Belle Pente

Belle Pente (pronounced "bell pont", meaning "beautiful slope") makes several wines from vineyards throughout Oregon's Willamette Valley. I've had the pleasure of tasting 3 of them: 2007 Pinot Noir (Willamette), 2007 Pinot Gris, and 2006 "Belle Pente Vineyard" Pinot Noir.

The 2007 Pinot Noir is unfined and unfiltered and lighter in style for a typical pinot noir with bright garnet colors radiating through the cloudiness. Strong earthy aromas dominate upfront but as the wine opens, red fruit aromas emerge with a subtle spiciness across the nose. Great flavor.

The 2007 Pinot Gris comes from Yamhill County and undergoes long, cool fermentation in stainless steel, with an extended sur lie and exposure to neutral oak. Nice flavor.

The 2006 Belle Pente Vineyard Pinot Noir is from the Yamhill-Carlton District, planted in 1994. It's made with indigenous yeast and spends 18 months in French oak. It's full, rich, and complex with an excellent display of black fruit alongside a spicy characteristic, reminiscent of Burgundy, accompanied by earthy flavors.

ADDENDUM: For the Burg-hounds.

2004 Bell Sonnette

My first taste of this lovely wine occurred a couple months ago at a wine tasting with Anthony Bell at the Spirited Gourmet in Belmont (of Mitt Romney fame). There we tasted Bell's Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Claret, Cabernet Sauvignon--including his Clone 6, and Syrah. All were wonderful wines, I'd tasted the Claret on a previous occasion and enjoyed a bottle of his Cantebury Syrah awhile back. Reviewing the provided literature led me to ask about Sonnette--French for "bell"--the Bordeaux blend absent from the table.

After the tasting and having browsed the shelves of the Belmont store, I returned to the tasting table to the news that hidden beneath the table was a bottle of Sonnette. Upon tasting and having learned when the bottle was opened, I knew I had a winner (even though I'd already purchased a couple bottles of Clone 6).

Tonight, I give you the breakdown:

The 2004 vintage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville (14%), Rutherford (14%) and Carneros (14%); Merlot (25%) from the Spanos-Berberian vineyard surrounding the winery; Cabernet franc (12%) from Atlas Peak and Petit verdot (11%) from the Massa Ranch in Yountville. Aged 19 months in 69% French, 31% American, 86% new oak; bottled 2006, 200 cases made

Reddish-purple in color with bright aromas of black and red fruit, it also smells hot with alcohol. Probably not the best wine to open up on a hot, humid day in the middle of August, nonetheless, still great. Great fruit flavors on the palate, nice acidity against a tannic structure that has softened with age. This is built for the long haul, how long I'll hold on to it is another question.

2002 Clos Saron Heart of Stone

I've always been a fan of Rhone varietals and stumbling upon this 100% Syrah from the Sierra Nevada Foothills was a pleasant surprise. Grown on its original rootstock, these vines sit 2300 ft above sea level and yield a full-bodied, bio-dynamic red with just 13.2% alcohol.

Given that I bought this unfined and unfiltered wine today on a whim (even with the new 6.25% sales tax) at the Winchester Spirited Gourmet, it might have been wise to give it a day or two to rest.

With 7 years of age, the color is still a robust purple, with brick-colored edges and extremely long legs. The nose is filled with vibrant dark fruits and a pronounced spiciness, it almost smells hot with alcohol. This lead me to throw it in the fridge for a moment. After which, an elegant, integrated wine emerged; black and blue fruits, juicy acidity, smooth tannins, and subtle oak influences all dance together in splendid harmony.

There's two bottles left at the Spirited Gourmet in Winchester, MA. Grab them fast, or at least before I do.

Clos Saron's website.
Spirited Gourmet's website.

2005 Two Hands Ares

Dark purple with black pepper, black berry, tar, black raspberry, black cherry and an aroma of vanilla. Wow.

ADDENDUM: While dining at the Boston Morton's in the Seaport District. The 2002 Darioush Shiraz followed later than evening along with some Mickey D's. I paired the Darioush with BBQ sauce and chicken nuggest. Following that was 2006 Two Hands Bella's Garden. Fun night, thanks P and Jill Feeney for the outstanding service.

There's also a funny story from that night of a blind tasting with my mother, cousin, yours truly, Morton's AGM Scott Platt, and burgundy cooking wine.

2006 Four Vines Maverick Zinfandel

I bought this after upon seeing a Four Vines bottling without a screw top, e.g. Stelvin closure (Here's one example of a winery using them, and then there's Plumpjack or the Rhone Rangers' Bonny Doon (Flash required).

This is a 14.9% fruit bomb from Amador County filled with bright and jammy fruit, leather, and black pepper.

Think steak au poivre or for cheese: a creamy robiola like La Tur, Pecorino Toscano, Blue Ledge Farm's Lake's Edge or Cypress Grove's Humbolt Fog, Jasper Hill Farm's Bayley Hazen or their clothbound cheddar, and King's Island Dairy's Roaring 40's blue.

Burgundy wine tasting

White


2007 Marc Morey Bourgogne Aligote: Aligote, the other white grape of Burgundy, rarely has contact with oak, this yields a clean, fresh, and crisp wine with bright citrus and a tangy finish.

2006 Gueguen Petit Chablis: Limited contact with oak allows the fruit and minerality to show.

2007 Larochette-Manciat Macon: Displays a clarity of fruit and minerality.

Red

2007 Roux Pere Bourgogne: Nice acidity and show of fruit for an entry-level red Burgundy.

2005 Brintet Mercurey Veilles Vignes: Old vines located in the village of Mercurey within the Cote Chalonnaise produce a wine that shows earthy flavors and red fruit, particularly cherries.

2005 Chateau de Chorey Chorey-les-Beaune: Sourced from vineyards in the shadow of the great hill of Corton in the Cote de Beaune, this is nicely polished, a fairly dense and earthy wine balanced by nice acidity and subtle red and blue fruit.
2005 Lamy Santenay Clos des Hates: As a Santenay, I was expecting something more rustic but found this to be more fruit-forward than the Chorey. Still nice, with a silky, round feeling with a touch of acidity compared with the red.

1999 Francis Coppola Director's Reserve Merlot

Upon visiting a colleague's home the other night, he surprised the group with this bottle of wine, but without the means to open it. Fortunately for all of us, I always seem to carry a corkscrew or have access to one...weird I know. Upon opening, the softness of the entire cork was of some concern which quickly dissipated as my olfactory senses picked up the aromas of red berries, eventually leading my mind to believe almost as if there were dark chocolate-covered cherries right in the bottle. On the palate its fleshy, fruit-forward characteristics surprised me for a wine with 10 years of age and led me to believe it was quite the fruit bomb in its youth. However, the noticeable presence of tannins--although fairly well integrated--suggest the wine had the capability to age even longer. Grade: B+