Saturday Wine Tasting 10/5

Wine Tasting 10/5: Pacific Northwest

Come join us for a fabulous evening of wine tasting at The San Francisco Wine Trading Company on Saturday October 5th! Whether you're a wine connoisseur or just looking to have a good time, this event is perfect for you. Sample a variety of exquisite wines and mingle with fellow wine enthusiasts. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to expand your palate and enjoy some delicious wines. See you there!

In Oregon, the most famous wine region is the Willamette Valley. It has a similar climate to Burgundy and sits at the same 45 degree latitude. Because of this, pinot noir is the dominant grape variety while chardonnay has growing potential. The Willamette Valley is known for having very distinguished soil types, which allows diversity between AVA's (American Viticultural Areas) and complexity of wines that are blended across AVA's. The Willamette Valley sits between the Cascade Mountains and the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coastal Range shields the Valley from the strong coastal cool air and the Cascade Mountains shields it from the continental hot and arid climate east of the mountains.

Washington is the second largest wine-producing state in America. Most of Washington vineyards sit east of the Cascade Mountains, which provide a rain-shadow effect, resulting in rainy conditions west of the mountain range and dry and sunny conditions east of the mountains. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most planted varieties.

2021 00 VGW Chardonnay $87.94

In my opinion, this is the best Chardonnay in the U.S. Because of the similarities in climate between the Wilmette Valley and Burgundy, the potential to make great chardonnay is endless. Chris and Kathryn Hermann took advantage of this and went in search of the best terroir and the best clones of chardonnay to create a force to be reckoned with. However, they were at the cross-road trying to figure out how to express the Oregon terroir with the longevity and mouthfeel of the great Burgundy producers like Roulot and Coche-Dury. Therefore, they figured let’s make our wine the same way that they make theirs. This technique allows the chardonnay grape must to be exposed to oxygen soon after harvest, which many chardonnay producers stay clear of because of the risk of premox. This allows the chardonnay must to turn dark brown/black in color. After the "black chardonnay" is put into tanks, the phenols have magical powers and fall out of suspension taking the black color with them, leaving crystal clear juice with complexity and longevity.

2021 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Roserock Chardonnay $43.94

in 1980, Robert Drouhin, a famous Burgundy producer, hosted a blind tasting competition between Oregon’s Eyrie1975 "South Block" pinot noir and some of the grand crus of Burgundy. Eyrie placed second place. This played a part in inspiring Drouhin to invest in property in 1987 in Dundee Hills in Willamette Valley. His daughter, Veronique, produced the first Domaine Drouhin wine the following year. Domaine Drouhin is known for adopting a more appropriate clone of chardonnay, the Dijon clone, that thrives in the cooler climate and contributes to the incredible chardonnay being produced. Roserock was purchased by Domaine Drouhin in 2013 and sits on the eastern hillside of Eola-Amity Hills on Nekia series soil, one of the specific soil type of the Willamette valley composed of basalt. It is fermented in 50/50 stainless steel and barrel and then is blened after fermentation.

2022 Hundred Suns Old Eight Cut Pinot Noir $36.94

Hundred Suns was started by a husband and wife team, Grant and Renee, who were brought to Oregon from California. Grant was the winemaker at Beaux Freres previously and eventually him and Renee establish Hundred Suns. Renee took over the business and design, dipping each bottle in wax by hand. The Old Eight Cut bottling blends multiple AVAs across the Willamette Valley combining the volcanic soil types of some with the marine sediment soils of others. This vintage is 20% whole cluster and aged in 100% neutral oak with minimal sulphur additions.

2022 Haden Fig Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Oregon $27.94

Haden Fig is an organic, biodynamic, and dry farmed winery in the Willamette Valley. Dry farming means that no water or irrigation is used at all, so this forces the vines to dig super deep down in search of water, making them struggle. Vines that struggle produce the best, most concentrated grapes. The winemaker is Erin Nuccio, one of the best winemakers in the Willamette Valley. The name "Haden Fig" comes from a baby book, which at the time Erin and his wife were using to find a name for their son who was on the way. They came across Haden and it seemed to fit both their son and their wine project. It is made traditionally with 100% whole cluster in open-top fermenters and aged 20 months in oak, 10% of which is new French.

2021 K Vintners Motor City Kitty M.C.K. Syrah $39.94

K Vinters was started in by Charles Smith in 2001, in which he sold his 330 cases of 1999 K Syrah out of his Chevy Astro Van. K Vinters focusses on single vineyard wines out of Walla Walla Valley in Washington. The Motor City Kitty (M.C.K) was one of the first wines he started with. It was created by blending wine that was left in barrel from his other wines and sold as a holiday release. At the time, his tabby cat was resting on the barrel and Charles called her motor city kitty because she had an "M" on her forehead. He wrote it on the barrel to remember which one it was and the name has stuck to this day. The 2001 vintage received a 99 point score with James Suckling. It comes from a high elevation sandy soil single vineyard called Oldfield Block. Syrah is the 3rd most planted red grape in Washington.

2016 Andrew Will Ciel du Cheval Vineyard $54.94

Chris Camarda started Andrew Will in 1989, naming it after his son, Will, and nephew, Andrew. He works out of a humble winery focusing on exceptional wines rather than the glitz and glam. He sources only from four of the best vineyards in Washington State, focusing on single vineyard wines but producing a "Black Label", blending vineyard sites. This is coming from the Ciel du Cheval vineyard, a highly regarded vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA, within the Yakima Valley. Red Mountain is the warmest AVA in Washington. The 2016 vintage is a 50/50 split of merlot and cabernet franc. All the wines at Andrew Will are treated similarly, fermented in stainless steel and aged in French oak, with 25-35% new.

Host or Publisher SF Wine Trading Co.