much better for everyone concerned.
Cheers, TONY
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