Join us for an extraordinary conversation with Andy Joly, the creative force behind Capers Cafe, as we dive deep into the origins of this remarkable establishment and the fascinating role wine plays in its story.
Episode Highlights with Andy Joly of Capers Cafe
In this unique interview, we take a blind tasting journey through five exceptional Oregon Chardonnays, unraveling their stories, flavors, and the mysteries hidden in each bottle.
We start with the intriguing history of Capers Cafe, discovering how it came into existence and when wine became an integral part of its identity. As Andy walks us through the diverse facets of Capers, it becomes evident that this isn’t just a cafe; it’s a world of culinary art, fine wine, and creativity.
Delve into the Oregon Sparkling wine scene as we ask Andy about the future of this effervescent industry. What will Oregon Sparkling look like in three to five years? Andy shares his insights and predictions.
Andy celebrates ten years of marriage, a testament to the success of husband and wife partnerships. Discover the secret to working alongside your spouse day in, day out.
Learn how Andy first discovered Josh McDaniels’ wines and the incredible journey of Josh’s winemaking career, which began at the astonishing age of 16.
We dive into the question of what Andy would do if his daughters wanted to start a winery at 16, a fascinating scenario that brings the theme of legacy to the forefront.
And finally, we cap off the interview with a round of rapid-fire questions, where we discover Andy’s favorite artist during harvest, indulgent food cravings, chosen superpower, favorite superhero, and the last book he read.
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind interview filled with wine, stories, and captivating insights into the world of Capers Cafe. Hit that like button, subscribe, and get ready for a sensory journey like no other!
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Transcription of interview with Andy Joly of Capers Cafe in Oregon’s Willamette Valley
[00:00:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Cheers [00:00:05] A.J. Weinzettel: to another episode of the Wine Notes podcast. I’m your guide, AJ Winesuttle, on this journey of stories showcasing the people behind the wonderful world of wine, where we dive into conversations ranging from terroir, viticulture, to favorite music, superpowers, and more. Please enjoy this episode of the Wine Notes podcast. [00:00:24] A.J. Weinzettel: Andy, thank you so much for taking the time to be on the podcast today. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Yeah, no, this is going to be fun. We get to hear about capers cafe and we have like five blind wines that we’re going to go through here. This is going to be [00:00:38] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: interesting. Blind tasting is always fun. [00:00:40] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It gets you down to your roots and humbles you. And it’s just. It’s just fun. [00:00:45] A.J. Weinzettel: It is absolutely fun. I, uh, I know when I was here about a month, month and a half ago, you know, we talked about this and, uh, I’d have to tell you, I’ve been rattling my brain of like what wines to bring. So hopefully, uh, I have a couple that you haven’t tasted before and you know, it should be pretty [00:01:02] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: fun. [00:01:03] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I hope so. That’s the joy of wine is it changes year to year, you know, from person to person, you know, winery to winery. So you know, I look forward to it. Okay. [00:01:13] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, well, let’s start off with one blind wine and then we’ll get into some story. Sounds good. Okay. So this first wine, uh, so when we talked about this, uh, before we said that, uh, we’re going to just do Oregon Chardonnay. [00:01:29] A.J. Weinzettel: Mm hmm. And so obviously we know it’s Oregon Chardonnay and that’s like it. We don’t know anything else. That’s the parameters. All right. Well, [00:01:39] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: good luck. Thank you. You’re welcome. [00:01:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Hmm. [00:01:50] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Wow. It’s got a full body nose. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. [00:01:59] A.J. Weinzettel: The one thing I will tell you about this wine is I definitely know beyond a shadow of a doubt, you know, the winemaker. Oh, I do. You know, the winemaker. [00:02:08] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Okay. On this one. Well, that’s fun. Now, what winemaker do I know that’s possibly doing a side project or, or something, a private label or personal label or something? [00:02:19] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. Yeah. You know, I tried to give you some hints on, you know, I, yeah. [00:02:35] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Nice mouthfeel. It’s got that, that full body, almost a little bit of that, that caramel flavor. It’s, it’s beautiful. Nice long acid finish. [00:02:55] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So this is obviously a winery you like and enjoy. [00:02:59] A.J. Weinzettel: Yes. Yep. I, yes. All. Yes. My two wines that I brought today. I both enjoy very much. Um, yeah, I don’t know what else to say. I don’t want to give it all away. [00:03:16] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: This one smells like it’s got a little bit of age on it. A few years doesn’t feel like it’s a fresh right out of the gate. [00:03:33] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Wow. And I know the producer now that’s making me rack [00:03:35] A.J. Weinzettel: my brain. Oh, I know. I know. I try a little bit. Um, as we, as you kind of contemplate a little bit, I think when we talked about, you know, just bringing it up, Oregon Chardonnay, it’s Oregon Chardonnay is, you know, kind of making its self known more and more in [00:03:54] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: the Valley. [00:03:55] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Absolutely. I think it’s, uh, I think it’s, uh, if it’s not already, it’s going to be right behind Pinot Noir. It’s going to take over for, you know, as a second, uh, largest produced grape in, in the Valley. And someday might even, uh, De thrown. De thrown. Oof. But that’s going to take some time because, uh, there are some places that just make beautiful Chardonnays and they’re starting to see some, uh, Chardonnay only houses and, you know, it’s, it’s, people are willing to pay for it. [00:04:27] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: People know it. And, um, just going to get bigger and bigger. [00:04:30] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. No, I completely agree. [00:04:32] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And believe it or not, it’s ageable. So ageable. [00:04:36] A.J. Weinzettel: I… Oof. Let me see, last year, Halloween timeframe, I think I had an O3 or an O4 or O5 organ shard. And it was just absolutely mind [00:04:51] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: blowing. [00:04:53] A.J. Weinzettel: And just to see the color in the glass of that, I was like, Oh my goodness. [00:04:58] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Years and years ago, I had, uh, Oregon Chardonnay, Montenor. It was a 1989, winemaker select. And this was probably about five or six years ago. And I thought this bottle was going to be absolutely shot. Right. It was, uh, uh, equivalent of drinking a really nice white burgundy. It was absolutely beautiful showing fruit, nice, long, uh, long finish minerality. [00:05:23] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It was absolutely amazing. So, wow. And that was, you know, kind of one of those unicorn bottles. [00:05:28] A.J. Weinzettel: I can only imagine. All right. Do you want one more hint about this wine? Sure. The, uh, the winemaker is Isabel Munet. [00:05:39] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Huh. Isabel Mounier. Okay. So [00:05:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: this isn’t, uh, Lavinia. [00:05:49] A.J. Weinzettel: It’s not Lavinia. Nope. No, I wouldn’t. No, that’s, that’s [00:05:52] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: too obvious. I was going to say that would give it away, but. Right. [00:05:56] A.J. Weinzettel: I mean, I know that you’ve had Lavinia, so I’m not going to, I’m not going to give you a Lavinia. [00:06:01] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Right. Right. I’m not sure what other projects she works on. Well, [00:06:05] A.J. Weinzettel: she has a Lazy River project. [00:06:07] A.J. Weinzettel: Right. Right. And this is not Lazy River. Right. Okay. [00:06:13] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Are you ready? She doesn’t do anything with like, uh, Elizabeth Chambers or anything? No. Okay. I mean, [00:06:18] A.J. Weinzettel: I, I don’t know if she does, but this is not anything with Elizabeth Chambers. Okay. All right. So [00:06:25] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: let’s see what it is. I’m, I’m stumped on this [00:06:26] A.J. Weinzettel: one. The first wine is a 2020 Anahata Vineyard from [00:06:33] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Obain. [00:06:34] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Obain. Excellent. Yes. You know? So [00:06:39] A.J. Weinzettel: that is, um, Andy Lytle’s project. [00:06:44] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I’ve had Obane before. We’ve actually sold some at the, at the airport, but not this vineyard site. Oh, [00:06:51] A.J. Weinzettel: okay. Well, at least I got something that [00:06:54] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I didn’t have. In 2020. So it’s still, uh, it’s still a baby. It’s still a baby. Yeah. Yeah. [00:07:02] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, when I talked to Andy Lytle about this, he was very happy with, you know, um, with this bottling because he was like, Oh, it just drinks like shibly. [00:07:13] A.J. Weinzettel: And he was just [00:07:14] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: over the moon about it. She’s an amazing winemaker. She has loved what she does. So, yeah. [00:07:27] A.J. Weinzettel: Well, before we get into the next wine, let’s talk about capers cafe a little bit. Okay. Just. How did it even come into existence? And like, what is, what is [00:07:38] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: the backstory? Well, yeah, I grew up with my father, uh, pretty much owning a delicatessen pretty much my entire life. Um, before capers, it was, uh, Anderson’s out in Beaverton kind of by Jesuit high school. [00:07:52] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And so You know, the food, wine side of things has pretty much been in our blood, you know, I’ve been surrounded by it my entire life, um, my father, uh, you know, being born in France, you know, a lot of what we do when we get together as family members is, you know, we either go fishing, we’d, uh, you know, along the way we’d forge some mushrooms and then we’d, you know, stop and maybe pick some watercress. [00:08:17] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And then from that, we’d go home at. you know, one or two o’clock and we’d start cooking dinner and you know, you’d have to buy a few things to supplement, but uh, it was a family affair. And then, you know, we’d all sit around the table after dinner and play cards and have an after dinner drink or something like that. [00:08:34] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So, um, growing up in the food business and being surrounded by it, it was, it was inevitable. Um, in 1991, um, [00:08:45] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That’s when they got into this place and, uh, started it with 12 employees. Um, it was just this, uh, the front part of this building and, um, we’ve grown from there. We started in the airport in, uh, I joined the company in, uh, 95, um, just as, you know, needing some help and jumping into the business. And then, uh, after working front of house, back of house and then managing here and doing caterings, you know, all weekend and everything. [00:09:19] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So, um, we started in the airport in 2002. Um, that was a fun, fun little project. It was a insane undertaking and you know, we weren’t quite ready for the amount of traffic that the, uh, uh, airport had to offer. Um, but we, you know, got with it real quick. And, um, that’s when we, you know, we making everything from scratch and, um, opening as few cans and boxes as possible and getting good local Northwest products. [00:09:49] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Um, You know, every year, uh, as soon as chanterelle mushroom season hits, we go through about, uh, 1, 200 pounds, uh, just in fresh forged mushrooms. To the airport doing well, you know omelets and Caesar salads and on top of burgers and pretty much, you know, they’re everywhere, right? Right, and then you know once they’re gone pretty much in November when that first frost hits then we try to find something else You know good local Northwest product, but we live in such a fertile area. [00:10:18] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It’s pretty easy to do Yeah, no, that’s that it’s amazing. Yeah, so We started in the airport in 2002 and it’s been Just cranking ever since. So, wow. So you have [00:10:30] A.J. Weinzettel: locations in the airport. Uh, you have this space here, which does catering. [00:10:37] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: This does catering. We also do, uh, wholesale products for the airport. We also, uh, kind of support the volume that goes on in the airport with, uh, all the products we’re, we’re making here. [00:10:48] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Wow. [00:10:49] A.J. Weinzettel: And you have like a mobile, like food truck or something too, right? [00:10:54] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: We’ve got, uh, one of the largest food trucks in the city. It’s a 36 footer, um, kitchen on wheels. Holy cow. Yeah. And it’s, uh, it’s basically to support our catering. So when we go on site somewhere, we’re able to cook the food and produce it fresh right on, right on somebody’s table. [00:11:14] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Wow. Um, rather than have to bring it from. One location to the other, we’re making it to order. So it’s fantastic. Holy cow. [00:11:22] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. So when, when did wine like enter into the whole [00:11:27] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: picture? I it’s always been in the picture. Okay. I mean, we’re, um, It really started to become a big part in 03, um, when, you know, we had, uh, a bar, uh, at our facility there, um, in the airport. [00:11:44] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, you know, the demand for good wines in this area is, is huge. People want local. People want Oregon wines and Washington wines to either enjoy. Take back with them, share with other people, wherever they’re going. Uh, so we just jumped in on that and I slowly started from, you know, eight wines by the glass to, um, pre COVID we’re at 56 wines by the glass. [00:12:10] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah, it was, it was crazy, but it was absolutely fun. And that ranged anywhere from 6 a glass to 30 a glass. So, and we rotated our menu pretty quickly, uh, on wines and we offered probably about another 140 wines by the bottle, um, on site that people could take with them. And we were doing demos and tastings for people and you’d have some, uh, regular customers come up and say, Hey, what are you pouring today? [00:12:37] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And we just. Taste them on a couple of things. And next thing you know, they’re buying a glass, maybe a bottle to take with them. So very nice. Yeah. People love to talk about wine. It is such a [00:12:49] A.J. Weinzettel: fantastic little topic. Oh, is there any, uh, do you have any hints on like, you know, buying a bottle at the airport and then like putting it into like a You know, another container, so you can like sip it on an international flight. [00:13:05] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Uh, no, [00:13:07] A.J. Weinzettel: no. Okay. Maybe off camera. Right. [00:13:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: You’re not supposed to do that part of things, but yeah, even though [00:13:12] A.J. Weinzettel: people do. Yeah. No, I, I, I’ve heard stories. Right. No, that’s, that is, that is cool. Um, I want to talk more, but we got like five wines. Yeah. [00:13:22] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Let’s, let’s. All right. Let’s do [00:13:24] A.J. Weinzettel: another. All right. Do you want me to do my second one here? [00:13:27] A.J. Weinzettel: Let’s let’s do this one. Let’s try [00:13:29] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: this one. All right. Now you get to stop me. Hopefully [00:13:37] A.J. Weinzettel: it won’t take much to stop me. I’m sure. [00:13:42] A.J. Weinzettel: So as you pour it, I looks, you know, like it definitely has some age onto it. It has that golden hue. So I’m, I’m going to go with it. It’s a little bit older just by kind of looking at it right off the bat. It does have age. It’s beautiful though, just like, Oh, look at that. [00:14:02] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: This was a wine that we picked up in the airport, um, again, pre COVID and it was a much younger wine at the time. [00:14:10] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, uh, the first time I tasted this, I was just blown away by it. I absolutely loved what it had to offer. And, uh, There was a couple sitting down. They wanted a really nice bottle of wine. This was probably more out of the price point that they were looking for but I talked them into purchasing this bottle and they shared it over a meal and had to Come flag me down and tell me how much they enjoyed that bottle with the food and just absolutely loved it. [00:14:38] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So It’s fun [00:14:39] A.J. Weinzettel: bottle one, you know, that’s that’s one of the things I really enjoy about wine is you correlate a bottle to a memory I mean, you’ve had so many bottles. I’ve had quite a few bottles, but like those little memories just stick out so much. [00:14:54] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And I love that. Absolutely. That’s why it’s so important to go out to tasting rooms and go have that experience. [00:15:02] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Um, with whatever winery that is. And then it just helps solidify that, that bottle, uh, into your mind with that experience or do something outrageous when you’re sharing it. [00:15:19] A.J. Weinzettel: Wow. [00:15:28] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah, no, I’m just sitting here thinking about it and just taking it all in. There’s, there’s so much to, to take in about this wine. I mean, yes, you, you know, just seeing it in the glass, you’re, you know, there’s this a special bottle on the nose. It’s, um, uh, which is, I have a very difficult time describing a nose, but you, you get it, you smell it. [00:15:58] A.J. Weinzettel: And, you know, even if I was not to see this, I’m like, this is not a young Chardonnay. [00:16:04] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It’s absolutely, uh, older, um, it’s still showing beautiful fruit. It’s got a little bit more, uh, more body to it. Um, it’s got some, uh, the acid on the back is just so. So pretty. So just silky and just kind of dances. I would [00:16:27] A.J. Weinzettel: agree. [00:16:28] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, and even with this being a little bit older, I still think this has age to it. I mean, with all that, with that acidity backbone. [00:16:42] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Do you want to take a guess at the year? Mm hmm. [00:16:54] A.J. Weinzettel: Man. And it’s just, this is just a shot in the dark, but I’m going to have to guess either like an 08 or an 09. [00:17:05] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Not quite that old. Okay. It’s a 10 year old. It’s 13. It’s a 13. Okay. Mm hmm. All [00:17:11] A.J. Weinzettel: right. Okay. I can, I can see that. Um, Ooh, producer. That’s, Uh, I, [00:17:24] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: no clue. This valley is getting so popular. The state, uh, is getting, is, you know, the amount of wineries here growing and growing. [00:17:32] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So it makes this type of thing, A lot more difficult, but it does so many producers making phenomenal wine. Um, that’s part of the hardest part about what I do is when I’m selecting, you know, wineries to feature or pour, there’s a lot of great wines to choose from. And just like you, you know, being in this, the wine industry type. [00:18:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Um, you know, Cameron comes to mind, Bethel [00:18:05] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Heights comes to mine, Bergstrom comes to [00:18:09] A.J. Weinzettel: mine. And you know, I’m thinking, I’m going back to 13 and like, who is doing. A phenomenal shard at that point, you know? You know, Cameron comes to mind, Bethel Heights comes to mind, Bergstrom comes to mine. Oh, you know, I’m just going with, you know, some, some of the stables back in that era. [00:18:35] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, but those seem way too obvious. [00:18:39] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It’s definitely one of the, the founding families of the Valley. So you’re going to say like Adelshine [00:18:52] A.J. Weinzettel: close, um, [00:18:52] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Erie, Irie, also a good guess. [00:18:54] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh my goodness. [00:18:59] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh my goodness. Uh, I had, um, I’m running a blank right now. Are you ready? Sure. [00:19:12] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, I should have, what was I thinking? Good [00:19:15] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: gosh. Sure. Avalona Chardonnay. Wow. [00:19:21] A.J. Weinzettel: That is a gorgeous bottle of [00:19:23] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: wine. It is a gorgeous bottle of wine. It is. [00:19:25] A.J. Weinzettel: Wow. Well, thank you. Absolutely. Yeah, that’s, wow. Yeah, it’s uh, it is amazing to see, um, like where Oregon wine has started and where it’s at and kind of where we’re going. [00:19:44] A.J. Weinzettel: I mean, with, with Ponzi itself, I mean, they’re entering a brand new chapter of life. Uh, And, you know, even, so with, uh, you know, the, the partnership with the French and then, you know, Rocco getting a partnership with the Italians. So what did domain Roy lingua franca, lingua franca, I forgot about lingua franca off the top of my head, [00:20:08] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: but yeah. [00:20:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And then you have the French, uh, like, uh, resonance coming in and, you know, just producing some amazing stuff. So. Obviously, there’s, uh, something to be said about what’s going on here. There is something. [00:20:23] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, and kind of with that. Oh, are there like two or three producers that come to you, the top of your head that are, uh, lack of better term, they’re kind of in the, in the underground a little bit that they’re not too popular, but you’re like, Ooh, they’re going to be like rising stars. [00:20:44] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Let me think about that one because there’s, there’s always quite a few, um, that are kind of, uh, whether they’re. Whether they’re new or have really decided to, you know, make a big push as to what’s going on, there’s, um, there’s definitely a few of them. Right. Um, I know I like some of the stuff that, uh, uh, the guy from, uh, Roots is doing. [00:21:10] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Right. Right. Um, and there’s one that’s just south of the valley. I can’t remember the gentleman’s name, but he is producing some amazing fruit and he’s still just kind of getting out there. He’s all natural. He’s using goats to, you know, service the land and stuff. And he’s doing some pretty cool stuff. [00:21:31] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That sounds fun. Yeah. I got to think of his name though. [00:21:33] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. That’s fine. So, you know, just to kind of, for me, I, one of the, The there’s multiples. I’m like, Oh, they’re so good. Right. Um, but I think one of the producers that are really, uh, caught my attention this year is open claim. They’re out near, uh, Salem. [00:21:52] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. Winemakers, Tony rinders and That one, it’s an amazing experience when you go out there, you’re one on one with a chef. There’s only one tasting at a time. You’re greeted with a glass of champagne and you have a four or five course meal with a private chef. [00:22:15] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And that’s the tasting. That’s the tasting. [00:22:18] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. You know, that’s one of the smartest ways to do it. Yeah. Um, And when you do something like that, you know, talking about creating the experience and, and making it memorable, that’s, that’s what they’re doing every time they’re doing something that, uh, not many people are doing. Um, it’s, you know, it’s the equivalent of when you used to go to soda and they’d be walking out to the parking lot with a glass of bubbly before you’re stepping out of your vehicle. [00:22:44] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Right. You remember that you talk about it. Yeah. So that’s, that’s fantastic. I’ll definitely have to make it down there. Yeah. Yeah. It’s, it is really, really nice. And I love what Tony Reinders does. Oh, he’s, he’s a great guy. And yeah. Um, yeah, he does private label stuff for us as well. So amazing wines. Yes. I totally agree. [00:23:07] A.J. Weinzettel: Um, all right. Onto the third wine. On the third. Actually, I don’t want to pour this out. Oh, how about if I set this over here and then I. Absolutely. [00:23:18] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Because. That’s quite something I do want to see how that kind of evolves in the glass. Yes. [00:23:25] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. So my second wine, [00:23:30] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: um, you know, [00:23:32] A.J. Weinzettel: it’s, I have to, I’m, I’m thinking about what, what wine it was. [00:23:37] A.J. Weinzettel: I’m like, Ooh, what, what wine was this? Don’t forget off the top at this very second. Yes, I did forget. Um, [00:23:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Ooh, this one’s very different. [00:23:50] A.J. Weinzettel: I remember which one, yeah. I remember which one this is now. So, Wow. [00:24:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I love that nose. There’s a little bit of that savory quality. This [00:24:04] A.J. Weinzettel: is one of my favorite, um, Chardonnays. [00:24:10] A.J. Weinzettel: In the Valley. I mean, there, there’s a lot of favorites, but there’s, this one is definitely in like the, the top three or top five. Wow. [00:24:18] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Um, [00:24:21] A.J. Weinzettel: and, uh, the wine maker is also the person that you sit down with the tasting, [00:24:32] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: he, uh, does it all. Wow. [00:24:36] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, I, I think he, I know he has, uh, two sons that, you know, help him out quite a bit. [00:24:47] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, he used to work for a bigger, you know, producer. Uh, this is, I’ll say it’s Dundee Hills fruit. [00:24:58] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Okay. And [00:25:02] A.J. Weinzettel: let me see, what else can [00:25:03] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I So you’re almost leaning towards that, uh, with the story, the Beaufrare side of things, but yeah, it’s [00:25:10] A.J. Weinzettel: not Dundee Hills. Yeah, this is not Beaufrare. I promise that. Um, and I talked to, uh, somebody, we were talking to Oregon Chardonnay and I told them, I like this Chardonnay better than, um, [00:25:25] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: double zero. [00:25:28] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That’s a [00:25:28] A.J. Weinzettel: big statement. It is a big statement. But that’s, you know, that’s my personal preference, you know, and everybody has different opinions and different likes and dislikes. And I, I, I enjoy the heck out of this one way more than I do double zero. [00:25:54] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That’s full body. You get like a little bit of like chalk, tannin grip, little savory notes, got good fruit. I can see why you like this one. Yeah, and [00:26:07] A.J. Weinzettel: I, I think why I like it is ’cause you do, you get all that fruit, all that savory, but it’s lean, you know it, not immediately do you get all that acid and you’re like, who? [00:26:21] A.J. Weinzettel: Mm-Hmm. . It’s just lean, it’s clear cut. It’s, yeah. No, I really enjoy the heck [00:26:27] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: out of this. It almost reminds me of like Walter Scott. But I don’t believe they have two [00:26:36] A.J. Weinzettel: boys. No, no, no. And I will say it’s not Walter Scott, right? [00:26:52] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: But it’s right in that style of like Walter Scott or big table farm or flanneur, or you just want to keep going back for more. Oh yeah. Cause it’s just delicious. You could enjoy this by itself with some food. Huddled in the corner because you don’t want to share it. Something. [00:27:15] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, I’m trying to think of other hints to give you. [00:27:21] A.J. Weinzettel: So I’ll say that, uh, before the project that he’s at, he was at archery summit. [00:27:28] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Okay. [00:27:29] A.J. Weinzettel: Um, his vineyard is pretty darn close, you know, to archery summit. Uh, there was a bunch of Walnut trees on the, on the property, you know, that he, you know, cleared out, but he has one big prominent one right in front of the winery slash tasting room. [00:27:50] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. Uh, You know, and just, uh, the winemaker himself is an amazing guy. He likes to run. And, you know, during 2020 he built the, the winery, uh, you know, by himself with the two kids. And, uh, his mom came out to the winery and kind of like, took pictures and, you know, kind of, um, not journaled, but I, I don’t know, I can’t think of a better word right now. [00:28:25] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It’s not white walnut, is it? It is a white walnut. [00:28:29] A.J. Weinzettel: There you go. [00:28:32] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That, uh, has been a winery I’ve been following and we’ve poured some of their pinots and their labels are absolutely gorgeous. Yeah. And I love what they do just on the side. It’s a completely descriptive way to kind of paint the picture of what you’re tasting. It’s fantastic. Yeah. [00:28:57] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. No, I love what Chris is doing with these wines and holy cow. [00:29:03] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. [00:29:04] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. Well, hey, great choice. Well, thank you. [00:29:13] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. I agree. That is a beautiful bottle of wine. Mm hmm. [00:29:19] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. A person in our group went and visited White Walnut. And he was like, Oh my freaking goodness. You’ve got to go out and taste Chris’s wines at White Walnut. He’s like, they’re extraordinary. They’re amazing. Like go, go [00:29:33] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: now. Yeah. And he’s definitely one of the places their Chardonnays are, I don’t know which way I’m going to say this. [00:29:43] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Their pinots are just as good as their Chardonnays and vice versa. The wines are sound all the way around and they’re just. Fantastic. Yeah. Yeah. If you can’t find something you like there, then yeah, there’s [00:29:57] A.J. Weinzettel: problems. Yeah. No, it’s yeah. No, I, I like what, like I said, what Chris is doing. Yeah. Well, good job. [00:30:04] A.J. Weinzettel: You got [00:30:05] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: well after, after enough hints, you know? All right. Um, so we were, [00:30:16] A.J. Weinzettel: we’re talking about Oregon Chardonnay, but I have to bring up Oregon sparkling. Okay. [00:30:21] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Um, uh, it’s just, uh, [00:30:28] A.J. Weinzettel: I, [00:30:29] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: uh, just [00:30:30] A.J. Weinzettel: speechless. Um, I’m curious, like, where do you see organ sparkling in like three to five years? [00:30:41] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. Organ sparkling, obviously it’s just. Um, and I guess that depends on how long, uh, Roland is going to stay in the, the neighborhood because when everybody was making it, you know, I know he was getting a lot of phone calls of, Hey, I’ve got a question for you, or, Hey, can I pick your brain? [00:30:58] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, um, he, you know, still to this day makes one of my absolute favorites. Uh, the, the Rocco, um, RMS is delicious. Um, I see it definitely being, uh, you know, a mainstream piece on the list because, you know, when you’re sharing a beautiful memory or an occasion, everybody loves the sound of that cork exiting the bottle, right? [00:31:25] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It’s like, Ooh, right. It’s an attention grabber and just a great way to put a kind of an exclamation point on, on whatever, um, event is going on. Or just a meal, you [00:31:39] A.J. Weinzettel: know, a Tuesday night meal. That’s all. [00:31:41] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Absolutely. Yeah. But, um, you know, there’s so many producers making it and, um, a lot of them doing a really good job and doing them really well. [00:31:49] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So, um, I just hope it keeps going and, you know, Oregon’s such a collaborative, uh, state when it comes to the wineries and stuff, they just keep getting, making each other better and better and better. Yeah. So if that’s possible at times, [00:32:03] A.J. Weinzettel: I, I think it’s possible. And, um, Um, I’ve seen pictures of harvest, you know, so far this year, uh, hazel fern, they’re going to do a sparkling, uh, one of my favorite producers all day and yes, uh, I pretty sure that they’re going to do a sparkling, maybe not. [00:32:23] A.J. Weinzettel: Maybe they didn’t pick this year. I haven’t got confirmation on that one yet. I love his wines. I almost thought about bringing you. You know, the Chardonnay, but I was like, Nope, I think he’s probably tasted that. Absolutely. [00:32:34] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. It’s, it’s a great wine. It is. So, [00:32:37] A.J. Weinzettel: uh, and then, uh, Jessica West from Approachment slash Harper Voight, they’re going to do their, you know, a sparkling for Approachment. [00:32:47] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, and just so many people are like, yeah, we got [00:32:51] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: to do sparkling. I just know with, uh, like organ sparklings and stuff, the price points are, are pretty high. Um, there’s, I think only a couple of producers, uh, that I can think of that do kind of that, that friendly price point bottle, uh, one being Tony Randall Reinders doing the, the child’s play, uh, sparkling and then, um, Trisatum. [00:33:12] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yes, they do a wonderful, uh, sparkling rosé that’s usually a friendly price point. [00:33:18] A.J. Weinzettel: So, yeah, and kind of on that point, um, uh, geez, uh, radiant, you know, so Andrew Davis, you know, he, you know, definitely hit on something, you know, creating radiant. Um, But like Benza out in, you know, the Hillsboro area, they’re making sparkling now for multiple people. [00:33:45] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, and then, uh, Brian whale, you know, opened up that new facility and, uh, Kate Payne Brown is there. I mean, I, I’m kind of keeping my fingers crossed that, you know, the price point for organ sparkling is going to come down a little bit because it is expensive to produce, right? But you like with it being easier and easier to produce and getting more people, I’m kind of hoping that price point comes [00:34:14] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: down. [00:34:15] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I think it will, um, you know, after time you’ve kind of got to, you know, make some of the money back from all the, uh, equipment and, you know, how long the whole process of making it right costs. But, uh, for some people it’s a labor of love and they’re like, you know, forget the cost. I’m going to do it regardless. [00:34:31] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So that’s, that’s what makes it fun. Yes. I totally agree. [00:34:35] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. All right. Here we go. Here we go. All right. So this one is a little, definitely younger than the previous one. Um, [00:35:07] A.J. Weinzettel: you don’t have to feel sorry for the people listening to this via audio and they’re like, what’s all the dead [00:35:11] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: silence for, right? Don’t they? Uh, isn’t there like a, some sort of, like Aroma vision that they can, I, [00:35:21] A.J. Weinzettel: I can’t wait for that technology, [00:35:22] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: right? Yeah, that’d be great. [00:35:29] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: What you gotta be able to do is actually, uh, somehow brown bag a couple and get them to, uh, some followers so they can enjoy some life. That would be great. That would be a lot of fun. That would [00:35:39] A.J. Weinzettel: be a lot of fun. [00:35:43] A.J. Weinzettel: Something else I think would be fun would be, uh, something doing something like this. You know, live and be able to pour, you know, for a few other people at the same [00:35:52] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: time. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, that would be a blast. That would be a blast. [00:35:56] A.J. Weinzettel: Just the, the logistics of that. I’m like, oof. [00:36:15] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Wow. That is, uh, [00:36:20] A.J. Weinzettel: that’s not your typical [00:36:21] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Chardonnay. No, the gentleman that makes this wine, he’s Kind of a one man show. Okay. He’s a fantastic, fantastic guy. He’s, uh, hilarious. He is a chef as well. Okay. Um, but he spends all his time making wine and, uh, enjoying life and, and such. Right. Oh my goodness. [00:36:51] A.J. Weinzettel: That’s, uh, I. [00:36:54] A.J. Weinzettel: Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a one man show winemaker that is a chef that spends all of his time making wine. [00:37:09] A.J. Weinzettel: What, uh, what I really enjoy about this is just the complexity and the waves of different experiences you get on the mid palate and on the finish of this wine. Uh, I, I gotta take another sip just so I can, uh, refresh my memory. [00:37:34] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: To me, it starts off with some of that fruit. When you get to that mid palate, it starts to show a little bit of that, kind of that acid, um, that citrus note. And then it just kind of, uh, you know, envelopes your, the back of your tongue and just… [00:37:52] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. And it just keeps going on and on and on. And, you know, the acidity level on that is through the roof. [00:37:59] A.J. Weinzettel: So, I mean, it easily has 10 to 15 years easy on it. Um, and I would venture to say there’s not much Oak on this one. If I had to take just a guess, [00:38:17] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I think he does use a little, right. But, uh, I’m not sure what his, uh, program is on this wine. Yeah, I know. I, [00:38:27] A.J. Weinzettel: um, I would have been shocked if you would have known. [00:38:29] A.J. Weinzettel: Right. [00:38:29] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I think he uses a lot of, a lot more neutral. Right. Than anything. So, but it’s always been a wine that I’ve absolutely loved. Any guesses? Oh. [00:38:43] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh. Give me like a hint of an [00:38:48] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: AVA. Um, this one is, um, Appalachia, Dundee Hills and Willamette Valley. Okay. Do you, let’s, the winery’s located kind of by, uh, domain Roy area. [00:39:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Okay. Kind of, uh, around the corner and up the street. [00:39:17] A.J. Weinzettel: Taking a left or coming, taking a right. . Well, which way are you coming from out of the parking lot of Domain, Roy. Right. Uh, [00:39:31] A.J. Weinzettel: you know, I’ll just take, I, I, I, so I, I have to admit, I know next to nothing about Cameron. Next to nothing. Right? [00:39:41] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Oh, it’s not Cameron. Okay. But I’m a huge fan of. Everything. Uh, yeah, I’ve [00:39:49] A.J. Weinzettel: heard amazing things. [00:39:54] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. So is, so is the winery located, uh, on Wharton Hill Road or just like you come up to like a four way stop and you kind of take a right and for about two or three more minutes. [00:40:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: You, uh, you take a right and go up the road, uh, a couple of minutes and you’re, you, you’re tasting in this gentleman’s house. [00:40:18] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah, this is Mo. Absolutely. [00:40:21] A.J. Weinzettel: And, okay, now here, here’s the funny thing. I thought I had a Mo Chardonnay because I saw that you are a fan of Ayoub. And I was like, oh crap. Yeah, no, it’s 2016. It’s gorgeous. Uh, the wines that he makes and I, and I love Mo. Uh, so I was looking at, you know, the, you know, what wines to bring. [00:40:48] A.J. Weinzettel: And I, I did notice that you’re an AU fan and the one bottle that I have that’s not a Pinot, he calls a Blanc de Noir and I’m like, that’s not Chardonnay. [00:41:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Darn it. So close. So [00:41:03] A.J. Weinzettel: close. So close. Uh, but this is, I think this is the first time I’ve had his Chardonnay. [00:41:08] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Really? Yeah. I highly recommend going up there. [00:41:11] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: He’s, [00:41:17] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: you do have to make an appointment and such, but he’s an amazing guy, you know, he lives on the land that he’s pulling from and, um, you know, he sets out some cheeses, he pours you some wines and, you know, the guy’s, Got a great sense of humor and he’s just, you know, he was an engineer in California for the longest time and he was going back and forth between winemaking and such. [00:41:44] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, um, he finally quit his, his job so he could. Have a job in the wine business. So it’s fantastic. And he’s just, I love his wines. Yeah, no. And, [00:41:55] A.J. Weinzettel: uh, I’ve always been trying to get a bottle of his sparkling and I haven’t had that yet either. So it’s, it’s definitely on [00:42:03] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: my list. I’ve had it a couple of times. [00:42:06] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Uh, my brother in law has shared it with me, so, Oh, that would be fine. Absolutely. Yeah. [00:42:13] A.J. Weinzettel: Um, so it looks like that, you know, you’ve been to the French laundry. Yeah. You’ve enjoyed that quite a bit. Have you been out to Okta in McMinnville? Not [00:42:25] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: yet. Oh, okay. It’s on my list. Okay. We’ll definitely hit it. Uh, um, yeah, we did French laundry, uh, years ago with a trip to Napa and it just, you know, happened to, you know, all the stars aligned and we were able to get in and everything. [00:42:41] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: But, uh, Okta is definitely on my list of places to go. I’ve heard nothing but great things. I’ve seen a lot of, uh, beautiful pictures that people have taken that just make your mouth water. And, um, yeah, [00:42:55] A.J. Weinzettel: it is, it is quite the experience. And the reason I brought it up, it was, you know, I was curious, you know, to compare the two side by side, because what I’ve heard hearsay is Okta is better. [00:43:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Really? [00:43:10] A.J. Weinzettel: That’s what I’ve heard. I mean, and I, I’ve been to Okta twice, blown away both, both times. Okay. Um, Ron the sommelier there. Oh my gosh. He just, he takes amazing care of you. And, uh, Um, you know, it’s, he, he does a great job and the wines are fabulous. One of the wines I had, uh, the last time I was there was, uh, so you know that Walter Scott has an ex novo shard, but ex novo also has their own label. [00:43:43] A.J. Weinzettel: It’s pretty new, isn’t it? It is pretty new. And so he poured that shard for me. Oh my [00:43:49] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: gosh, it’s so good. Yeah. Walter Scott’s Ex Novo has always been one that’s I’ve kind of coveted because it’s just so good. [00:44:00] A.J. Weinzettel: It is good. And I saw a screenshot today on, um, Instagram of, uh, Jeb Dunick’s, um, organ report. And there was a whiner that got a hundred and like within the top, I think like Walter Scott’s Ex Novo got like a 98 or a 99. [00:44:21] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Jeez. [00:44:23] A.J. Weinzettel: And I think that was for the 21 vintage. Okay. [00:44:26] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. Well, I believe it. Yeah. X Nova is a beautiful bottle. It’s also one of those that can age flawlessly and you do have a 1. 5 of it’s probably from about three years ago that. [00:44:41] A.J. Weinzettel: I’ve got a 1. 5 and I got a three as well. Yes. Yes. Um, I think the three is getting opened, uh, in about a year and a half for my 50th birthday. Awesome. Yeah. Maybe, I don’t know. I mean, that’s, uh, that’s a special bottle of wine. [00:45:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It is, but that’ll be a special occasion. So it will be, it will be, [00:45:05] A.J. Weinzettel: um, So, in November of 21, you celebrated 10 years of marriage, [00:45:18] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: and [00:45:21] A.J. Weinzettel: you like, like, you look at Mo, you look at Hazel Fern, you look at Hundred Sons, and you see all these husband and wife teams working together. [00:45:35] A.J. Weinzettel: You know, making an amazing wine, but most importantly, they’re not killing one another. You do the same thing with your wife. What do you think that the secret ingredient is to not killing one another and working day [00:45:48] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: in, day out, uh, communication and the little words of, I’m sorry, honey, um, no, it’s just, uh, mutual respect, right? [00:46:01] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Is the biggest thing. Um, you, you never can lose that because after that’s gone, that’s, it’s all downhill, right? So, um, respect, understanding, and you know, every now and then you got to take a step back and quiet the noise and enjoy each other. That’s [00:46:23] A.J. Weinzettel: that’s a good thing. Yeah. Yeah. Enjoy each other. Go take a trip out to McMinnville to Okta and [00:46:30] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: there you go. [00:46:31] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. Might have to make that happen. [00:46:34] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, I would not, I would not doubt that at all. Right. Um, so when we, we were talking about setting this up and I was out here for a Josh, uh, Bledsoe McDaniels, uh, tasting amazing wines. Josh McDaniels is amazing. Drew Bledsoe is amazing. But do you’ve like, you’ve been on their radar, it looks like for, for a very long time. [00:47:02] A.J. Weinzettel: Do you remember, like, what was that nugget of like, Ooh, this is now on my radar and I got to check it out. [00:47:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So, uh, obviously, uh, you know, Chris Figgins and Drew, uh, grew up together and we’re good friends, uh, in Walla Walla. And. So, years ago when Doubleback was just getting started, um, Doubleback, Gramercy, and Figgins, um, well, Leonetti at the time, um, did a tasting where they, uh, had a hotel suite downtown, and they invited select buyers, and you PRE ORDER NOW! [00:47:43] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Went down to this hotel and they had the wine set out in various different stations and you just kind of had a glass and you sat down and tasted the wines and, um, uh, you know, I’ll never forget my, my father, uh, who’s not big into sports and, you know, was born in France and, you know, football for them was soccer and he had no idea who Drew Bledsoe was. [00:48:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And we’re sitting there tasting the wines and the next thing you know, Drew sits down right next to me and he’s like, say, so what do you guys think of the wines? And my dad starts describing, you know, the wines are really nice. I like this and whatnot. You know, we’re talking about the wines and he’s telling us about them. [00:48:26] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Then about 10 minutes into the conversation, my dad leans in and goes, and who are you? And I looked at him. I’m like, well, this is super bowl winning quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. And he also. makes double back, right? Um, and Drew is a very, you know, humble guy and he just kind of introduced himself. I kept talking about the wines and the wines were really nice. [00:48:49] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, uh, then, uh, you know, as a grew and, uh, Josh and drew, you know, kind of grew together and we’re creating these amazing wines. I mean. Some of the stuff they’re making there, they’re doing, uh, they’ve got a small amount of, uh, Chenin Blanc, uh, on the Oregon property. Oh, it’s so good. It is so good. It’s just, to me, that’s another, uh, kind of, uh, you know, spice that they have in their cabinet when they do a winemaker’s dinner to kind of add to, to the mix. [00:49:22] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, um, we’ve just kind of followed them over the years and just loved what they’ve done. And, um, for a while we were, uh, glass pouring, uh, double back in a few other things out. Um. At the airport and just having fun with it. Yeah. You know, drew would come by and check in and say, Hey, how’s it going? Good. [00:49:41] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: You know, is everybody getting you taken care of? I’m like, yeah, we’re good. He goes, you know, can you sign a couple of bottles? He’s like, sure. Signed a few bottles and, you know, when I was, when I was away. So that’s [00:49:52] A.J. Weinzettel: it. And it’s amazing to have those connections and friendships and like, he didn’t need to come by and like, say, Hey, how are things [00:49:59] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: going? [00:50:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Absolutely. But he did. Right. Right. And you know, he’s traveling, he’s busy, he’s, uh, you know, who knows all the other projects he might have going on and whatnot, but he does, he does take the time and he cares about the project and he’s got a tasting room in Bend. That’s fantastic. He’s got great people working for him and yeah, and it shows it does very much so. [00:50:24] A.J. Weinzettel: All right. We got one more blind wine. One more. Holy cow. This has been fun. [00:50:30] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Absolutely. [00:50:46] A.J. Weinzettel: This looks a little bit younger, but you know, 2016 for, yeah, for Mo’s wine, I wouldn’t have guessed a 2016. [00:50:57] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That’s the thing about his wines and his wines just really hold. Yeah, they do. [00:51:03] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, so I even hate to even venture what this might be. [00:51:08] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: This one’s more just for fun. Okay. [00:51:18] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah, this is completely different from. The other two? From Ponzi and… Absolutely. Okay. [00:51:27] A.J. Weinzettel: Well, I like fun. Fun is always good. [00:51:34] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Mmm. [00:51:39] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Hmm. [00:51:51] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Oh, that one definitely, um, You know, that, that tannin and brightness of your mouth. I’m, uh, this one wants a little bit of food. A little piece of cheese. Yeah, that’s… [00:52:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It’s, [00:52:11] A.J. Weinzettel: I call it just a racy, sharp backbone that is just, it’s still, it’s still like going a million miles a minute. And I’ve, you know, I’ve, it’s, you know, a good solid 30, 45 seconds later and it’s still like saying, hi, how you doing? Uh, I know I haven’t tasted this one ever. Um, this is a, a, uh, a unique Chardonnay and yeah, I’m glad that you brought it out for fun. [00:52:47] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, holy cow. I don’t even know where to go with [00:52:50] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: this. This is definitely a, a younger wine. It’s got, um, fruit from, uh, a coastal vineyard site and two, uh, to somewhat local vineyard sites. I don’t know exactly which ones, but, um, it’s a family that is on second generation winemaker. Okay. Um, obviously very, very local. [00:53:21] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Well, I’m a valley, right? One that we have a great partnership with. [00:53:27] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. Now I just need to look around the room and see what I can find. [00:53:34] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: But don’t blame me. I’d do it too. Yeah. [00:53:37] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, [00:53:41] A.J. Weinzettel: you know, so I’m looking through, you know, some of the bottles that you have. I mean, you have some amazing bottles, you know, there’s grand Marine, there’s Highland, uh, domain Divio, uh, Cameron. Yeah. Um, Uh, uh, the source, you [00:54:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: know, um, soda. I agree. We built this room, uh, just before COVID and took over some of our event space. [00:54:11] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, uh, then just as COVID hit, obviously you couldn’t do any more events. So we had to kind of shut it down. And, um, and then during COVID, we actually took over more of this building and expanded our event space and. Um, now we’re doing all sorts of events and, you know, anywhere from small weddings to, you know, parties, get together, um, after work events and, uh, having a good time with it. [00:54:37] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. No, I mean, a sorority here last weekend, uh, doing a fundraiser and, um, you know, it’s just. It’s just a fun, fun space to have. It is. And [00:54:47] A.J. Weinzettel: last year you did, or this earlier this year, you did the Kentucky Derby kind of get together. Yeah, [00:54:53] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: that was our first ever Kentucky Derby party. Um, we had, um, a ton of wine, uh, some great bourbons to share, uh, doing some cocktails. [00:55:02] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Uh, we did some, uh, Uh, prizes and giveaways, and it was a lot of fun. It was a good party. [00:55:09] A.J. Weinzettel: I can only imagine. And unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend [00:55:13] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: next year. [00:55:14] A.J. Weinzettel: Okay. All right. I’ll be sure to put it down on my [00:55:16] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: calendar. Absolutely. Alrighty. Any guesses? [00:55:22] A.J. Weinzettel: You know, I don’t think it’s anybody that I can see within this little range right here. [00:55:29] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I’m pretty sure of that. Okay. So yeah, go for it. So this one is literally kind of hot off the presses. It’s our brand new collaboration that we do with Lang. [00:55:46] A.J. Weinzettel: That’s, that’s an [00:55:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: amazing little wine. Yeah. We, uh, you know, started doing collaborations with Lang, um, probably four or five years ago. And, um, you know, we meet with Jesse and taste through barrels and stuff. [00:56:02] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: And, um, Try to put together a fun little blend and he’s always, um, a big proponent of, you know, it’s, it’s about the wine, putting a good product in the bottle. And that’s what he does. So, yeah, no, [00:56:17] A.J. Weinzettel: this is, this is fun. Yes. This is very fun. Thank you for sharing this. This is, you know, we’re not, we’re not seeing too many 22s right now. [00:56:27] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Not yet. Yeah. Not yet. Like I said, this is a hot off the presses. So, wow. [00:56:33] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, yeah, that’s, that is amazing. [00:56:40] A.J. Weinzettel: So an orgo Oregon coastal vineyard, that’s, I love those. [00:56:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: They’re so unique. They are. And I, you know, I think it adds a little different, um, you know, they get a little bit more of that cold, uh, you know, coastal air, uh, without being protected from the mountains and right. So it adds a little bit more dimension and. [00:57:04] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It’s just, [00:57:05] A.J. Weinzettel: it’s fun. Yeah, it is fun. Have you heard of Lonesome Rock? [00:57:09] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I have. I’ve never had it though. It’s good. Okay. It’s [00:57:13] A.J. Weinzettel: good. It’s, uh, uh, so Danny and his wife have been, especially Danny, has been in wine forever, but, uh, the owner of DuPont had a house in Vineyard, you know, uh, about 10 minutes. Uh, away from Carlton, you know, more toward the coast. [00:57:36] A.J. Weinzettel: And again, a coastal type property just right there on the edge of, you know, of the AVA. Oh my gosh. I love his Pino. [00:57:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Really? It is so good. Okay. I have to write [00:57:49] A.J. Weinzettel: that one down. Yeah. No, it is. It is absolutely good. And Danny, what a guy. I mean, he’s just an amazing guy. I, uh, I went up to, you know, to visit him and he’s like, Hey, do you want to, you know, take a stroll around the vineyard? [00:58:04] A.J. Weinzettel: I’m like, yeah, of course. Right. So, you know, it gets in the little. And green Gator, and he’s just, you could just see the excitement and the thrill just in his body language and in his voice, just going all through the vineyard. That’s amazing. [00:58:19] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It is amazing. And it just exudes passion for what they’re doing. [00:58:24] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That’s it’s phenomenal. It is. All it does is just show itself and then result. It does. It does. [00:58:31] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, so going back to Josh McDaniels a little bit, I’m sure you’re aware of this, but I got to ask the question. Did you know that he started his first winery at 16? [00:58:40] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I did. [00:58:41] A.J. Weinzettel: So then my next question would be. What if one of your two girls came to you at the age of 16 and was like, Hey dad, I want to start a winery. [00:58:51] A.J. Weinzettel: What would you do? [00:58:53] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Uh, I would tell him you better marry rich. Uh, that’s one thing my dad always told me is if you wanted to make a small fortune in the wine industry, start with a large fortune. Yeah. Um, I know that there’s. Um, some that, uh, hit it out of the park right off the bat. Um, but I know, you know, over the years I’ve watched a lot of wineries grow, and I know that there’s a lot of struggles and, you know, you’re wearing many, many hats and you have, uh, uh, a 2020 vintage that might be decimate your entire year’s work with smoke or the birds come pick it off and you’re dealing with mother nature. [00:59:36] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: So there’s just right. So many factors that are almost out of your control. It’s. A miracle. There’s so many wineries out there. [00:59:44] A.J. Weinzettel: It is a miracle. It’s, you know, I don’t know how they do it, but they, they do do it. And it’s just, I love being on the sidelines and watching it all. [00:59:54] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Absolutely. Absolutely. Every now and then it’s fun to, you know, jump in behind the scenes and help them out with a crush or be on the sorting line or, you know, something simple. [01:00:05] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That’s not going to affect the end results. That’s above my pay [01:00:08] A.J. Weinzettel: grade. Yeah. No, I don’t want to mess anything up. Right. Right. [01:00:13] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Yeah. Yeah. It’s fun to do that. [01:00:16] A.J. Weinzettel: So I asked, you know, a lot of winemakers this question, what, uh, what legacy do you want to leave for your, for your two [01:00:23] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: girls? Well, that’s, uh, a. [01:00:30] A.J. Weinzettel: And I have to tell you the, the origin of this question, uh, came from when I interviewed Andy Lytle last year and just the plan that he has for legacy just got me like thinking about legacy and all that good fun stuff. [01:00:44] A.J. Weinzettel: So I’m like, you know, bringing it to everybody’s [01:00:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: attention, a legacy. That’s, that’s, I just want them to, uh, you know, be happy, you know? Well adjusted have, uh, the decisions that they want to make in life be their choices and not because they have to, uh, pay these bills or do anything like that. It’s, I want them to be able to choose what they get to do in life. [01:01:10] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That’s basically it. [01:01:12] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. No, that is a good answer. Yeah. That’s a great answer. Shall we revisit the Ponzi and then do some rapid fire questions and get you out of here? Let’s do it. Okay. [01:01:26] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Well, this is going to be… Basically jump back in time going from the Lang that’s super racy and, you know, steely and, you know, to, [01:01:37] A.J. Weinzettel: uh, [01:01:38] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: yeah, [01:01:43] A.J. Weinzettel: I feel like I need to go like 88 miles an hour or something to go 10 years back in time. [01:01:47] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Right? That’s exactly it. [01:01:53] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Where’s Doc Brown when you need him? [01:01:57] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, that man can never die. He’s got to stay alive [01:02:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: forever. Mm hmm. [01:02:05] A.J. Weinzettel: I could just smell this all day, you know, if just sitting there working at the desk and just have a glass of this swirl it. And like, [01:02:14] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: like I would love that. The vibrance of this just amazes me, just amazes me. This is what I love about wine. It’s, um, uh, end of August. Uh, for my birthday, I opened, uh, the 1975, uh, Mouton Rothschild. [01:02:40] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Oh my. And it was, I don’t know if it was stored properly. I obviously didn’t own it from. Right. You know, I acquired. 48 years. Right. But, um, you know, the fill level was low. It, it wasn’t, it wasn’t looking good. Right. Pulled the cork and pour the wine and it showed fruit. It showed life, acid, vibrant, and granite. [01:03:10] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It did tasted like, you know, it’s age, but it wasn’t, it wasn’t over the hill. It was still a beautiful and 75 was not a good vintage for Bordeaux standards by any means. Um, But the wine over delivered for my expectations of it. Which is fantastic. Wow. It’s fun to see. That is fun. [01:03:38] A.J. Weinzettel: All right. So I got some rapid fire questions for you. Okay, let’s do it. When you’re in here kind of resorting, restocking the secret wine room, what artist, what music are you listening [01:03:50] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: to? Wow. What artist? What music? Um. Probably, uh, Dire Straits. Oh, [01:04:00] A.J. Weinzettel: money for nothing and get, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That would be good. [01:04:04] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: More, uh, Lady Rider. It’s a great song. Okay. [01:04:07] A.J. Weinzettel: Uh, your favorite indulgent food? [01:04:13] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Escargot. [01:04:15] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, you know, I, I, I can’t get somebody else to try it with me. I want to try it so bad. [01:04:22] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: I, it’s one of those that we made as a kid. So, okay. I understand. [01:04:26] A.J. Weinzettel: That makes sense. Yeah. If you could choose a super [01:04:29] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: power, what would it be? Uh, probably to fly. Okay. Yeah. [01:04:36] A.J. Weinzettel: Yeah. And you know, normally ask harvest notes where they digital or written, but you don’t do harvest notes. [01:04:43] A.J. Weinzettel: Right. Uh, so the last book you read, it could be even be like a podcast or it could be something on audible or. [01:04:51] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: The last book I read, uh, was probably a Stephen King or a Michael Crichton book. Um, I’m always a big fan of, yeah, of those style. Yeah, I can understand. You know, or it could have been a mobster book as well. [01:05:07] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Those are always fun. Those are always fun. Yeah. [01:05:10] A.J. Weinzettel: All right. Well, you know, if you want, you have, if you have any questions for me, I’ll gladly answer. You know, I’ll put you on the spot for quite some time. Okay. [01:05:20] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: If you could interview anybody in the wine industry, what winery would it be? What winery would it be? [01:05:30] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Like from what winery anywhere in the world? Well, [01:05:32] A.J. Weinzettel: so my, my first answer and, you know, I kind of hope I can accomplish this next year, it’s not a winery, but I want to interview Jason Wise, the, you know, the, the Psalm movie series guy, uh, but winery, you know, and so I’m also trying to set up an interview with Carlo Mondavi. [01:05:57] A.J. Weinzettel: You know, that would be fun. I, oh my gosh, that is so difficult. [01:06:05] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Oh. That is like picking a needle out of the haystack. It is. [01:06:08] A.J. Weinzettel: There’s so many possibilities. It, man. [01:06:22] A.J. Weinzettel: I, you know, I have to go with an answer that is [01:06:25] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: impossible. Right. Because you, you, you, you have the opportunity to take your choice, right? Yeah. [01:06:32] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh, I think right now my answer would be David Lett. [01:06:36] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Ah, yeah, that would be a fantastic one. That would be a fantastic one. So outside of the U S what is your, uh, favorite wine region? [01:06:49] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Champagne. Oh, okay. That’s second favorite. [01:06:55] A.J. Weinzettel: Oh boy. Second favorite, you know, Chateau de Paupe is great. Uh, Burgundy is great. Uh, holy cow. All the wine regions in Italy. I mean, good gosh, how am I supposed to pick just one? [01:07:17] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Well, it doesn’t mean you have to alienate the rest. I know. I know. If you were to be teleported to one to sit down and have lunch and a glass of wine. [01:07:26] A.J. Weinzettel: I think if I had to like write the second probably be Amarone. [01:07:31] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Oh, awesome. You know, those are very underrated and I think under enjoyed wines. Yeah. All the processes, the work that they go through, um, and they make these just fruit forward wines that have so much character and body and, [01:07:51] A.J. Weinzettel: So much fun. So much fun. [01:07:52] A.J. Weinzettel: I, you know, on that regard, I know nobody here in Oregon would go through that much painstaking process, but I would love to, if I had the ability and the finances, like take that Amarone process, apply it to Pinot Noir, I would love to see what would happen. [01:08:13] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Well, you know, they’re always playing with different, uh, styles and, and. [01:08:17] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: You know, now using, uh, the big clay and for us, and you never know. I, yeah, no, [01:08:26] A.J. Weinzettel: I, I would love to see that. [01:08:27] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: The character and style that that adds is, is pretty crazy. It is concentration. [01:08:36] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: What superpower would you choose talking to animals, talking to animals? Okay. Awesome. Yeah. You’ve thought about that one. [01:08:44] A.J. Weinzettel: Well, so that just recently came to me the other day. Uh, I was watching an anime with my daughter and one of the characters can’t speak to animals. And I’m like, I think that’d be pretty darn cool. [01:09:00] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: It would be. Yeah. [01:09:01] A.J. Weinzettel: I mean, I would love to be able to talk to my dog. [01:09:04] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: Right. My wife always wants, uh, a bubble to appear above our dog. So we, you know, know what she’s thinking. That would be amazing. Wouldn’t it? Yeah. That would be great. Unless, you know, you just discipline him or something and they’re talking bad about you and [01:09:19] A.J. Weinzettel: all you see is a bunch of, you know, symbols in that bubble. [01:09:25] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: That would be awesome. That would be awesome. Okay. All right. I think that’s all the questions I had. All right. Well, [01:09:33] A.J. Weinzettel: I appreciate you taking the time. This has been a blast. It’s [01:09:35] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: been a pleasure. It’s been a lot of fun. [01:09:37] A.J. Weinzettel: Yes. I appreciate your time. Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you again. Absolutely. [01:09:41] Andy Joly of Capers Cafe: All right. [01:09:41] A.J. Weinzettel: Cheers. Cheers. Thank you for joining me on this flavorful voyage through the world of wine on The Wine Notes Podcast. I’ve been your host and guide, A. J. Weinzettel, and it’s been an absolute pleasure sharing these captivating stories with you. But alas, like the last sip of a fine vintage, our time together must end. [01:10:02] A.J. Weinzettel: But don’t fret, my wine loving friend. The cellar doors of The Wine Notes Podcast will always remain open. Waiting for you to return and explore new conversations, stories, and musings from the captivating people behind the magical world of wine. Before you go, hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, and don’t forget to leave a sparkly 5 star review to help spread the word. [01:10:26] A.J. Weinzettel: And to our glasses clink again, remember to savor the light’s moment and let the spirit of wine [01:10:34] A.J. Weinzettel: Cheers. And as always, may your wine glass be full, your heart be light, and your journey be delightful.
