Sokol Blosser...Walking the Talk

Not too long ago, I did a post about Sokol Blosser's Evolution and how well it paired with the signature sandwich from my hometown of Pittsburgh. The piece got picked up by the website of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I had a good chat with Lee, the marketing guy at Sokol Blosser who suggested that I "Come on down and let us show you a good time." Who am I to refuse such hospitality?

Anybody who knows anything about Oregon wine knows the name Sokol Blosser, pioneers in the Willamette Valley wine industry. If there's something going on, chances are Sokol Blosser is out in front leading the charge, whether by making adventurous wine blends that pair well with any variety of food, like the Meditrina and Evolution; progressive politics; or re-examining how wine can be made and the impacts it can have on the environment.

We arrived at Sokol Blosser and the tasting room was already bumping. We asked for Jenny, who poured us some wine as she packed a bag for us to begin our Sokol Blosser tour. We warmed up with some Pinot Gris, and then moved onto the Pinot Noir 09 Rose. Only 700 cases were made, and if last year is any indicator, the April release will be gone by June. Get some; it's excellent. Despite the quick sales, Jenny feels that there's a lot of consumer education yet to be done for Rose. I am in total agreement and I'm grateful to see the Northwest continue to bring out some excellent examples of Rose that will hopefully get us past the whole White Zinfandel nonsense those Californians cooked up.

Jenny next poured us the Evolution, and complimented me on my article, which I greatly appreciated. The Evolution represents two-thirds of Sokol Blosser's total production. Inspired by the 1974 Oregon State Plantings on the estate, the Evolution is a combination of nine varietals, many of which began as part of that cold climate planting experiment. The nine varietals and the Beatles' Revolution #9 resulted in the name and the blend. While the blend varies slightly from year to year, it never ceases to please.

We stepped outside in to the classic rainy weather of April in the Northwest and took a tour of the Sokol Blosser facility. The vineyards are planted on an old orchard and farm with each block being named for what came before; for example: Goose Pen Block, Peach Tree Block, etc. As we tasted through the Pinots, we talked about the 85-acre vineyard. We tasted the 2007 Pinot Noir, which was excellent. I have to shake my head every time I'm drinking Oregon Pinot from 2007. I am a big fan yet I'm aware of how they were panned by critics. I think the critics got it wrong, and Jenny again echoed what I'd heard all over on my trip to Willamette: the 07s are just now "coming out to play."

We toured the barrelhouse, which is the first LEED certified wine structure in the nation. For Sokol Blosser it represents sustainability which is another area to lend it's focus, passion and ingenuity. The vineyards are policed by cats and bluebirds as opposed to pesticides, 30% of all the winery's power is solar-generated and 30% is produced by wind turbines, a full 50% of their farm equipment uses biodiesel. Last, but not least, Sokol Blosser is targeting carbon neutrality in time for the 2030 Carbon Neutral challenge, though they hope to get there sooner.

Sokol Blosser has been certified organic by both the USDA and Oregon Tilth since 2005. They also participate in Salmon Safe certification. What differentiates Sokol Blosser from many other wineries in the areas of sustainability is their genuine and honest approach. They talk about their shortcomings as well as their green efforts. And they speak honestly about the practice of "green washing," a practice which has become all too common among larger companies. Sokol Blosser releases an annual Sustainability Report, wherein they talk about their successes, where they fell short of expectations, and their plans for the future.

Sustainability is a lifestyle at Sokol Blosser, from their office practices to the packaging they select. As they look toward the future there's little doubt that their dedication to this effort, like the dedication to their wine, will certainly bear fruit. If history is any guide, Sokol Blosser's efforts will benefit the Willamette Valley community and Northwest wine lovers alike.

Dave's Killer Pairing...Sin Dawg with Sokol Blosser Meditrina

Dave Dahl was a "four-time loser" with 15 years of prison under his belt when an epiphany emerged in the toilet bowl in his cell.  That's right, prison.  From this epiphany spawned Dave's Killer Bread, makers of the Sin Dawg - a 100% Whole Grain Organic Cinnamon-Sugar Bread Roll.   A healthy cinnamon roll?  You're damn right and we had to have it.  A good source of fiber with no animal-products, the Sin Dawg is shaped in a long-tubalar format meant to be sliced up into tiny cinnamon rolls.  How did we know how to cut it?  A puppy on the back of the wrapper told us, duh.

As a reward to a long week of work and exercise, Rick and I decided to cut loose a little bit on Friday by indulging in this mystical treat.  It wouldn't be a night at The Oregon Wine Blog World Wine Pairing Headquarters, though, if we didn't provide you (our readers) with handy pairing recommendations for delights such as the Sin Dawg.  It's a public service, really.  Upon procuring the Sin Dawg at our local cooperative grocery store, we put on our top hats, monocles, and fired up the luxury german automobile to locate the perfect pairing.  It needed to be something versatile, light, but robust at the same time.  Something that could stand up to the flavor and sweetness of the Sin Dawg, without totally overpowering it.  Something magical, mystical, and broadly distributed.

Oh yeah, so back to the toilet bowl.  No, the epiphany wasn't to make a log-shaped cinnamon role coated with nuts.  We initially intended on making a toilet wine joke at this point, but miscommunication and a mistake that's kind of funny either way have derailed our efforts (this is what we get for co-writing).  Fast forward to what we were going to get to; Dave (ok, so just Josh and Rick) decided this had to be paired with a wine as fine as the Sin Dawg itself.

My friends, we found the nectar in a Pinot shaped bottle from Sokol Blosser -- The Meditrina. The red blend, consisting of 52% Syrah, 25% Zinfandel, and 23% Pinot Noir, is duly notated as an "American Red Wine."  A goddess really.  The Roman Goddess of Wine and Health, to be specific.  With a lush, velvety taste and expressive notes of raspberry and cherry, the Meditrina has a night of debauchery written all over it.  Add Sin Dawg...well let's see what happens!

We pour the wine, we cut the Sin Dawg.  Rick takes a whiff..."oh, it already smells good."  I take a nip of the Sin Dawg without him looking.  It tastes like Aphrodite has graced my tongue with her sweet juice.  We take a sip and a bite.  Equally sweet and equally earthy are both treats.  The raisins in the Sin Dawg accentuate the fruity notes of the Meditrina.  The spiciness of the Syrah complements the cinnamon on the roll.  It's synergy, if you will.  Delicious.  Perfect.  Rick is left speechless after his first slice.  Both are distinguishable as free-standing entities of awesome, but merge is an expression of pure, unbridled enthusiasm.  "Mmmmhhhnam nom nom."  And just like that, the Sin Dawg is gone.

That's cause we ate it all.

We were successful in our venture, and have found the perfect pairing.  Sin Dawg by Dave's Killer Bread.  Perhaps the healthiest treat ever.  Meditrina by Sokol Blosser.  Perhaps the most versatile red wine ever.

The Oregon Wine Blog:  Bringing you dead on pairings you never knew you wanted to know week after week.  Up next?  Waffles.

Exodus...Willamette Valley Block Party in Seattle

I believe it's impossible for Al Gore to have known what a powerful tool he created when he created the internets. On March 10th I tweeted that the Oregon Wine Blog had more Washington readers than Oregon readers. And like that, the next day about 52 Willamette Valley wineries came to Seattle. Can you blame them really, when during the month of March Oregon readers turned their backs on our blog?


I was happy to meet the wineries in Sodo Park at Herban Feast, where the staff from the Willamette Valley Wineries welcomed me with a media guide and credentials (I attended the trade event prior to the public ticketed event). Included was a booklet that listed the wineries present and gave me a little space for notes as well as the wines they were pouring, and the retail prices of each. I took this handy booklet, my credentials and made my way into Sodo Park. This was the first such block party by the Willamette Valley Wineries, and it was a successful one, with 350 trade members and 425 folks from the general public coming out to the event.

The 52 wineries were laid out alphabetically which made it easy to find wineries I had my eye on. Stumptown, a Portland institution, provided some coffee in cased you needed some help getting out the door at the end of the event.

Oregon's bread and butter is, of course, what I would argue is the best Pinot Noir on the planet. Some wineries were also pouring blends, such as those on hand at the Sokol Blosser table. The Meditrina, and Evolution are some of the state's most interesting and most approachable blends. Though there was Oregon Chardonnay and Pinot Gris available at many of the tables as well, I was really there for the Pinot Noir.

I sampled several, but I've honed in on a few standouts for our purposes. I made my way to the table at Cooper Mountain Vineyards, where their Mountain Terroir caught my eye with it's slick all-black label. The Mountain Terroir Pinot is a blend of three vineyard sites that blend together to accentuate the terroir that is Cooper Mountain. The winemaker at Cooper Mountain is "very French" and doesn't believe in single vineyard efforts. The Mountain Terroir ($45) is very good, and there were only 300 cases made.



There were somehow some Oregon wineries on hand which I had never before sampled. Among them were Thistle, Retour and Patricia Green Cellars, where winemaker Patty was the original winemaker at Torii Mor.

I also found some old favorites - Jim Bernau from Willamette Valley Vineyards welcomed me to the table. WVV and TOWB are great friends. Jim told me he had a couple special wines on hand and asked if I'd be interested in giving those a whirl. He poured the 07 Signature Cuvee and the 06 Griffin Creek Syrah from Southern Oregon. While I was tasting, I told Jim that one of my seminal wine experiences came five or six years ago at WVV with their Bourdeaux style blend from Southern Oregon, The Griffin.

My favorite wine of the event was the Anam Cara, 2007 Nicholas Estate Pinot Noir. This wine was DYNAMITE! Anam Cara is a sentimental favorite of mine from one of my earliest trips to the Willamette Valley. While I hate to play favorites, this wine left me little choice in the matter. The 2007 Nicholas Estate is the product of five different Pinot clones. I feel like the Pinots that they're making at Anam Cara are a bit more earthy, that they're capturing what makes Oregon Pinot so special and just turning the volume up a little bit. This wine certainly did that for me.

This event was a lot of fun, and there were a few wineries that I hope to bring you more on in a separate post. The folks pouring did a great job telling us about their wine and the WVW staff were brilliant hosts. (If Oregon ever does decide to move here permanently I'd be happy to help carry a few of the boxes.) If you're heading down Willamette way, make sure you check out the Willamette Valley website, or go ahead and give them a call to help you figure out your itinerary. While they're not in a position to recommend one winery over another (they represent all of them), they can help you figure out which wineries are close to where you're staying or eating on your visit. Be sure to give them a call (503) 646 2985.

Darwin's Sandwich & Sokol Blosser Evolution

At the dawn of time, when sandwiches first crawled out of the primordial ooze, they were not pretty things to look at. They resembled their ancestors, the open faced sandwich. These unsightly contrivances, though often delicious (See: turkeyius and gravius deliciousius), are incredibly difficult to transport. Test runs involving lunchboxes and picnics didn't end well. Due to the fast paced lifestyle of the human creatures, unless these sandwiches evolved, they would be forever lost. Sandwiches developed a second slice of bread as a survival mechanism; wind kept blowing the lettuce off the top. The top slice became a necessity; mustard, or in exotic cases of mutation, mayonnaise, came much later. Like Darwin, we are perplexed when we witness the evolution of unecessary complexities such as bean sprouts or cream cheese, which confer no real competitive advantage, except perhaps in places like Los Angeles.

What is clear about sandwiches - abundantly clear, in fact - is that when we look at sandwich evolution, we are drawn to one particular region; Western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is home to what evolutionary scholars refer to as the epitome of "what nature intended" when it comes to the sandwich. While there are other famous sandwich pretenders, this sandwich stands alone.

The Primanti's sandwich.
Big and bold and taller than some toddlers, the Primanti sandwich stands above the rest. The Primanti sandwich, created from Mancini's Italian bread, a grilled meat of your choice, a vinegar based coleslaw, sliced tomatoes and french fried potatoes.

Based on the biological realities of the Primanti, there are few candidates for a wine pairing for such mastery of sandwichology. Candidates are limited for a number of reasons. Reason 1 is that Pennsylvania, my home state, has what rank among the most asinine laws governing the availability of alcohol. You can only get a Primanti sandwich in Pennsylvania, or Florida, and who goes to Florida on purpose? Not I. Reason 2, while there is one really nice wine shop in Pittsburgh, there is only one really nice wine shop in Pittsburgh. The wine must come from there.

Keeping my eye on Reasons 1 & 2, I was excited to find the 13th go round of Sokol Blosser's Evolution. The Evolution is a combination of nine varietals that lend the wine a crisp and fruity palate. This is a bright, off-dry wine with a sweetness that is appealing, yet stays out of the way of the interesting flavor profile of this imaginative blend. As I was wrapping up my purchase, the cashier at the wine shop in Pittsburgh told me, "...that's a good wine."

As the "grilled meat of my choice" is always capicola when it comes to my Primanti sandwich, I immediately thought that the Evolution might be my wine for the job. Because we know from history that the blends Sokol Blosser make are capable of going with a variety of foods, I thought I'd give it a try.

The spicy undertones of the grilled capicola was complimented by the subdued sweetness of this 13th edition of Evolution. The peppery nature of the vinegar based coleslaw was nicely balanced by the bright fruit notes of the wine. The Primanti sandwich, which on it's face is a hardworking sandwich for a hardworking town, is really designed to be accompanied by an Iron City Beer, or if you're feeling fancy, a Yuengling. As anyone from Pittsburgh can tell you, the real element to why Sokol Blosser's Evolution goes so well with a Primanti's sandwich is because it's a wine that doesn't take itself too seriously. Displaying snootiness in Pittsburgh could leave you with a black eye. Sokol Blosser, with its no-nonsense approach to good wine, fits right in.

Sokol Blosser and Voodoo Donuts

The idea may have been proposed on Twitter, but the result is right here on The Oregon Wine Blog. At some point, somebody from Sokol Blosser's Twitter account dismissed the idea of pairing their wines with doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnut. I immediately dismissed the dismissal with a suggestion of Meditrina pairing perfectly with a bacon maple bar. The result? Let's consult a panel of judges:

Josh:

There is a smokey nose on the maple bar, which compliments the smell of wine. The bacon stands up to the wine, but the pinot portion of the blend is appropriate in a delicious way to the maple bar. Observers note: his eyes totally rolled back into his head.

Micheal:

The nose on the wine is not very heavy, it's subtle, but I can't tell if it's subtle because the nose on the maple bar is heavier. Your nose leans more towards the maple bar than the wine when smelled sequentially. Very subtle. The wine by itself is full on the palate just after you swallow it and then it goes away. The flavor is very much on the front half of the pallat, almost bitter. Immediate thoughts is that the maple will overpower the wine, which I feel is true. Too sweet. Saltiness and smokiness of bacon is too much. Would suggest pairing with a riesling instead.

Alyssa:

The wine really doesn't taste like much since the maple bar is so overpowering.

Me (transcribed by Josh):

The savory aroma of the bacon melds perfectly with the sweetness of the maple. While sweetish on the nose, the wine gives hues of an oakiness that will connect with the maple better than the bacon. When paired sequentially with the wine, then maple bar, then wine - the wine amplifies the smokiness of the bacon making a near perfect match. A bold merlot might go well? Or a barbera? Overall, a recommended pairing.

In short, Voodoo Doughnut bacon maple bars definitely pair with Meditrina. If you're ever near Portland and have the opportunity, I can't suggest visiting any single place more than Voodoo Doughnuts. If you're in your local grocer's wine isle and want a surprisingly unique red blend based on pinot noir, I would highly suggest Sokol Blosser Meditrina. As noted in previous tweets, it also happens to have the best cork ever. Don't believe me? Pick up a bottle and read the cork.

2006 Sokol Blosser Muller Thurgau Estate Cuvee

Considering the recent weather here in the great Northwest, gray and chilly, I needed a reminder of sunny skies and warm weather. What better than a opening a bottle of white obtained from the Dundee Hills during Memorial Day Weekend?

The bottle in question was Muller Thurgau Estate Cuvee from Sokol Blosser. This wine has a beautiful straw color and coats the glass wonderfully. After a thorough chilling, the nose on this bottle was not, at first, noteworthy... As the solution warmed, apple, pear, and mineral notes intensified greatly! After thirty minutes in the glass, just a hint of caramel and vanilla tingle the palette. Note to self, slightly chill this Muller, then turn it loose to breathe!

Like many Rieslings, this varietal has a fruity flavor up front, but finishes clean, smooth, and with a slight mineral linger. Yep, I remember that cool spring day at Sokol Blosser.

This wine was paired with a Gruyere cheese fondue and sun-dried tomato chicken sausage. Fabulous. Definately something that I will pick up again on my next diversion North. Oops, too late, this vintage is already sold out!

Bottoms Up!

Sokol Blosser 11th Edition Evolution

A Memorial Day weekend wine tour with Josh, Drew, Steve, and some other good friends (one from Wisconsin who had only loved macrobrew beer before coming to Oregon) brought us to Sokol Blosser winery. Sokol Blosser, located in Dundee Hills, Oregon is a family owned winery and was one of the first to be established in the Willamette Valley. Located on top of a beautiful vine covered hill, the tasting room feels like an elegant tree house with wood ceilings and large windows overlooking the winery. Sokol Blosser has a library of nine different varietals, ranging from pinot noir to Muller-Thurgau, with two blends, Meditrina and Evolution. Sokol Blosser is known not only for the wine and beautiful location, but for the dedication to running an environmentally friendly winery. Solar panels help provide electricity, and the winery boasts a Silver LEED certified cellar, built underground.

What draws me first to Sokol Blosser's Evolution is the label. Most wine bottles have artist rentions of grape vines and swirly text naming the wine, convincing the drinker this wine will be fine and elegant. Not so with Evolution. The butter yellow label has a crafted feel, as if each one was handmade. The questions "Luck? Intention?" are lettered on the front, evoking a playful curiosity in how the simple elegance of Evolution is created.

Evolution is a blend of nine white varietals. Sokol Blosser does not disclose which nine these are - it's up to the taster to figure it out. The nose of Evolution is reminiscient of a drier Reisling, with honey and tropical fruit notes. The front continues the flavor of a good Reisling, evolving into tropical citrus tones of pineapple and mango, and finishing like a clean, crisp Pinot Gris. Paired tonight with asparagus and cheddar stuffed chicken breasts, Evolution held up well to the sharp cheese but did not overpower the light flavor of chicken. Evolution would be wonderful served chilled on a breezy summer evening with a meal of white fish and grilled vegetables. After allowing Evolution to warm a bit during dinner, it becomes smoother and tastes of fresh ripe strawberries.

Evolution is an easy to drink white blend, and will appeal to both crisp white lovers and those who gravitate toward sweeter dessert wines.

Skol!