Pioneers in Oregon Pinot
Dundee, Oregon, USA
Tasting in August 2015
By Sean Overpeck
Two days before my fiancé and I walked through the front door of the tasting room at Erath Winery, I was in Iraq, awaiting a much needed vacation away from the 145 degree (f) heat that had plagued us the entire summer. The funny thing was I enjoy the extremes in weather, because five months before I had left Antarctica where the summer high was 34 degrees (f). My fiancé and I were on a road trip and had one day to tour some vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Planned out, we each chose a few, and Erath was on my list along with Dobbes Family Estate, and Bergström Wines. In all we would hit six wineries on this day to include Penner-Ash and Archery Summit to name a few others. Erath was a wine name that I was familiar with from restaurants I worked at in Georgia and new they were a nationally distributed wine, as I had seen the label in several other states as well.
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From vineyards home page:
Erath wines are an expression of the land that the winery has cultivated for more than 40 years, longer than any other winery in the Dundee Hills of Oregon. The red, iron-rich Jory soils, combined with gentle breezes and warming sunshine of a marine climate, have bestowed upon Dundee a terroir of note. It has given rise to the handcrafting phenomenon, and the art of Pinot.
As one of Oregon’s wine pioneers, Dick Erath had always been as tenacious in his approach to Pinot as the Pinot grape is stubborn. The engineer-turned-viticulturist was first inspired to pursue winemaking in 1965 after an early garage experiment. After completing coursework at UC-Davis in 1968, Erath relocated his family from California to the untamed red hills of Dundee. An unheated logger’s cabin on 49 acres would serve as home – and ad hoc winery – for several years. The following spring, he planted the Dundee Hill’s first wine grapes – 23 varieties. Pinot Noir flourished.
Main review:
There are two definitions of the word pioneer, and Dick Erath fits both of those descriptions. Those definitions are a person who helps create or develop new ideas, or someone who is one of the first people to move to and live in a new area. Dick was a wine pioneer for pinot noir in this area, like the pioneers before him on the Oregon trail risking it all for a new and better way of life. Some were successful and through them Oregon and later generations flourished, and others like the Donner party were not so lucky. Though it did introduce americans to beef tartar!!!
For my fiancé and I, Erath was the third vineyard tasting of the day. We were both hungry and had ordered some artisan sandwiches from the Red Hills Market before arriving, and as we did the tasting, the manager was kind enough to let use eat while we did the flight of five wines.
The Erath estate is very large and seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, with grapevines grown over rolling hills, with a tasting room that was the exact opposite. A small bar, and about 6-8 high top tables, with the rest being a small store for purchases. As we arrived, there were several people enjoying their tastings as well.
Now lets see how I and the critics rate the wines, plus give you some tasting, cost, and general winery information….
96 - 100
|
is Extraordinary
|
90 - 95
|
is Outstanding
|
80 -89
|
is Above the Average
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70 - 79
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is Below the Average
|
60 - 69
|
poor / appalling / “Cac”
|
Review basics:
Wine, Dine, & Play’s Rating
|
87
|
| Robert Parker The Wine Advocate | 92 points on the 2009 Leland Pinot Noir and 93 points on the La Nuit Magique Pinot Noir |
| Wine Speculator | 91 points on the 2009 Estate Selection Pinot Noir and the Prince Hill Pinot noir |
| All Accolades | Erath Accolades |
| Wines Produced | Red: Pinot Noir Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris Rose Rosé, White Pinot Noir Sweet Harvest Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir |
| Regulatory | AVA: American viticulture Association |
Cases Produced:
Per Year:
Pinot Blanc
|
2,200 |
| Pinot Gris | 55,600 |
| Pinot Noir | 107,998 |
These wines remind me of:
I don’t remember when I first tasted Erath wines, but do know that it was early on back in the days when I didn’t really drink any whites wines, so it was a pinot. As far as the tasting experience and the quality of the wines, I would compare the tasting to a few others in the past from vineyards such as La Motte in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and Cosentino Winery in Napa, California. Though these wineries were known for their red blends and did not produce pinot noir, the experience, atmosphere and customer service to Erath reminded me of these two places.
The pinot blanc tasting was similar to the tasting profiles of the 2011 FMC Chenin Blanc tasting from Ken Forrester winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa as well, and with its aroma of pure Hawaii in every swirl, I would easily pair the wine with dishes such as Lomi Lomi Salmon, or Hawaiian Luau Meatballs. Both pinots that were tasted were lite and spicy in aroma and taste and to me would pair perfect with señora cauliflower, or a temper to a chicken tagine dish.
Bouquet & Palette Notes:
Wine & Grape:
|
Nose (Bouquet):
|
Palette Experience:
|
2014 Oregon Pinot Blanc $14.00 per bottle
|
Winemaker: A tropical paradise, this Pinot Blanc is bursting with sun-drenched aromas of banana, papaya, kiwi and juicy honeydew melon |
Winemaker: An opulent mouthful of peach, guava and rich apricot nectar lingers on the palate like a warm summer day.” |
2014 Pinot Gris
|
Winemaker: Luscious and fruit-forward, aromas of ripe pear, key lime, fragrant gardenia and a hint of golden fig offer an enticing sensory experience. Cantaloupe, pineapple, kumquat and honey embrace |
Winemaker: The palate in soft silkiness, melding into a lengthy, satisfying finish |
2014 Shafner Pinot Gris Rosé
|
Winemaker: Mixing bowl aromas of strawberry, juicy cherries, cinnamon, vanilla, anise and bread dough rise up from this beautifully-hued dry rosé. Cheery, black plum, and a yeast aroma like that of fermenting dough in a bakery with light nutmeg and allspice |
Winemaker: A summery mouthful of strawberry, rhubarb, red plum and tart baking apple cleanses the palate with bright acidity while subtle tannins lengthen the experience My Tasting: Soft pallet, very lite and hardly noticeable with a smooth finish |
2013 Oregon Pinot Noir
|
Winemaker: Deliciously affable, start to finish! Bursting-with-berries aromas mingle with plum, fragrant violet and an alluring hint of caramel |
Winemaker: A silky mouthful of bing cherry and pomegranate are woven together with a persistence of smooth caramel |
2013 Estate Selection Pinot Noir
|
Winemaker: Bursting with mixed red berries, fragrant gardenia, caramel laced chocolate and a late hint of bramble. |
Winemaker: Subtle in initial approach, this charmer offers cranberry and tart cherry on the palate |
Bottle Prices
(excluding taxes)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
Wine Selction:
|
Currency in the top wine producing countries: | Price Chart : |
2013 Quail Run Pinot Blanc (750 ml)
|
||
$22.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
$29.00
|
Australian Dollar (AUS)
|
$
|
$29.00
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$
|
¥143.00
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥
|
£16.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
20.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
$33.00
|
New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
|
$
|
R340.00
|
South African Rand (ZAR)
|
R
|
2014 Pinot Gris (750 ml)
|
||
$14.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
€13.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
£10.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
2013 Oregon Pinot Noir (750 ml)
|
||
$19.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
€17.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
£13.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
2013 Estate Selection Pinot Noir (750 ml)
|
||
$34.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
€30.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
£24.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
Cost of wine tasting in USD (p/p):
Pioneer Wine Flight:
|
$10.00 |
| Reserve Wine Flight: | $15.00 |
| Art of Pinot Tasting Experience: | $30.00 |
Château or Vineyard Owner:
Dick Erath
Winemaker:
Gary Horner
Vineyard &Tasting Room Address:
9409 NE Worden Hill Road
Dundee, Oregon 97115
GPS Coordinates:
45.285164
-123.060196
Tasting Room Information:
Hours:
|
Monday - Sunday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm |
Tasting room:
|
503-538-3318 |
| Fax: | 503-538-1074 |
| Website: | Erath Vineyards |
| Email: | Contact Winery |
| Social Media: |
Facebook Link |
| Twitter @erathwinery | |
| YouTube |
Review by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for the past twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, Dubai, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army food service program. The idea for the Wine, Dine, and Play Blog started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by others to write down the experiences from a few Jordanian restaurants, plus the wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra, and the culture. Since that time, nearly 200 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide; exotic world locations such as Dubai, Petra, and African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; country cuisines such as Afghan and Peruvian; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia
Who is John Galt?
“I like cooking with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.”
TTFN
