"COOLEST, COOL CLIMATE VARIETALS"

Red Wine

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2007 Bench Lands Pinot Noir

We source fruit from a number of vineyards for this blend, all with close proximity to the Umpqua River.  Some sites have stony alluvial river soils, some have sedimentary clays.  All are influenced by the cool maritime air and fog that are drawn daily inland preserving fresh berry/cherry fruit and bright acidity.  This wine is a translucent, shimmering, rosy crimson.   The aromas and bouquet show a complex mix of strawberry fruit, mushrooms, earth and spicy oak.  The flavors are a zesty mix of cherry fruit with smoke and toast, with a lingering vanillin finish. All of our pinots are made the same way.  Small lots are fermented separately with hand punchdowns, gently pressed and barreled “dirty” to 100% French oak, 33% new.  This allows us to stir the lees and build structure and mouthfeel, while maintaining the minerality inherent in Umpqua Valley fruit.  We feel this wine is a great value and should be enjoyed regularly.  Experiment with pairings.  This is a light style of pinot noir, consistent with the 2007 vintage, making it an early drinking companion to all lighter fare, still our favorite being bright, fresh wild salmon.

Bottled (cork free) September 2008 | 3786 cases | 13.4% alcohol by volume

Retail: $22 | Case: $237.60 | Buy

2006 Love Puppets Pinot Noir

The wine is deeply colored with hues of ruby and purple around the edges. The aromas and bouquet are warm and inviting with candied sour cherries, blackberries, persimmon pudding and spice cake with notes of racy oak toast. The flavors revolve around great dark cherry fruit. The mouthfeel is nothing short of voluptuous. This wine coats the mouth with a warm pleasing impression that lasts and lasts and lasts. There are well integrated very fine tannins that are nicely balanced by refreshing acidity. This wine is the real deal, a very decadent and hedonistic pinot noir. All of the grapes in this wine come from our favorite dry farmed vineyards, all with yields of less than two tons per acre. The resulting structure is phenomenal. 2006 is going to prove to be a fabulous vintage for pinot noir in the Umpqua Valley and this wine represents the best of the grapes we bring in from our diverse growers.

SF Chronicle 2008 Top 100 Wines

Bottled September 2007 | 800 cases | 14.3% alcohol by volume

Retail: $30 | Case: $324 | Buy

2006 Ferris Wheel Estate Pinot Noir

The wine has a very deep ruby color with garnet highlights ringing the edges in the glass. It is clear and brilliantly bright. The aromas are a striking mix of dark fruits, dark cherry, blueberry, with pronounced elements of spicy cedar and cola. The bouquet is very complex with notes of oak spice, coconut and tar with damp forest floor that brings out an evident wild mushroom quality. In the mouth the flavors echo all of the dark cherry and blueberry characteristics with well integrated barrel toast and caramelized orange rinds. The flavors last and last. The mouth feel is very supple and filling. The finish is very long and full and rounded. With airing the wine begins to show red fruits, particularly cranberry and pomegranate, in the nose and on the palate. This indicates good aging potential and we have noticed that the wine is even better the next day, though that doesn’t happen very often. Our estate fruit becomes more profound with each vintage and the ’06 is a deeper wine in every way when compared to the award winning ’05. We are very excited about the continuing development of the Ferris Wheel Vineyard and the quality of fruit that we get to work with. We enjoyed this wine with duck that was brined and then cooked on the BB-Q rotisserie.

2008 SF International Wine Competition SILVER MEDAL

Bottled September 2007 | 452 cases | 13.8% alcohol by volume

Retail: $38 | Case: $410.40 | Buy

2005 Syrah

The wine is inky dark, opaque with very dark ruby edges.  The aromas are white pepper spice, sweet logan berry, kirsch, and tangy wild herbs with a soft underpinning of warm blackberry pie fresh from the oven.  On entry the flavors explode with berry compote elements and then carry on with mouth coating tannins emphasizing warm spices and harmonious fruit acidity.  This is a very sensuous wine, with a full succulent mouthfeel and a long finish.  This wine will stand up to and compliment game meat prepared with reduced wine and fruit sauces and don't spare the herbs.  Or try with our standby, butterflied garlic and rosemary rubbed grilled leg of lamb.

Bottled September 2006  613 cases  alcohol by volume 13.9%

Retail $20  case  $216.00 | Buy

2007 Hurrah Syrah Umpqua Valley, Oregon

This dessert style wine is made from our favorite syrah grapes.  Aromas of blackberries and blueberries with warm, sensuous black and white pepper spiciness.  The flavors follow the same path with a very decadent full mouthfeel and a long lingering finish.  Enjoy as an after dinner sipper with toasted hazelnuts, dried fruits and stilton cheese, or of course....chocolate!

Bottled September 2009    339 cases   alcohol by volume 19%

Retail $24  case $259.20 | Buy