May 2025 Newsletter Wines
Section one: The white wines, including fun blends, salty maritime wines, and a couple surprises from German-speaking places.
Taubenschuss Weinviertel Gemischter Satz Early Bird 2022 $15
The Taubenschuss family has been making wine in the Weinviertel, Austria’s northeast corner, for four generations, and today they stand as one of the region’s oldest producers. They have never changed their philosophy of winemaking, and never introduced their vineyards to machine harvesters or invasive pesticides. They keep a herd of sheep that naturally ‘tends’ the vineyard. They look for power and intensity, often letting their grapes hang an extra week or two longer than their neighbors. Sometimes, they make a charming, fresh and crisp sipper from a blend of early-picked grapes including Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, and the local favorite Rivaner. There is no subterfuge in this wine, it’s a sunburst of lemon and peach aromas with a subtle smoky lilt. The palate is a fresh orange with hints of lemon and lime, bouncy and refreshing and zesty at the finish. Serve on a picnic blanket featuring sandwiches.
Hermann Ludes Mosel Riesling Hermann 2023 $22
Hermann Ludes founded his winery in the 1950s, in the unfashionable part of the Mosel, the village of Thörnich. West of Piesport and Bernkastel, the “Hollywood mile” of the Mosel. East of the Saar and Ruwer, where much of the region’s trendiest wines are grown. Hermann did not particularly care about the marketability of his wines, and his nephew Hermann and Grandson Julian have hardly updated the program. When the Ludes family are not satisfied with the quality of their grapes – for example 2016 and 2018 – they do not make wine and sell their grapes to the bulk market. These are people who are here for the wine. Thörnich vineyards are made of slate, and produce grapes that smell primarily of slate, as if someone managed to crossbreed limes and green apples with metamorphic shale. The palate is barely broader, a sonnet in lime and lemon, chamomile and honeycomb. The finish is a breath of cool seabreeze and bone dry. Riesling like this is a chef’s dream. Pair it with spicy Thai curry, German bratwurst, or Laotian Sai Oua.
Domaine Leon Boesch Alsace Edelzwicker 2022 1000 ml $21
The Boesch family has been farming their vineyards and making their wine in Alsace for eleven generations, so long that no one knows who made the cellar door that adorns the Boesch label. For much of that time, and certainly of late, they have farmed biodynamically and practiced natural winemaking. All of the domaine’s wines are reliably pleasant, but one of the friendliest is this Edelzwicker, a traditional blend of Alsatian varieties that seeks to bring together the best of each. While Alsace has long made a habit of selling single varietal wines, Edelzwickers like this are a reminder that this was not always true, and that sometimes even the best grapes need a little company. This 2022 vintage contains large portions of Riesling and Pinot Blanc, a medium sized dollop of Gewurztraminer, and splashes of Pinot Gris and Muscat, each doing their part to create aromas of lemon and lychee, acacia and gravelly soil in the sunshine. The palate is rich and filled with creamy lemon curd and lime zest before finishing with a burst of stone-driven minerality and cleansing acidity. Serve with chicken and dumplings, sauerkraut, and large parties.
Familia Pujol Busquets Alta Alella Pansa Blanca 2024 $16
Alta Alella’s vineyards are some of the most beautiful in the world. Their vines form an amphitheater facing the Mediterranean just 2 kilometers away, and the high rises of Barcelona mark the southwestern horizon. There’s not a lot of vineyard left here so close to such a large city, but the Pujol-Busquets family still make seafood friendly wine within sight of the sea. Josep Maria and Christina, along with their daughters Mireia and Georgina in tow, founded the estate in 1991 and farmed organically from the start. Cava was and remains at the heart of their operation, including some that seriously compares to Champagne. This non-sparkling wine is made from Xarel.lo, one of the three classic Cava grapes also locally known as Pansa Blanca. It’s a fresh, crisp sipper that smells of peach, orange and lavender by the sea. The palate is vivid with acidity and enough weight to support flavors of apple and lime and the sandy granitic Sauló soil the vines grow in, with a finishing touch of that ever-present salt. Serve this with Paella, with clams, muscles, oysters, and all sorts of saltwater fish.
Michel Delhommeau Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Saint Vincent 2022 $19
Michel Delhommeau’s Muscadet is distinct from many neighboring Muscadet producers because his vines grow out of Gabbro soil, an especially pure form of lava that has cooled into pure crystalline form, very different from the limestone that much of Muscadet grows on. Vines that grow on gabbro soil struggle to dig into the hard rock, but once there find an abundance of mineral nutrients to draw into their grapes. All their farming is organic certified, and the winemaking is low intervention, without added yeast and minimal sulfur. Once at the winery, Michel tries to touch the wine as little as possible while his wine rests on the lees for six months. There are no oak barrels for even the grandest cuvees. The Saint Vincent is their flagship cuvee, and the very make and model of a modern Muscadet. Aromas of acacia blossom, lemon peel, and salty seabreeze lead into a palate of lemon, tangerine, and kiss melon that has plenty of brine on the finish.
The Rose wines of the newsletter, two totally delicious, dry, crisp pink wines full of sunshine, one from Italy and one from Oregon
Corte San Pietro Piemonte Rosato S’Capis 2022 $18
Rosé does not come naturally to most Piedmontese winemakers. It is a land of red wine in a variety of shades from a bewildering array of grape varieties. Sometimes, under duress, they will make white wine. Rosé is an afterthought, or something they do to placate their needy American importers. Corte San Pietro is an exception to this rule, a winery that properly celebrates the Barbera grape in all its potential forms. Fabio Ghidella followed his grandfather’s footsteps into the winemaking trade, and the family vineyard is outside the hilltop village of Moasca in the Nizza appellation, Barbera’s spiritual home in Asti. Fabio makes deeply carved, pitch black Nizza, but we suspect he enjoys making the S’Capis rosato just as much. Cheerfully bright notes of cherry and strawberry and wildflowers on the nose. The palate Fabio describes with “a nice acidic shoulder that we can consider the real spinal column of wine”, with deliciously creamy notes of blood orange and strawberry. Fabio also says “In America they would call it "Pool Wine", a pool wine, and that's exactly how we want to imagine our rosé...S'Capis!” Pools are sadly rare in PDX, but in a pinch a picnic blanket by the river will do just fine.
Hanson Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Rose 2024 $18
Jason Hanson’s vineyards are in the mixed farmland north of Silverton on the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley, far from the hills at the heart of wine country. His Pinot Noir comes from 40 year old vines planted on an old creek bed that had gone nearly wild before the Hansons found and revived the vineyard. He makes his wines with low intervention farming and simple winemaking, and always manages to find complexity, tension, and power in his wines, no matter the vintage. In 2024 – a budding classic vintage – there was a lot to find. This crisp and zesty rosé of Pinot Noir is an aromatic feast of lilac, strawberry, Rainier cherry and orange peel. The palate is buzzing with lively acid, a bowl of fresh raspberries and cherries, dusted with white pepper. Clean and composed on the finish with red berries and pink flowers. This would be a brilliant wine with curried chicken salad on a deck, empanadas on a patio, or white pizza on a porch.
The red wines of the newsletter, running the gamut from crunchy, fruity and light to deep, earthy and soulful.
La Miraja Grignolino d’Asti 2023 $22
Eugenio Gatti is from the Monferrato hills of central Piedmont, the seventh generation of his family to make wine. His winery La Miraja (pronounced me-rye-uh) is devoted to the distinctly local grapes of the region. One of those is the relentlessly cheerful Grignolino. A curiosity today, Grignolino was a favorite of Piedmont’s aristocracy as early as the 13th century. As late as the 1880s, Grignolino was often more expensive than Barolo, cherished for its elegant texture and fresh fruit flavor. It is a tricky grape to grow, with more seeds and thinner skin than most grapes, factors that demand extra care at harvest. Unlike many growers in the 20th century who abandoned the grape for Barbera or Nebbiolo, Eugenio Gatti is prepared to take that extra care. He presses his wine gently, ages it in concrete, and produces this drop of ruby red sunshine. Aromas of fresh raspberry, strawberry, lavender, orange zest and white pepper. The palate is taut and vibrates like a violin with fresh acidity and flavors of cranberry and raspberry. Delicate tannins remain on the finish, offering the structural foundation to support roasted chicken, polenta with anchovies and a lot of leafy greens on top, or caprese salad.
Thevenet & Fils Bourgogne Rouge Les Clos 2023 $19
We’re pleased to welcome back an old friend of the store, the Thevenet Bourgogne Rouge. The Thevenet brothers own a sizable Domaine in and around the villages of Saint-Veran and Pierreclos, most of it planted to the Chardonnay this part of southern Burgundy is known for. This one vineyard – called Les Clos – is a patch of clay reserved for Pinot Noir. There is nothing particularly fancy about the Thevenet style; they simply set a high standard for quality grapes and take no shortcuts in the cellar. The result is perfect balance in a wine that compares favorably to far more expensive Pinot Noir. Aromas of plumb black cherry, baking spice and potting soil, plus a touch of underbrush stand out as unmistakable for anything but Burgundy. The palate is silky textured, with fresh cherry and orange peel over clay soil and garden herbs. Serve this with the classics of local cuisine like Coq au Vin, or a cheese board featuring Comté.
Felsner Ried Weitgasse Gedersdorf Zweigelt 2019 $21
Zweigelt is Austria’s most common red variety, a reliable thirst quencher that’s rarely given the attention lavished on the more noble Blaufrankisch, Riesling, and Gruner Veltliner grapes. Every now and then, someone takes it more seriously, with delicious results. Manfred Felsner’s vines are in the heart of Kremstal, along a south facing ridgeline in the village of Gedersdorf. He believes – like most winemakers – that most of the work of making great wine happens in the vineyard, so that’s where he spends most of his time. He works with old vineyards, and wherever possible, he preserves the oldest vines. His Zweigelt therefore has more character and depth than usual. The nose gives plum and black raspberry, flinty earth and pepper with a touch of roasted coffee. The palate is medium bodied, fresh and inviting, with notes of blackberries, black plums, smoky granite soil and white pepper. A note of rosewater lingers on the finish alongside black fruits.
Domaine Vaquer Cotes du Roussillon Cuvée Bernard 2023 $15
Roussillon is making a lot of noise for an exciting crop of new winemakers reimagining a region long known for syrupy, alcoholic reds and not much else, but it’s worth remembering that there have always been certain vignerons in Roussillon making a more elegant style of wine – pinotent, or ‘resembling Pinot Noir’. Domaine Vaquer traces back to Pierre Vila, who purchased this vineyard just outside Banyuls in the gently rising foothills of the Pyrenees. His son-in-law Fernand Vaquer was a national rugby champion who “helped a bit in the vineyards”, but his son Fernand Jr. decided to stick with the wine gig. Today, the domaine is in the hands of Frédérique Vaquer, and this charming cuvée of Carignan, Grenache, and Syrah is named for her late husband, Bernard. This edition offers a menu of aromas including blackcurrant, leather, roasted meat, sage and rosemary. The palate is full but wrapped gently with velvety tannins, and there's a splash of orange oil with the stewed black cherries, rocky soil and coffee beans that appear on the finish. There’s enough acidity to keep the wine flowing, but this is still best with steak or stew.
Vignalta Veneto Rosso Venda 2018 $17
Venda is to sell in Italian, perhaps a hint that this is not a wine to age, but one to purchase with your groceries and drink with the night’s meal. Vignalta is one of the larger estates in the Colli Euganei region, a picturesque set of volcanic hills poking out of the Po river’s wide plain. Once a favorite wine of Francophile Venetian nobles, these hills have been home to Bordeaux varieties since the seventeenth century. For a winery as large as Vignalta, their dedication to ecological farming and low impact winemaking is impressive, so even this entry tier wine is elegant and full of soulful earth. 2018 helped, by producing a soft textured crop throughout Italy. Aromas of black cherry and bay leaf, black pepper and potting soil. The palate is full and framed with peppery tannins, blackcurrant, rosemary and oregano that linger through the earthy finish. An easy choice for Italian style steaks, meaty bolognese, or mushroom risottos, we’re also curious to see how this wine responds to an additional year or two of age.
The Winemaker's Barrel: Ayres Vineyard, by Brad McLeroy
Brad McLeroy makes wine on Ribbon Ridge, a few miles west of Newburg on a sunny, gently rolling hillside filled with Pinot Noir vines. It is a long way from the wine shop he owned in Kansas City in the 1990s. This was when Oregon wines were making their first real noise outside the state, and it wasn’t long before Brad and his wife Kathleen decided to relocate to the Willamette Valley to see what all the fuss was about. In 2000, they sold the shop in Missouri, purchased the property that would become Ayres vineyard, and Brad began working at Domaine Drouhin, a six year turn from harvest intern to cellar master. By 2006, Brad was ready to turn Ayres Vineyard into his day job. Ever since, Ayres has been shorthand for reliably tasty Pinot Noir, tended by hand from bud to bottle.
Wines on the Winemaker’s Barrel
Ayres Chehalem Mountains Gamay 2023
Ayres Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2023
Ayres Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir Perspective 2023
Ayres Ribbon Ridge Estate Pinot Noir Pioneer 2022
Wednesday, May 21st, 6pm: Sherry Seminar on Amontillado and Palo Cortado Styles
We’re continuing our tour of the complex, counterintuitive yet powerfully tasty world of Sherry with a night devoted to two types in the middle of the spectrum – Amontillado and Palo Cortado. These are some of the very most complex sherries that take their character and flavor from both yeast and air. This is perhaps the most diverse part of the Sherry world, where the particular choices cellar masters make play a large part in the resulting wine. For Palo Cortado, there is even a little bit of magic! Join us for a couple hours on Wednesday evening to taste some of our very favorite wine in the world.