The Bluffs Food & Wine Gazette June 2023

JUNE

Event Report:

WFS Ken Wright Cellars Virtual Tasting. Upcoming Events.

What’s New

I couldn’t attend the Holy Saturday brunch at Pasta Amore due to a long standing family event. So instead, I thought I would give you a summary of the Ken Wright Cellars Virtual Tasting instead. How apropos, since we are due to have a Burgundy vs. Pinot Noir event on June 14th, a Wednesday, and I have just come back from the IWFS Willamette Festival, which extolled all things Pinot Noir. Plan to attend that event.

But I guess I missed an outstanding April 8th brunch at Pasta Amore, hosted by Joe Goldstein and Mike Wilke. Ok, Goldstein wasn’t there, which left Mike to do the heavy lifting! It was a very nice event I have been told. Quaffing consisted of Caviar Deviled Eggs and a Seafood Tower of poached shrimp, ceviche oysters on the half shell, stone crab and lox. Two kinds of Ferrari sparkling, white and rosé, mimosas, and Bloody Mary’s were the tipple. TartineSourdough, Mornay, Truffle Arugula Pesto Poached Egg was next, then Niman Ranch Braised Bacon Hash, Bourbon Maple Syrup, Carmelized Onion and Roasted Cauliflower. The Fourth Course was Niman Ranch Strip Steak & Eggs, Salsa Verde Potato, Sunny Side Eggs and Bordelaise. Dessert was Pecan Praline Sticky Buns with Caramel Anglaise. And I didn’t even list all the wines due to lack of space. If I had a lunch like that during the work week, I would spend the afternoon fighting drowsiness, not getting any work done. But it would have been worth it! Photos are courtesy of Wayne Markus.

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My weight is perfect for my height

- Which Varies

2023

Event Report: IWFS Ken Wright Cellars Virtual Tasting.

Written by Tom Murnan

Since COVID, the IWFS Americas has been putting on Zoom tasting events. This was my first one, a very well done event I have to say. Ken Wright is an icon in the Willamette Valley, having introduced in 2002 six new AVAs when it was easy to do so: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, and Yamhill-Carlton Each AVA has its own unique characteristics. There are 16 Willamette AVAs now. He also was the first to do individual vineyard designations on the bottle. He taught us a lot about the fickle grape, Pinot Noir (PN), in layman’s terms. We compared two 2021 bottlings, one from volcanic soil called Jory (Latchkey) and one from sandy, marine sediment soil called Willakenzie soil(Shea Vineyard).

Wright was attracted to the Willamette because it was similar to Burgundy in soil and climate. Pinot Noir needs cool temperatures to excel. This is because its DNA is different than most all grape varietals. It fails miserably in warm climates. It races to produce high sugar with warmer temps, and forces you to harvest early, before it develops complexity. Cool weather puts the brakes on, increasing hang time increases complexity and nuance. Between 250 feet elevation and 750 foot elevation is the sweet spot for PN. Cool breezes from the ocean is important as well.

Pinot Noir expresses the soil conditions (terroir) better than any other grape except Chardonnay and Riesling. The vineyard is what makes the wine, not the winemaker. If you prepare the soil so that the vine roots can access the minerals and nutrients deep under the topsoil, this is absorbed into the vine, then by the grape. Vineyard management includes not using chemicals, and not compressing the soil with tractors. Compressed soil reduces the oxygen in the soil, which impacts the microbiology in the deepest level of soil called the Parent Material. If you kill the aerobic microbes, it reduces the ions that give flavor. All the best vineyards in the world have a deep layer in the Parent Material to provide all the micronutrients needed for outstanding grapes, which are crushed into outstanding wine.