Vidon, Clone 95, and Dick Erath's Suitcase

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It’s that time of year for myself where I kick into high gear an amount of self-reflection for the upcoming year. Every year I choose a word of the year over creating a list of goals. 2020 my word was ruckus. 2021 was vision. I am still thinking through what my word for 2022 will be. A tool I use every year is a free PDF workbook from Susannah Conway called Unravel Your Year. It’s super easy to spend a night or two with a glass of wine and a candle to reflect on the past while looking into the future.

I was curious and did a little digging on the fire at Domaine de Broglie on Halloween. I wanted to see if there was any information on how the fire started, and I found nothing. Can you let me know if you have any additional info by chance? On that note, the winery is still holding tastings and events at different locations. Glad to see they are still trucking along and can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store for them.

Were you aware of the homemade pasta at Fullerton Wines downtown? I wasn’t aware either, and I might need to make some reservations!

Did you hear that Cooper Mountain Vineyards bought Chehalem Mountain Vineyard and ArborBrook Vineyard?

When you have gone out wine tasting, I am sure the topic of Pinot or Chardonnay clones has come up in conversation. For Pinot, the popular ones are Pommard, Wadensville, 667, 777. Chardonnay, Wente, and Dijon are widely known throughout Oregon. You might have even heard of the Coury clone, aka the suitcase clone, but have you ever heard of the most famous clone of them all? (Queue up Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer music, please) There is another suitcase clone Dick Erath brought into Oregon legally, as the story goes. Today we call it Clone 95, which is super rare to find.

The origins of clone 95 start back in 1975 when a friend of Erath’s brought back some cuttings from Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy. The cuttings were sent to UC Davis, and to make a long story short, it wasn’t until 1998 when a letter was sent to Dick saying the cuttings were ready. At that point, I am pretty sure Dick wasn't thinking about the cuttings, and the letter was an unexpected surprise. The first non-commercial vintage for these cuttings was in 2012. Of course, we all know wine is a slow and patient process, but geez, 37 years pushes the boundary a little for me.

In the summer of 2019, I had a conversation with Don Hagge from Vidon where he mentioned Dick gave him some clone 95 cuttings. During the conversation, you could tell how happy Don was. The last time I spoke with Don in March of 2020, I don’t think the clone 95 came up in conversation again until I read in the Vidon newsletter how Dru’s favorite Pinot was the 2019 Clone 95. By the way, that newsletter was the announcement Dru and his wife Erin were the new owners of Vidon.

A few weeks ago, Dru and Erin celebrated their first anniversary of being new owners, and of course, I had to go check it out!

The last time I went to Vidon, it was a cold and rainy January day earlier this year. Putting my car into park for the anniversary party, you could see for miles, and sunglasses were needed. Music was playing. Tables were set up outside, along with chairs in a new seating area, giving a view of the vineyard and beyond.

I had about half an hour to bask in the sun before other guests showed up, taking advantage of the prime seating real estate. Dru came over to talk a little, and I congratulated him on the one-year anniversary. I also mentioned that I wasn’t trying to portray the Unabomber compared to my wet rainy January visit. One of the things I like a lot about Dru is his passion for sitting and talking with you. He is a super nice guy and will talk about anything with you.

The flight consisted of small food bites, wine selections from the 2017 vintage, and a “Mull”igan. When I visited in January, the flight consisted of 2016s and 2017s. I want to call this out in case you didn’t pick up on it. Most wineries are starting to pour 2019s, while some 2020s are beginning to surface. It is super rare to get 2017 pours.

My time in the sun was coming to a close. I found a seat near what used to be the standing bar. I was a very happy camper because this is where all the action occurs. I was sitting behind the band with a crow's view of the crowd slowly filling up tables and chairs. I had never been to Vidon before with this many people in attendance. There was life all around me, and it had a vibrance to it I hadn’t felt before. On top of Dru going around greeting guests. David the winemaker, Tiquette the president, and another person, Amanda, were all joyfully going around greeting guests with food, wine, and smiles!

Erin was busy as well, making sure everyone had everything they needed. I have yet to talk with Erin, but I have a sneakin’ suspicion she is the person behind the curtain making a lot of things happen we don’t see. Families and friends were joining for a great day. I was extremely happy for Erin and Dru. It has only been a year, and Vidon has elevated to another level compared to 10 months prior.

Circling back on Dick Erath’s clone 95. Sitting near “the bar,” Dru showed off an Amphora to a couple of people in the barrel room, and my interest was piqued. At one point, I asked Dru, “Is that an Amphora in there?” Dru’s eyes lit up, accompanied by a huge smile, and his response was, “Yes, do you want to see it?” He knew he didn’t need to ask. But, of course, I wanted to see it! I don’t think there is a wine geek in the world that would pass up the chance to check out an Amphora.

My first question was as we entered the barrel room, “I assume this is from Andrew Beckham?” (I had to make sure I had his name correct. There are so many Andrews in the wine world. Sometimes I get them mixed up.) Dru proceed to tell me, “Yes! Doing a side by side tasting of Pinot in Amphora and Pinot in Oak, there is a world of difference.” I couldn’t agree more. I had the opportunity in October to taste Andrew’s wines side by side and, hands down, give me the Amphora.

Sidenote, over the summer, I asked another Oregon winemaker if he would consider Amphora into the winemaking program. His response was something like, “Using Amphora isn’t a style of our winemaking program. Using Amphora is more for a Meditarrian style of winemaking.” I pondered the statements and made a note. Maybe I need to understand a Meditarrian style of winemaking more.

Getting back on topic, Dru told me the 2021 Clone 95 was in the Amphora, and he is super excited about it. The first vintage of clone 95 was in 2019, and it isn’t ready yet. There is no 2020, and the 2021 vintage will come from Amphora. I have so many mental notes of this wine from two years ago, and I probably have another two years to taste the 2021—patience Daniel son.

I adore the fact that Dru and Erin have a passion for wine and share this passion with us. When you read about new owners taking over at one of your favorite wineries, many questions surface with fear, uncertainty, and doubt. But, on top of what they are doing for the winery, they are elevating the Oregon wine community. Recently they held an event called “Raise the Temp,” focusing on Oregon wineries that produce Tempranillo. I was in wine country that weekend, and multiple people I spoke with went to the event. They loved it, and it sounds like some wineries sold out of wine. I believe Dru talked about the event a little, and he mentioned next year, they need to find a larger venue.

The wines on the flight were:

• 2017 Estate Chardonnay
• 2017 Melange Pinot
• 2017 3-Clones Pinot
• 2017 Saturn Syrah
• 2020 “Mull”igan Red Wine with Spice

I have always been a fan of the 3-Clones. The Syrah took me a bit by surprise as I enjoyed it more than I have in the past! For the event, I don’t know who wrote the description for the “Mull”igan, but here it is for you to enjoy!

Before I close this week’s newsletter, Dru shared that 2021 is the first year of a Blanc de Blanc Sparkling program. My eyes lit up with joy, and it wasn’t even Christmas yet. I am in it for the long haul now! Maybe in 2023, I will get my hands on some Amphora clone 95 and, at the earliest 2026, some Blanc de Blanc. Geez, why do I need to make a budget for 2026 already???

Visiting Vidon is super simple. Visit their website, click on the “Make A Wine Tasting Appointment” button and when you get there, say hi to Dru and let him know, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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PS - This is the last newsletter for the year. I am taking the last two weeks off. I am excited where 2022 is taking the newsletter. Stay tuned for some exciting annoucements!

PPS - This also means it is my last promo on the t-shirts for the year. Use the promo code "gratitude" for $5.00 either shirt ("Breath Life is too short for Bad Wine" & "Saber the Moment")

PPS - Most importantly, I hope you, your friends and family have an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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