Left Coast Wine: Pizza, Pinot Meunier, and a Hike

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Every week, I start the newsletter by me talking about the weather. I wanted to talk about how freaking cold this week has been, but this week let's change it up by talking about a special bottle of wine I opened not too long ago.

Thursday was International Tempranillo Day, and later today is Raising the Temp, where several wineries throughout the state will be showing off their Tempranillos. To get in the mood, I wanted to share my thoughts on the 2016 Paramour Tempranillo from Abacela.

The Paramour is their “grand reserva," which is produced only on the most exceptional of years. The 2016, is only the 4th production of this bottling, and I must tell you, it is spectacular! All signs of this wine in the glass, nose, and mid-palate show how young this wine is, even though it is only six years old. A classic Tempranillo exhibits signs of dark cherry with a solid structure comprised of tannin, acidity, and fruit. The Paramour displays all of these traditional characteristics, and the cork was indisputably pristine. I wish I had another bottle to hold onto for another 15 years!

After a couple of hours, the 2016 Paramour was singing, and the tannins calmed down slightly. The dark cherry flavors filled the mid-palate for an everlasting finish!

Cheers, and I hope to see you at Raising the Temp later today!

Jackson Family Wines is going to plant Chardonnay in Chianti.

Have you heard of Shafer Vineyards in California? They are opening their doors to guests once again. It sounds like they paused tastings due to COVID. There are two experiences guests can choose from. Both experiences are 90 minutes. The Terrace View Tasting is only $125, and the Private Collectors Experience is a mere $195.

Have you heard the term BioDynamic farming and want to learn more? Here is a friendly link for you.

A small group of people got together to taste some 1983 Oregon Pinots, and the Oregon Wine Press was there to tell the story!

The Oregon Wine Press also published some Thanksgiving events occurring. There are some repeats from my list last week, but this list is definitely worth checking out!

Speaking of Thanksgiving events, Sequitur is doing its first Pre-Thanksgiving Open House on November 19th from 10-3. No reservations are needed. New and old vintages are being poured, and it sounds like the Etzel boys will also be there.

What if I told you about a secret little place in Rickreall with great pizza? You might be intrigued but also think, “I thought this was a wine newsletter, not a pizza newsletter.” Well, what if I told you this pizza place had its own Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Syrah, Chardonnay, White Pinot Noir, Bubbles, and Cider? My reaction would be, “Ok, that sounds pretty incredible, but that is a unicorn and doesn’t exist.” But, on the other hand, what would your response be if I added that after eating pizza and tasting wine, you could get up from your table to take a one-mile hike on the property to enjoy some spectacular scenery?

Let me tell you about a winery I got invited to called Left Coast Wine. It is a 500-acre estate with approximately 160 under vine. I hadn’t heard of Left Coast until mid-September, when I was invited to come out and explore. Of course, I should have done some homework before I visited, but it’s nice to have surprises crop out when you least expect them. The winery was founded in 2003, with the first vintage in 2004. They currently produce around 22,000 cases a year.

I know there is a quarter of a metric ton of wineries in Oregon, but this might be a case of being open to hearing the name a few times before it sets in. I say this because I noticed Left Coast was mentioned on Williamettewine.com asking the crew about Harvest questions. If I hadn’t visited, I wouldn’t have paid attention. I feel the answer of Yoga Pants to, “What is your harvest attire of choice?” had to be a joke. I don’t think anyone would ever wear yoga pants to Harvest. Would they?

Do you remember talking about the six degrees of Oregon Wine Country last week? I am considering starting the "Six Degrees of Joe Dobbs" because the winemaker, Joe Wright, started at Willamette Valley vineyards as a cellar hand in 1996, the same year Joe Dobbs started.

Joe Wright started his wine career in Colorado at a wine shop. While working at the shop, he was “encouraged” to visit a three-day marketing event held by the Oregon Wine Advisory Board in Aspen. Long story short, six weeks after the event, Joe and his wife packed up the car and left for Oregon.

There must have been something going on in 2002. It is the year Joe Dobbs left WVV to start Wine By Joe and Hobbes family and the same year Joe Wright left to be part of Belle Vallee (Beautiful Valley) Cellars with Steve Allen and Mike Magee. Belle Vallee had their own label, and it also sounds like it was a custom crush facility. I am not sure when Belle Vallee stopped producing wine, but Joe left to become winemaker at Left Coast in 2011.

Joe continues to be the head winemaker at Left Coast today along with his own label J. Wright Vintner, where he sources fruit from Left Coast, Le Nadeau Black Hole Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains, and Page Vineyard in Eola-Amity. Left Coast helps Joe with his label and has distribution throughout. Joe is also an avid mountain biker and started catering to the mountain bike community for these wines.

I should start talking about my visit. Unfortunately, I got a little sidetracked diving into Joe’s background.

Driving through Rickreall reminded me of my trip to Raindance back in February 2020. Turning off the main road, I noticed there is another winery on the same route with Left Coast, and that is Johan. At this point, I am thoroughly hitting myself over the head with a bat. Once again, I should have prepared a little better because Johan has been on my bucket list to visit. It was recently purchased from the same person who purchased Cowhorn in Southern Oregon. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t prep because my car supposedly got a rock stuck in the brakes and was making an awful screeching sound. I picked it up earlier but still had to return the rental car that day. Why is adulting and being responsible a thing?

Anyway, the drive to the tasting from the main road is about a mile long, and it’s just gorgeous! I visited on October 11th, and the grapes were still on the vine.

Going back through the pictures I took, I did not get a single one of the tasting room inside or out. No need to fear. I hear there is this thing called the Internet, and I can steal a picture from there for you.

When I walked in, Sarah Horner, Marketing / Communications Director, greeted me and asked if I wanted to taste wine or explore the property first. Of course, I couldn’t help but quench my desire to explore after the captivating drive through the property, getting to the tasting room.

There was no way we were going to explore all 500 acres of the estate or the 150 acres under vine. We walked up into one of the blocks with a huge Oak tree on one side and several others on the other.

There were greenhouses with mammoth Oak Trees towering above them.

Ducks were enjoying the shade of some Oak trees.

Across from the tasting room, there were picnic tables lounging below Oak trees.

Sarah said there is a nonprofit called the Oak Accord. It is a voluntary conservation agreement that helps private landowners protect, restore, and even plant new oak trees on their property. There are currently 65 participants in this accord, and of course, Left Coast is not only involved but is one of the founding members. They also do an annual Run for the Oaks event.

On our way to the winery, I got a glimpse inside their Sparkling cellar. They make a Brut Rose of Pinot Meunier and a Sparkling Cider. I would love to have a little secret building like this in the corner of my backyard.

It was time to head back to the tasting room and try some wine!

We started with the 2021 White Pinot. Sarah told me Left Coast is known for its White Pinot, and there is a little story as to why on the back of the label.

“What began in 2011 as an experimental reaction to an unusually cold vintage quickly blossomed into one of our most unique and popular white wines. White Pinot Noir firmly established itself as a flagship wine for Left Coast and household staple for many. “

I enjoyed the excellent mouthfeel and killer acidity. At $28/bottle, this is a solid win for a hot summer day!

The 2016 Brut Rose of Pinot Meunier was next, and to say I wasn’t eager is putting it mildly. The logo on the front of the bottle stands for the Circle of Life from a Japanese artist. I loved this wine, and the acidity was showing up on every level. Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points. $55/bottle would make a massive statement at Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks.

Finishing the Sparkling, Sarah asked me what pizza I would like. I was surprised, honored, and excited all at the same time. I looked over my options: Five Cheese, Margherita, Sausage Mushroom, Apple Chutney and Bacon, and Pumpkin Pecan and Goat Cheese. The Sausage Mushroom sounded sensational, but it was too much in my comfort zone. With the sun out and vibrant, I was anti-anything pumpkin. The Apple Chutney and bacon it was!

The following two wines were from the almost 14-acre Truffle Hill vineyard on the property, which has 3 acres of European Black Truffle-inoculated hazelnut trees and 5 acres of the Wadenswil Pinot Noir clone.

The 2019 Truffle Hill Chardonnay had a pleasant subtleness throughout and great acidity. James Suckling gave it a 92, and it’s only $26/bottle.

The 2018 Truffle Hill Pinot Noir gave impressions over those deep dark red fruits from nose to finish with a great structure of acidity and tannin you would expect from the 2018 vintage. But, of course, you can’t go wrong at $50/bottle.

When I finished these two wines, the Apple Chutney pizza was brought outside, and oh my goodness, it looked delectable! The sweetness of the chutney intermingled with the bacon made me curl my toes, but nothing like John Candy curling his toes on the plane sitting next to Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. BTW, that is the best Thanksgiving movie ever!

My next tasting was the 2017 High Acres Pinot Meunier (still wine, not Sparkling). It is not fair for me to even begin to describe this wine. I had never had a still Pinot Meunier before and need to dive deeper into this variety. However, when I taste Meunier blended with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in a Sparkling, there is an oomph characteristic. I was expecting an oomph but didn’t get it. Maybe it was the apple chutney, and perhaps I am ignorant and don’t know what to expect. Nevertheless, it's on my list to explore again and dive deeper!

The last pour of the tasting was the 2018 Rotie Syrah Noir. It is a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. It’s interesting to see what the Viognier brings to the table. Of course, you would expect a more extensive, bolder wine, especially with the 2018 vintage. But, instead, I got a silky smooth, enjoyable Syrah on every level. I know you wouldn’t think about serving a Syrah with turkey or ham for Thanksgiving, and at $55/bottle, I wouldn’t bat an eye.

Driving back onto the main road, I was dumbfounded that I hadn’t heard of this place sooner. It is the perfect getaway with Johan next door and the quintessential trip for a day out in Wine Country. You should visit their website to make a reservation and tell them, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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