Enobytes Wine Blog

It’s a very sad day here in Oregon with the announcement that David Lett, our pioneering "Papa Pinot", died Thursday at the age of 69.

At the tender age of 25, David Lett came to Oregon with a vision of making great wines. Although professors at the University of California Davis advised against planting in Oregon, the ambitious U.C. Davis graduate arrived with 3,000 grape cuttings and a theory. In 1965, he made history by planting the first Pinot noir in Oregon and was the first to plant Pinot gris in America – a true pioneer which later fostered a fitting nickname for Lett, "Papa Pinot". In 1966, he opened Eyrie Vineyards as many other growers followed suit.

Photo credit: Eyrie Vineyards

Photo credit: www.avalonwine.com

Shortly thereafter, Lett entered a number of international competitions and defeated many of France’s burgundies. The competitions immediately placed Oregon on the map as a world class Pinot noir producing region, and producers from around the world took notice and attracted vintners like Domaine Drouhin, which built a state-of-the-art Oregon winery in the late 80’s. Since then, the Oregon wine industry has continued to flourish. For forty years, David’s Pinot noir style remained classic and elegant, as he followed traditional and old-fashioned winemaking principles. David’s son, Jason, who took over the reigns of winemaking three years ago, plans to follow his example when it comes to his own winemaking principles and philosophy.

David is a legend in his own right and many will dearly miss him. Our condolences go out to his family and close friends.

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September 2008 Wine Picks

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On Thursday, October 16 from 7:30-10:30PM, the Monterey Wine Festival will kick off its 32nd annual event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Wine enthusiasts as well as wine buyers and media are welcome to the event, which will sponsor over 300 wines and gourmet food samples from local restaurants. Tickets are only $99.

On Saturday, October 18 from 4-9 PM, the festival continues at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. More than 600 wineries will pour at the event accompanied by gourmet food samples, live music, educational seminars and a live wine auction.
Tickets are only $99.

Both events have a lot to offer and they are a great venue for wine lovers to sample many wines at one location while educating themselves by conversing with winemakers and wine industry professionals. At $99 per event, how can you afford to miss it?

If you live afar, be certain to check out hotel and airline deals through online sites like TravelZoo, Hotwire.com, Hotels.com, Travelocity.com & Expedia. Also, check out the Inns of Monterey, which is walking distance to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The hotel is offering a complimentary pass to the Monterey Wine Festival happening either October 16th or October 18th (check directly with the hotel for details at 800-554-5542).

Marc and I will be there and we are really looking forward to attending the event for the first time. If you plan to be there, let us know; we’d love to meet up with you at the event!

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If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at harvest time, welcome to the 21st century! Only now will you have the exclusive opportunity to view a new relationship between winemakers and wine consumers.

This is happening now, solely on the expansion of technology. It’s exciting to be in an age where we, the consumers, have such an exclusive opportunity to interact with the viticulturists and winemakers prior to wine fermentation.

The endeavor, headed by Titus vineyards, will use technologies like Read the rest of this entry »

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As I was browsing through my daily RSS feeds for the week, I noticed a flurry of stories popping up (again) about the disclosure of ingredients on wine labels. This has been a heated debate amongst the wine community since the federal Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issued a proposal of rulemaking (Notice No. 62) in 2006.

One feed that particularly caught my eye was Alder’s post, "Why Do Winemakers Hate Journalists?". This article touches on the investigative reporting and stories coming out of the woodwork, which tie into the TTB proposal. Many of these investigative programs allude that the wine industry adulterates its products with its copious amount of ingredients. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ve seen the worst writing on this subject yet. Well, until now. Read the rest of this entry »

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While we were down in California a few weeks back for a wedding, we took advantage of all that Sonoma wine country has to offer - great wines, great beer, great restaurants, beautiful wineries and graceful hospitality. In the process, we saw old friends, visited new favorites, made some new friends and came home to some old favorites. In the next four posts, we will write about our experiences and hope they might either directly or indirectly effect your wine experiences.

Photo credit: Gayot.com

Bistro Ralph’s in Healdsburg, located on the square, has been there for more than a decade now and continues a blistering pace, never looking back and always maintaining their game like the consummate professionals Ralph Tingles team is. Team Ralph has the pleasure of serving some of the most discerning gourmands and enophiles from around the world. They descend into Bistro Ralph’s dining room daily leaving

satisfied and impressed. Not only does Team Ralph accomplish this among the well traveled he also has to accomplish this standard with his locals who just happen to be the most revered and respected vintners of Sonoma and Napa. Read the rest of this entry »

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Click on “read the rest of this entry” to see the answers. Read the rest of this entry »

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August 2008 Wine Picks

2007 Dry Creek Chenin Blanc "Clarksburg", CA
2003 Marietta Cellars Petite Sirah, CA
2005 Benziger Sonoma County Chardonnay, CA
2005 Rosenblum Château La Paws Côte du Bone Roan, CA

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Last week we were down in Northern California for a wedding (Congratulations again, Rob) and as always, we were checking out a few retail wines at a local grocery store. I was amazed at the selection of well-known labels producing Chardonnay at prices we do not see here in Oregon. We loaded up and here is a comparison I thought might be appropriate this time of year.

First up is the Estancia Pinnacles Ranch 2006 Monterey County Chardonnay. This wine is crisp and refreshing and a style of Chardonnay that almost everyone will appreciate. Although the spec sheet states that the wine has been aged in French and American Oak and 60% of the blend underwent malolactic fermentation, neither the aromas nor the flavors reflect those techniques. I found the wine interesting and certainly capable of filling many culinary pairings. It was crisp and a bit austere still appealing but not exhibiting any signs of oak aging or malolactic fermentation. Read the rest of this entry »

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You might think from the title that I’ve had too much to drink, but in reality, I’ve had too much to think. I’ve come to realize there are wines worthy of attention that many dismiss if they pray at the alter of the ratings ministry.

Case in point, I was out shopping for a bottle of wine the other day when I overheard a couple of consumers debating about whether or not they should buy a wine that scored 82 points. There were entertaining and convincing arguments from both sides and I simply couldn’t walk away without interjecting my point of view. Read the rest of this entry »

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