Le Tour de Pinot Stage 3: Tyee Wine Cellars

If you didn't know any better, you would have thought that Stage 3 of Le Tour de Pinot was actually the crash-laden Stage 2 of the Tour de France, that is, if you count the number of riders who dropped out for a variety of reasons within a week before the ride. Illness...last minute travel...family issues...and mechanical issues resulted in a peloton comprised solely of Le Tour founders, Rick and myself, for a ride to Tyee Wine Cellars on July 17. Indeed, fate (in the form of couple of pitchers of beer the night before) attempted to even knock Rick and me out of the running, but with some ibuprofen, water, and a little sunlight, we were on the saddle ready to rock, after all, one of the finest wineries in the Willamette Valley was waiting with the red spandex rolled out.

The ride started at Avalon Wine in downtown Corvallis, a tour sponsor and the source for Northwest wines in Corvallis. After a few photo ops, some autographs, and a rousing chat with a local about Andy Schleck's chances of winning in Paris, we hit the road at a considerably faster pace than Le Tour's Tyee stage last year. I'm positive that 15 degrees cooler, a newer lighter bike, and some awesome padded bib shorts had absolutely nothing to do with the faster pace. We're just that metal. Exactly 10 miles later, we rolled up to the Buchanan Family Century Farm, home of Tyee Wine Cellars and Estate Vineyard.

We were quickly met by Merrilee Buchanan Benson, Winemaker, and our support drivers Megan and Kathryn who would have happily scraped us up off of the road if needed at any point during the ride. Merrilee started out by taking us through the standard lineup of Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Tyee is all estate fruit, and the 2008 Pinot Gris really popped for me. We have a long standing love affair with Tyee's whites, and this tasting was no exception. The Noir of course is excellent, but whenever we find a white that us red-heads enjoy, it sticks out. The 2007 Barrel Select Pinot Noir is also quite special; with only 100 cases you better pick some up while you can.

After the tasting, Merrilee had a special treat in store for The Oregon Wine Blog. She led us to the barn behind the tasting room, where winery founders David and Margy Buchanan had set up a spread for lunch with local produce and of course, wine. A nice cheese plate was complemented by an unreleased 2008 Chardonnay that magically appeared on the table; and a delicious asian chicken salad paired perfectly with the barrel sample of the 2008 Pinot Noir that Merrilee skillfully poured for us. Seriously, Margy, I want that recipe! Hazelnuts grown on the farm were plentiful, and the conversation was lively and enjoyable as the trio behind Tyee shared the spirit that makes the winery special. We learned, for instance, that Tyee is now 100% on solar power, and has a strong commitment to sustainable practices. The were one of the first salmon safe wines in fact. Another cool feature of the vineyard is the use of grass in the aisle ways instead of dirt, the subject of a current OSU study that is indicating more complexity to the wine as a result.

A quick aside about Buchanan Family Century Farm. Founded over 120 years ago and having passed through 5 generations of Buchanan's, the wine component of this property is a relatively infant stage with first plantings in 1974. Infant in terms of years, that is. There is absolutely nothing infant about the matured, complex, and delicious wines being poured at Tyee. The farm boasts a woodland / wetland conservation area with a nature trail that is the destination for many a school field trips. Just don't let the children near my wine ;)

After a bountiful lunch, awesome conversation, and amazing wine, we were a bit sad to depart although I know we'll be back a few more times before the summer wraps up. Tyee is a must-stop destination if you are in the Willamette Valley. It's the perfect location to bring a picnic lunch and crack open a nice cool white on a summer afternoon. You won't find more welcoming winery owners than the Buchanan's, further epitomizing the great spirit and attitude of the Oregon wine industry.

Stage 3...success. Tyee is for real, and, we didn't wreck on the way back.  That is always a plus. Up next, Airlie.  Keep your eyes open for our suave Le Tour de Pinot jerseys, sponsored by the fine folks at Avalon Wine, Mahlum Architects, and Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery, and the tour poster coming soon to an interweb near you.

Ready...Set...Ride in Le Tour de Pinot

What could be better than a summer of wine in Oregon? A summer of wine in Oregon from the back of a bicycle, of course. Behold, the 2010 edition of Le Tour de Pinot! Le Tour de Pinot (LTdP) is an annual event themed around cycling to various wineries. LTdP was spawned initially as more of a joke after Rick and Josh had been watching Le Tour de France 2009. What if we took the whole summer cycling out to local wineries? Well, that's exactly what we did and Le Tour de Pinot was formed.

Each stage is a separate ride on a separate day spanning the summer, allowing riders to join based on schedule and ability.

Le Tour de Pinot's second year is going to be HUGE thanks to support from our new sponsors. Avalon Wine has been gracious enough to support us as Le Tour de Pinot's Jeroboam (primary) sponsor. Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery and Mahlum Architecs have also been gracious enough to sponsor as Magnum sponsors. The level of support we have is allowing us to do things we hadn't even dreamt of last year. What kinds of things?

More Posters. Last year's poster was honestly just something fun to do half way through the tour. We had no idea it'd win over so many people and ended up with a bunch of requests for prints, so this year we're going to have framed copies for every winery, sponsor, and then make any additional posters available for whoever else wants one. The 2010 poster itself will be revealed before the end of June.

Cycling Jerseys. Not bad for a second year cycling tour, huh? We are SO excited to have these made and it wouldn't have even been fathomable without support from our sponsors. Look forward to more info on these as well.

Public Stage. We're welcoming the general public (anybody with a bike, some guts, and a hankering for wine) to join us [at your own risk, The Oregon Wine Blog assumes no liability for any cycling mishaps] for our public stage on July 17! We'll be departing from Avalon Wine, heading to Tyee, and returning to finish up at Avalon. Contact us for more details.

The idea behind this year's tour was to do a little mix of old and new. You'll see a couple familiar names as well as some new. We're also branching out on distance for a few rides and trying to get some more community involvement for some of the shorter rides. We'll be posting more info about this as well, but dust off your bike and hit your trainer if you think you may want to join us.

Tour Stages:


Stage 1 (June 19): Belle Vallee Cellars - Corvallis, OR; 2.8 miles
Stage 2 (July 3): Spindrift Cellars - Philomath, OR; 15.5 miles
Stage 3 (July 17): Tyee Wine Cellars - Corvallis, OR; 24 miles (Public Stage)
Stage 4 (July 25): Harris Bridge Vineyards - Philomath, OR ; 30 miles
Stage 5 (August 7): Airlie Winery - Monmouth, OR; 35 miles
Stage 6 (August 21): Willamette Valley Vineyards - Turner, OR; 57 miles
Stage 7 (August 22): Finale Dinner - TOWB Headquarters - Corvallis, OR

Sponsors:


Avalon Wine - Jeroboam Sponsor
Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery - Magnum Sponsor
Mahlum Architects - Magnum Sponsor

So, are you convinced yet?  Watch out as we cruise by in our styling jerseys and spandex, with a backpack of wine.  Don't forget to mark July 17 on your calendar and get ready to hit Tyee with us.

Oregon Bounty - The Vintner's Kitchen Wine Dinner

Greetings and salutations, loyal readers.  We're excited to bring you this review of The Oregon Wine Blog's Winter Pairing Dinner -- unique in that it not only chronicles the wine and food from our dinner, but also the cookbook utilized for 90% of the recipes:  The Vintner's Kitchen: Celebrating the Wines of Oregon.

Published in 2008, The Vintner's Kitchen is the second volume in Arnica Publishing's A Chef's Bounty Cookbook Series.  Written by Bill King, the book "honors the pioneering spirit displayed by our regional wineries and vintners in their quest to produce phenomal, award-winning wines."  The cookbook takes gourmet recipes covering the spectrum of culinary adventure and ingredients in Oregon and pairs them with specific wines from the state.  The result is a fusion of food and wine that will leave the diner in a state of euphoric delight.

From the minute I picked up The Vintner's Kitchen, I knew in it's pages contained the vision for the winter wine dinner our staff had been talking about.  We entered the project with the highest of hopes - to present every course of the dinner directly from the book, matched exactly with the listed wines.  We selected the menu, listed below, and approached the wineries requesting samples for the dinner.  We quickly found that most of the wines or vintages listed were not available, so we took editorial discretion and made local pairing decisions based on our knowledge of the wines we used.  We're grateful to the selected wineries for providing the wine for review, in typical The Oregon Wine Blog style, our plans changed drastically from start to finish and the outcome was amazing.  I'll take you through each course and the respective wine, sharing the thoughts and tastes of our esteemed panel of judges:  myself, Rick Goranflo, Micheal Seraphin, Drew Desilet, Alyssa Dart, and Megan Beresford.

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Appetizer
Spicy Oregon Pear Salsa with Oregon Jack Cheese and Hazelnut Crisps
2007 Tyee Estate Pinot Gris

Starting off the night was a dish unlike any we had ever prepared before. In short, this dish is a tortilla with Oregon jack cheese, hazelnuts, and a pear salsa. Most notable about this dish is the fact that the hazelnuts used on the crisps were supplied by the same folks that produced the wine; Tyee. That's right, Tyee Wine Cellars also sells hazelnuts grown right next to their grapes and we were the lucky recipients of five pounds of them. It only makes sense to pair them with Tyee wine.

I would say this dish had the widest array of expectations as none of us had ever had a pear-based salsa. While it didn't come out spicy, many diners agreed that its end result of being more refreshing was actually a welcome trait. Diners noted the "nice combination of hazelnuts, cheese, and salsa" as well as the hazelnut adding a welcome texture.

The wine was described as "tangy," "very tart," "crisp," and hinting notes of apple. More to the point, the pairing was perfect. While the salsa didn't come out spicy as anticipated, the wine would have worked just as well with some added heat.  Tyee is a great winery and their gris is a nice catch.

First Course
Northwest Shellfish Stew with Artisan Bread
Corn and Cheese Chowder with Artisan Bread
2007 Willamette Valley Vineyard Dijon Clone Chardonnay

Let me first preface that we did not pair both dishes for all diners. While many of us believe creatures pulled from the bottom of the ocean to be some of the most delicious critters on the planet, two of our guests did not. Instead of making them suffer through something we already knew they wouldn't enjoy, we created an alternative dish lacking any seafood; corn and cheese chowder.

I'll also preface that like most multi-course dinners, everybody expected this course to be good, but not the crowning achievement of the night. It's a soup and salad dish, right? Right, but both completely different soups were largely considered the most delicious courses of the night matched with one of the best wine pairings.

Regarding the shellfish stew, all but one of us immediately noted a strong hue of orange brought on by it's fresh orange zest. Also surprising was a bit of unexpected spiciness, which one noted somewhat challenged the wine. We all agreed that the stew itself was absolutely delicious and a dish that will have to be made again.

The chowder produced just as much praise, albeit a completely different dish. While a simpler dish, the combination of melted cheese, large pieces of cracked pepper, and Yukon gold potatoes perhaps made the most perfect pairing of the night.

For more about the wine, check out our previous review of Willamette Valley Vineyard's 2007 Dijon Clone Chardonnay.  Willamette Valley Vineyards is always a solid choice.

Main Course
Cornish Hen Diavolo with Steamed Broccoli
2006 Zerba Cellars Columbia Valley Syrah

While not necessarily cheating, I will preface that Josh and I had made the cornish hens before. Why did we decide to use them for an event such as one of our regionally-famous wine dinners? Because they're damn good.

This sentiment was shared by all as the spice rub was delcared the perfect amount of spice for everybody while also not overpowering the wine. This course was declared a great main course, but in all honestly, many of us were still reveling from how awesome the last course was. I also way over did the broccoli due to a timing issue with the hens. Oh well!

People did have a lot to say about Zerba's 2006 Columbia Valley Syrah, however. Michael was the first to note that it wasn't as heavy as some syrahs, but spicy enough to remind you it is from Eastern Washington. Other popular hues brought out by this wine are those of tobacco, currant, and a little bit of smoke. Alyssa specifically noted cherries or plum. All in all a fantastic syrah that many agreed would hold up on its own.  We wanted to hit Zerba last time we were in the Walla Walla Valley, and now will definitely have make it.

Dessert
Rustic Pear Tart with Dessert Wine Syrup and Crème Fraiche
2007 Harris Bridge Winery Sarah’s Stories Pinot Gris

I'm going to put out there that neither of us are bakers. We can cook some mean food, but are often at a loss when baking and having to troubleshoot. Luckily, Alyssa is quite comfortable baking and was a huge help in making this dish a success. What was at one point thought to be a potentially disasterous dish ended up being exactly the opposite. In fact, half of our guests considered this their favorite course.

This dish is a crust of mostly butter and flour stacked with slices of pear drizzled in a dessert wine reduction and creme fraiche. Like all of the above? So did we. Many people noted that their favorite part happened to be the crust, while others also mentioned that the creme fraiche actually mellowed out the sweetness.

I would also like to take a minute to recognize the wine donated by our new friends at Harris Bridge Vineyard. This small winery only produces dessert wines and their offerings are becoming available at more and more shops around Corvallis. The other cool part about their wine is that the winemakers live about three blocks away from us and gave us among their first review bottles.

Also noteworthy about Harris Bridge is that pretty much the entire operation is done by hand. The first thing you'll notice with every bottle is a short story tied around the top. Every story is written by Sarah herself, which is numbered on the top so you can select wines according to the story attached. We received stories 1 and 3, which means we have a few more to collect.  With full time vocations outside of wine, Nathan and Amanda are able to run their winery the way they want to -- with attention on small lot production not profit.  The wine, Sarah's Story, was the only wine universally enjoyed by all guests.  A dessert Pinot Gris, it brings forth an essence of apple and some peach but is unlike most dessert wines you will taste.  With a nice lightness but plenty of sweet, I guarantee you'll love this one whether you like dessert wine or not.

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Are you salivating yet? You should be! As you can tell, all of these dishes were absolutely delicious, and we'd suggest picking up a copy of The Vintner's Kitchen available for $29.95. A quick word of warning, some of the recipes are a bit vague so we relied on our confidence as chefs to produce the results. If you need everything exactly prescribed and timed in the kitchen, you may need some trial and error before being successful.  Please support the wineries that contributed to our dinner as they all make great wine, are good people, and support the local economy.

We're already working on concepts for our Spring Wine Dinner. Some ideas we're looking at include a Sake tasting, or, a "farm to mouth" in 100 miles dinner. What ideas do you have for a wine pairing dinner?

A Celebration of Cycling and Wine!

If you've been following The Oregon Wine Blog recently, you know that over the past month we've been participating in Le Tour de Vino -- a cycling journey to 6 wineries in the Willamette Valley. The tour brought blown tires, gravel roads, dead ends, torrential downpours, tight spandex, and a lot of great wine and scenery. As a finale celebration, Rick and I hosted Drew from TOWB as well as Nick, Kristin, and Chris from Block 15 Brewing Company for a feast featuring local, fresh food and some of the best wine from our tour.

We started menu development by choosing the wine, featuring selections from Tyee, Spindrift,

and Belle Vallee. Then came the quest of matching gourmet culinary features that would highlight the wine. We consulted a number of resources, but I want to give a plug for a cookbook that provided the majority of the recipes for the evening -- Best Places Northwest Cookbook. The book is amazing and we suggest picking up a copy from Powell's Books in Portland or another fine book purveyor. From there, Rick and I toiled in the kitchen for many many hours, getting ready for the perfect evening. All dishes were made from scratch with the exception of the Lemon Sorbet.

As we've already discussed the wines in previous Le Tour de Vino posts, I'll highlight the food and how the pairing worked, taking you through the courses as we enjoyed them:

Appetizer -- Oregon Honey Wheat Hazelnut Bread with Aged Gouda, Farmstead Smoked Fontina, and Rogue Oregon Bleu cheeses; paired with the 2007 Tyee Gewurztraminer. A great start to the evening, the cheeses were wonderful and our guests noted that the crisp wine cleaned the creaminess of the cheese off of the palate. We're particularly proud of the bread and it was probably the technically best executed dish of the night.

Salad -- Pepper Steak Salad with Mango, Avocado, and Jalapeño Vinaigrette; paired with the 2002 Belle Vallee Merlot. We knew we wanted to feature the merlot and also knew it wouldn't pair with our desired main dish, so the challenge became finding a pairing that would work using a non-traditional wine progression. This salad hit a homerun! We found it to be a flavorful, spicy salad with quite a bit of heat, although the avocado and mango had wonderful mellowing effect. The wine stood up to the spice and helped temper the heat. The salad had the best presentation of the night and the merlot was our favorite wine.

Palate Cleanser -- Lemon Sorbet. This allowed us to go from the bold merlot with the salad to a more subtle pinot with the main course. Thanks Dryer's!

Main Course -- Rosemary Lamb with a Curry Yoghurt Sauce and Ginger-Garlic Grilled Carrots; paired with the 2007 Spinnaker Pinot Noir from Spindrift Cellars. By far the favorite overall dish, the lamb from Cattail Creek was tender, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. The Pinot complemented both the lamb and the carrots, and we couldn't have hoped for a better match. The lamb melted in our mouths and the curry / rosemary flavor profile was exquisite.

Dessert -- Espresso Creme Brule with Espresso Crumb Cookies. Initially, we hadn't planned a wine pairing with dessert as we hadn't picked up anything sweet on Le Tour. Also, we figured folks would have had enough by that point in the evening. Well, we ended up cheating and making a last minute addition not from the tour and cracked open 2007 Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling. The approximately 5% residual sugar was perfect. The creme brule tasted wonderful, however the texture was a bit off due to a broken custard. The cookies, however, were the biggest surprise of the night and melted in our mouths.

All in all, Le Tour de Vino Finale Dinner was a smashing success. It was the first time that Rick or I had prepared a multi-course meal of this magnitude, and it was the perfect capstone to a month of biking and drinking. Send me an email if you'd like the recipes and leave a comment and share your perfect pairing experience.

Cheers!

Tour de Vino Stage 3: Tyee

After today's stage 3 ride for the Tour de Vino, I can confidently proclaim three things: we chose the hottest day of the summer for this ride, this was the first stage we have completed successfully, and we look good in spandex! Oh yea, today yielded some great wine as well.

Today's stage took us on a 25 mile roundtrip ride to Tyee Wine Cellars, located between Corvallis and Monroe, Oregon. Specializing in "well balanced food wines", Tyee was the first winery in the Willamette Valley that I visited a number of years ago. I've enjoyed their wine ever since. One of the unique things about Tyee is that they produce only estate wines, with three whites and two pinot noirs.

Our experience today placed Tyee in the rare category of wineries that in our opinion don't make a single bad wine. We tried 5, but we'll focus on two.

2007 Estate Pinot Gris: The Gris was the first wine we tasted, and given that we were sweating like you wouldn't believe it was incredibly refreshing! With a temperature of 96 degrees, we needed refreshing. With apple, pear, citrus, and floral notes, I look forward to popping open a bottle with some seafood in the coming weeks.

2007 Estate Gewürztraminer: What good timing! We in no way planned this ahead of time, but today was the debut of their 2007 Estate Gewürztraminer. Another internet debut? Either way, Tyee's Gewürztraminer was another hit with both of us. This one was very dry, very crisp, and once again very refreshing. It also had a healthy amount of spice, which dissipates almost as quickly as your palate has the opportunity to enjoy it. Yet another perfect wine for a ridiculously hot day of cycling.

We took the scenic route back and even though we ended up on a gravel road for longer than desired, it was a great end to a rough week. As a result of the grueling ride and some scheduling challenges, we are modifying stage 4 tomorrow -- look for a review of Belle Valle in Corvallis. If you are in Benton County, though, stop by Tyee and Jennifer will give you a great tasting!

Local Ocean and Tyee Pinot Blanc

As Chris and I pored over the menu last night, our waitress stopped by to inquire as to whether we had chosen a beverage yet. Not quite ready having not chosen our entrees yet, we asked her to come back. After all, how could I select that perfect bottle of wine without knowing what it was to be paired with?

We were in Newport, OR on a somewhat impromptu trip over to the coast in celebration of Chris having some time off after a successful opening month at Block 15, and we were going into spring break at the university I work for. We found ourselves at Local Ocean, a seafood restaurant that I had enjoyed before but Chris had not yet experienced. With a harbor view and a relaxed yet modern vibe, Local Ocean is small enough where they can do a great job with their menu and still maintain excellent serving times. We were sitting at the "bar", which actually was surrounding an open kitchen so we got a view of the chefs as they were preparing some delicious looking food.

I knew we wanted the roasted-garlic and dungenass crab chowder - it's to die for - and Chris settled on spicy coconut prawns while I went for a grilled ling cod fish and chips with fennel slaw. Having settled on dinner, I flipped to the wine list and the Tyee Pinot Blanc immediately jumped off the menu as the perfect pairing for our meal. The ripe flavors of citrus and melon would complement the spicy prawns, and the crisp full-bodiness of the wine would balance the fish and chips as well as the chowder. We weren't disappointed!

The meal was excellent, the wine was delicious, and who can ask for a better setting than bayfront as the sun starts to go down eating with great company? It was one of those moments where everything fits together perfectly and I found myself thinking out loud about the wonders of Oregon bounty - wine, food, and scenery - and couldn't imagine being in a different place at that moment.