Henry Estate 2004 Henry V

Wow, it's been a while since we have posted. With the excitement of the new year, getting back into the swing of work after the holidays and travel, the blog has fallen to the wayside a little. Well, no more, my viticulturally-blessed friends!


Tonight I sit after a long Friday at the office sipping on a glass of Henry Estate 2004 Henry V. This wine is a red blend, primarily Cab Sauv (53%) with Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah, and Malbec rounding out the balance. Henry Estate is a family-run winery in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon, not far from Roseburg. A colleague grew up near the winery and had been telling me about it for months...but it wasn't until she brought me back a few bottles recently did I venture into their portfolio.

The Henry V has a spicy and smoky nose on it with a gorgeous red hue. To be honest I've become a bit nonplussed with blends lately after some delicious single-varietal wines, but there will always be the right time and place to crack open the perfect marriage of the larger red varietals in one bottle. The Henry V has renewed my hope in blends. Subtle, but not too subtle, the composition has a lingering finish preceded by hints of cigar and berries. Imagine a great cab sauv toned down a bit, making it perfectly appropriate to drink by itself or with a nice red meat dinner.

All in all, a great wine...and I suspect next time I'm down in the Southern Oregon area I'll stop by the estate. This one gets a "recommend" in my book. Thanks Shelly!

Coming soon keep your eyes open for the much ballyhooed holiday wine dinner pairing feature. Until then, cheers!

Eugene Wine Cellars 2004 Pinot Gris

Recently I've been making a point of picking up a local wine that I haven't tried before when I'm at the store, masking the cost of the wine within the grocery expense and building up a stock of drinkable wine ready to go at a moments notice. A couple of weeks ago, I did the bi-weekly shopping trip to Safeway and ran across one of the Wine Steward's recommendations--the 2004 Pinot Gris by Eugene Wine Cellars. At $15, In the cart it went with few other bottles.

2004 was the fifth vintage produced by Eugene Wine Cellars-out of Eugene, OR if you hadn't picked up on that one. For that year, they rolled out a new label and image: b2. The b-squared title is representative of a number of double-b's that are related to the company, and present it as a new image and focus for the winery. Personally, I find this sort of marketing gimmick to be a bit too trendy and hip. Nonetheless, on to the wine.

This gris was dry on the nose, with a strong floral notes. It had a good mouthfeel, and upon sipping the dryer style of this wine was confirmed throughout with a crisp finish. I ate spicy chicken Italian sausage with this alcoholic grape juice, and the wine tempered the spiciness quite nicely. This particular vintage won a silver medal at the 2006 Tasters International Judging.

Like gris? Why not! Like dryer gris? Definitely check this one out.

For the coming attractions section of The Oregon Wine Blog, keep on the look out for upcoming treatment of:

• Sahalie Wine Bar
• Harvest and Crush
• 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir
• Chateau Lorane

Salud!

Update and 2004 Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cab

Here at The Oregon Wine Blog, there are times of the year in which we are limited in our ability to post as a result of the jobs that actually pay us. It is the downfall of our staff pretty much all working in the same industry -- university administration. Being the start of the school year, this is one of those times. Sorry. Things will settle down in a week or two and the posting traffic will pick back up. And, if anyone would like to pay me to do THIS, email me - josh@theoregonwineblog.com :)

Last week I was in Bend with some friends, and we cracked open a bottle of wine that I was familiar with previously although it's allure had fallen into a forgotton corner of my palate: 2004 Columbia Crest Grand Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Columbia Crest is another Eastern Washington winery, located in the Horse Heaven Hills of the Columbia Valley (Paterson, WA). Columbia Crest markets under three labels -- Reserve, Grand Estate, and Two Vines. I have consistenly been impressed by the Grand Estate offerings, their middle-tier wines which are available as a quite reasonable price point.

Tasting notes from the winemaker are pretty darn accurate: "Slight spice, chocolate, and hints of coconut and black cherry aromas lead into a subtle and harmonious balance of oak and fruit on the palate. This supple wine trails into a slightly spiced cocoa finish.” The chocolate notes and cocoa finish were particularly prominent for me. It's a very drinkable wine and you can't go wrong for $12.99. Seriously. We bought another bottle the other day and it's nearly gone. While the 2004 is pretty widely available at retailers, the 2003 in my opinion is even better. I haven't seen this on the shelves lately but it looks like it is still available at the winery. Darn it, I want to buy some now.

With that, I'll leave you all to vinification bliss. On a final note, if there is something you would like to see on The Oregon Wine Blog, leave a comment or send me an email.

Barnard Griffin 2004 Syrah

Are you looking for a nice syrah for under $20? Barnard Griffin's 2004 Syrah is the wine for you. Barnard Griffin is probably my favorite Eastern Washington winery, located near the Yakima River in Richland. Now, I grew up in Richland but unfortunately was under the legal age for enjoying wine at the time. I'm really digging where the industry is going in the Tri-Cities when I visit my family.

Barnard Griffin buys all of their fruit--and Rob Griffin, the winemaker, attributes much of his success to sourcing great fruit. They produce both tulip labels and reserve wines, and while the reserve are definitely the cream of the crop, tulip label wines are very respectable and reasonably priced.

For the 2004 Syrah, the nose has plum and blackberry notes with rich, full-bodied flavors. The grapes for this wine came from the Wahluke Slope, Columbia Gorge, and Columbia River areas capitalizing on the high heat climate of the Columbia Valley. We cracked it open with a nice steak and next thing we knew, the bottle was gone.

Next time you are in the local wine store, pick up a bottle. Even better, if you happen to find yourself in Richland--stop by the tasting room. They are quite hospitable.