Tag Archives: Dundee Hills AVA

60 Second Wine Review – Four Graces Pinot noir

A few quick thoughts on the 2017 Four Graces Pinot noir from the Willamette Valley.

Four Graces Pinot

The Geekery

Paula Marie and Steven Black named Four Graces in Dundee after their four daughters when they founded the estate in 2003. Legendary Oregon winemaker Laurent Montalieu (Bridgeview, WillaKenzie, Solena, Kudos and Westmount) crafted Four Graces’ early vintages-which quickly captured acclaim.

In 2014, the winery became part of the Foley Family’s extensive portfolio of brands that includes nearly two dozen wineries in California, Oregon, Washington and New Zealand.

Owned by Bill Foley, who also owns the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, the holdings of Foley Family Estates includes many well-known names such as Chalone Vineyards, Chalk Hill, EOS, Firestone, Guenoc, Lancaster Estate, Merus, Roth, Butterfield Station and Sebastiani as well as Foley-Johnson in Napa. In the Pacific Northwest, Foley also owns Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla and Acrobat in Oregon–acquired from King Estate in 2018.

Today, the heart of Four Graces are two sustainably farmed estate vineyards. The Foley Family Vineyard, located in Dundee, covers 110 acres on red volcanic soils with a few parcels biodynamic. The 90-acre Doe Ridge Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton is planted on marine sedimentary soils.

The Willamette Valley Pinot is a blend of plots from the two vineyards. The wine sees around nine months in French oak with about 15% of the barrels being new.

The Wine

Cherries photo by Ronnie Macdonald. Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-2.0

Ample red fruit but this wine needs at least another year or 2 to show more.

Medium-intensity nose of red fruit-cherries, cranberry and raspberries. A little earthy component around the edge but somewhat muted.

On the palate, the earthiness comes out more with a mix of forest and garden herbs. It’s a bit Burgundian with medium-plus acidity, firm medium tannins and a medium body. The red fruit carries through but, overall, the wine feels fairly shy and tight. Moderate finish introduces spice components (cinnamon and clove) that suggest potential.

The Verdict

Usually with WV entry-level Pinots ($25-30), the wines are ready to go on release. But this Four Graces really needs some time.

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60 Second Wine Review — Hunt & Harvest Picpoul

A few quick thoughts on the 2016 Hunt & Harvest Picpoul from Rutherford in Napa Valley.

Hunt & harvest picpoul

The Geekery

Hunt & Harvest is the new label of Chris Hall of Long Meadow Ranch fame. Along with Dan O’Brien (formerly of Larkmead and owner of Gail Wines in Sonoma), Hall created the label to produce varietal wines from various vineyards in Napa Valley.

In addition to the Picpoul, they also produce a Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa as well as Rutherford designated Merlot & Cab. Additionally, they source Pinot noir from a Willamette Valley vineyard that is just outside the Dundee Hills AVA.

The Picpoul is 100% varietal from Rutherford that was aged in stainless steel.

The Wine

Photo By Ulf Eliasson - Own work, CC BY 2.5

Even when the glass was empty, you could still smell the honeysuckle.

Medium-plus intensity nose. Was a smidge reductive under the screw cap but that quickly blew off to reveal white floral honeysuckle and green apple notes.

On the palate, the green apple carries through with some lemon citrus peel notes joining the party. Medium-plus acidity is lively. Not quite the lip-stinging of Languedoc examples, but very nervy.

There is a lot of texture to the medium-bodied mouthfeel that would have suggested neutral oak but that’s obviously not the case. (Perhaps skin contact?) Long finish is mouthwatering and extremely floral.

The Verdict

While I’ve had a lot of great wine this week in the lion’s den of Napa Cab country, few wines have made my heart soar as much as finding this bottle of Picpoul. And from Rutherford of all places!

Undoubtedly, Rutherford has some blessed terroir with a lot of history. But it’s always seemed like an endless carpet of Cabernet Sauvignon with maybe a smattering of other Bordeaux varieties here and there. High price tags also trademark Rutherford, but at $25 this Hunt & Harvest Picpoul is a screaming good deal. Even paying restaurant mark-up of $55 I felt extremely pleased with the freshness, depth and vigor of this wine. Well worth seeking out.

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