International Pinot Noir Celebration, part VI

After a brief pause, we attended the second of the large tastings. It was another hot afternoon and I’d made the strategic decision to only taste things that G recommended, but fortunately there were quite a few. I’m sorry that this list doesn’t go into any detail. I’d naively assumed that we’d be given some sort of list of wines/wineries which I’d be able to annotate, but no such thing was provided. Fortunately, G was better prepared than me and had brought along a notebook, so the best I could do was ask him to make a note whenever we encountered something I particularly enjoyed.

Ken Wright Tanager Vineyard 2019 - I'm currently looking after a case of the Guadalupe for G, as this was unavailable

Bryn Mawr Vineyards 2021

Belle Pente Kiona’s Block 2019

Fiddlehead Cellars Lollapaloosa Barrel Select 2015

Division Pinot Noir “Deux” 2021

Chosen Family Wine Co 2021

Sokol Blosser Orchard Block 2021

Greywing Farsing Vineyard 2019 - I'm currently looking after a six pack of this for G

Talley Vineyards 2021

Cobb – not sure which wine or vintage this was, but it was an unexpectedly pretty pinot from California. It turns out that California has a lot of micro climates with its mountains and sea.

Then it was off to the long-awaited Salmon Bake! This is a big dinner where they serve wild salmon which has been cooked over an open fire on wooden stakes. There was also roast pork, and a wide selection of salads, cheeses and sweet things. We sat at a table with a few other people and again someone came round pouring us nice things from time to time. The woman next to me also contributed a bottle of wine which she’d bought from a winery earlier in the day, which was very kind. A band played jazzy music in the distance and the atmosphere was very festive. At one point a man went round some tables with a salmanazar of red wine which was clearly quite difficult to pour from, but was one of our wines of the evening.

Finally, on the Sunday morning, there was an extra-special champagne brunch which included additional food such as sushi, and someone came round pouring glasses of fizz from time to time. We sat with some Americans and it turned out that they had spent some time living in England not far from where G and I went to school, which was a fun coincidence.

Then it was back to the apartment to pack up and get a car back to Portland. An honourable mention should be made to “Famous Dave’s BBQ” near the airport where we had a meal later in the day. Their ribs and burnt ends were very tasty and it was quite a relief to drink a pint of cold pineapple cider after all the fine wine over the past few days.

In conclusion: I’m very glad I went - I learned a lot about Oregon pinot noir, ate some fantastic food and met some nice people. It was a great way to celebrate our 50th birthdays!