It has become quite a common proverb that in wine there is truth.

- Pliny the Elder (A.D. c. 23–A.D. 79)

Taste of Copia Oregon brings Oregon to Napa
by Tim Hayes & John Koetzner
Photographs by Margie Koetzner

Wine writer Paul Franson was knighted at Copia last week. Although we were not knighted, we did receive a pin of honor from the Oregon Wine Brotherhood at Taste of Copia Oregon last week as part of the ceremonies for their celebration of Oregon wines. While many folks may not be familiar with the Oregon Wine Brotherhood or what it means, they do have the opportunity over this month to taste some of the incredible wines that are being produced throughout Oregon. That is reward and recognition enough for any palate.

The Oregon Wine Brotherhood makes an announcement at Copia.

Although we did taste a few white wines during our visit, we really tried to focus on Pinot Noir. Most winemakers know that Pinot Noir can be difficult at best as a varietal and tempermental at worst. The Oregon wine producers, whether from the Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley, Willamette Valley, Umpqua Valley, Rogue Valley or the Applegate Valley, have made inroads into the way we perceive this grape and the wines that are produced from it. To their credit, they have tamed it, and they have made wines that are world class in the process. That means most of the state has figured out a way to grow these grapes and produce a wine that can compete anywhere in the world.

So, we decided to focus on Pinot Noir, because there are only so many wines one can try to taste and make sense of in an evening of tasting and hors d’oeuvres. We glided from one tasting table to the next. What we found were a number of wines that with the distinct varietal character that we so much appreciate, and that were models for others who aspire to making Pinot Noirs.

Early on, we tasted the wine at Gypsy Dancer Estates. They had a Pinot Noir that was full of ripe cherry fruit, soft tannins, and a very nice mouth feel. The label was a surprise to us, but the wine literally danced across the palate. Later, as we moved around the tasting, we encountered EIEIO Winery’s 2001 Pinot Noir. The humor was not lost on us, nor was Jay MacDonald’s card or the web site: www.onhisfarm.com. His Pinot was earthy, and had great berry and cherry fruit, soft tannins, and a very nice finish. Both wineries are worth discovering.

Danielle Andrus Monalieu of Solena and Emily Stoller of Gypsy Sancer Estates pause during Tast of Copia Oregon.

As we moved through the tasting, it was easy to lose sight of what wines really surpassed our expectations and really had the most significant impact on our palates. Two more wineries held our attention more than most of the other excellent producers from Oregon. One was the Rex Hill Vineyards (www.rexhill.com) 2001 Carabella Vineyard Pinot Noir. Not only did it have incredible cherry fruit forward and excellent acid balance, but its entire mouth feel was the kind of wine experience a taster wants to have. Plus, it left its imprint on our olfactory memories.

Another winery that left this kind of impression on us was Anne Amie Vineyards & Winery (www.anneamie.com). They offered two luscious Pinot Noirs that highlighted our evening and were probably more Burgundian in style than others we tasted. One was the 2002 Deux Vert Vineyard Pinot Noir. Its rich, black cherry aroma wafted with hints of oak, followed by cherry fruit that was ripe and blended with a hint of vanilla, and then crossed the palate in a long, velvety finish. The other release that they poured for us was the 2002 La Colina Vineyard Pinot Noir. It also had rich aromas of black cherry fruit with a hint of tobacco, ripe cherry and berry fruit on the palate, and a lingering finish. Both were wines that would make an excellent addition to any wine cellar.

One wine that merits mentioning in our tasting of red wines, that was outside the scope of our Pinot Noir mission, was a 1999 Meritage from Valley View (www.valleyviewwinery.com). It had aromas of blackberry and raspberry, berry fruit forward that followed through to the finish, soft tannins, and a very nice mouth feel.

Mark Wisnovsky, President of Valley View Winery offered older as well as younger vintages at Taste of Copia Oregon. The 1999 Meritage was a winner in our tasting.

Copia has managed to provide wine tasters with an incredible opportunity with its Taste of Copia Oregon. Imagine what it would have been like to have to scramble from one end of Oregon to the other just to taste these wines. It’s a great opportunity for anyone to join the Oregon Wine Brotherhood.

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Don't miss Taste of Copia - Napa on Saturday, Ocotber 16, 2004

Taste of of Copia - Santa Cruz Mountains on November 27, 2004

Taste of Copia - Sonoma on Saturday, January 15, 2005