It's Finally Fall!

It's October and fall has arrived!  With the leaves changing and the weather finally turning cooler, it's time to go back to enjoying more red wines, at least for me, that is.  The warm summer days enjoying a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or buttery Chardonnay are past.  Along with the cooler days comes all the wine shipments from Oregon that I have been patiently waiting for since the first week of June!

You may recall Beth and I blogging about our trip out West in June to Oregon and enjoying some fabulous Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley.  Due to the extreme heat and drought conditions this summer, shipping this precious cargo could have been devastating, to say the least.

Well, today my shipment from Archery Summit was delivered and I can't wait to enjoy some.  However, I will have to suffer a little bit longer since I need to let it rest after it's long travel. Due to potential bottle shock, many suggest to wait two weeks and even maybe a month. As for the 2007 Arcus Estate Pinot Noir, that one will be "resting" for about three and a half years since we are saving that special one for our 25th Anniversary! Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate rated this one 90 pts. so it will be well worth the wait. As for the name "Arcus", it is Latin meaning "bow" which describes their estate vineyard  that wraps around both sides of a small valley in the heart of the Dundee Hills.The vines at Arcus Estate are planted on steep slopes that complicate farming but consistently produce intensely flavored, rich fruit.

Another wine from Archery Summit is the 2009 Looney Vineyard Pinot Noir.  This one is from the Ribbon Ridge AVA.  Both Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator give this one 93 points.  I'm glad we have several to enjoy!

The next one is the 2009 Renegade Ridge Estate Pinot Noir. The Renegade Ridge Estate is a twelve acre  vineyard  that is contiguous to the Archery  Summit Estate in the Dundee Hills.  This vineyard has been farmed utilizing biodynamic principles and practices since March  2004.  Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellars rated this wine 92 points.

Last but not least, is the 2009 Premier Cuvee Pinot Noir.  According to their website, this wine may improve over the next 5-8 years.  I just might not be able to wait and find out because we enjoyed it when we tasted it! It was rated 91 points by Wine Enthusiast and 92 points  by Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar.

After waiting the appropriate amount of time, I do plan on enjoying these Pinots with some delicious pork tenderloin or smoked pork butt.  Now that sounds like Fall!

Cheers!
Lisa

Wine Word of the Day

Bottle-shock or Bottle-sickness is a temporary condition of wine characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines (usually fragile wines) are given an additional dose of sulfur (in the form of sulfur dioxide or sulfite solution), and are subject to other forms of handling and transport. After a few weeks, the condition usually disappears.