Shiro’s & the Cloudy Pyramid Valley

January 21st, 2011

This date will live on in wine and food infamy for me.  It was a day filled with memories and purpose. As I continue down this life/career path in wine, things happen that remind me of why I love what I do and why I wanted to start this blog.

The day began at 6am, cellphone alarm blaring, me scrabbling to get ready as I needed to be at Jesse’s by 7am. Neither of us could remember the last time we had to be up this early,

Thanks PKT Wines!

probably harvest last  year.  What the hell are we doing up this early?  Oh yeah, we’re following our passions.  I had the pleasure of tagging along with my friend Jesse Skiles of Fausse Piste fame on a day trip to Seattle.  Jesse had a business meeting with a potential distributor for his wines in Seattle.  Jesse poured six of his wines to a couple of wine industry veterans, who taste thousands of wines every year from around the world, not to mention the amount of the local wines that they get to taste.  So, they don’t BS with tasting wine.  They’ve been around the block.  It was great fun watching these guys really sit up and take notice of Jesse’s wines. It was his 2009 l’ortolan Roussanne (SOLD OUT) that absolutely hooked them, and this was BEFORE he got to his stunning reds.    After the tasting, they worked out a handshake deal with Jesse right there on the spot.  I can’t emphasize how rare that is, especially in these economic times.  Distributors are just not taking on new ‘unproven’ brands.  Clearly, they see what a jewel Jesse’s wines are.  Smart choice, gentlemen.

A celebration was in order.

We decided to check out some of Seattle’s better known wine shops to see where Jesse could send people when his wines are eventually available in Washington.  On our second stop, we came to be in the depths of Esquin Wine Merchants (visit here).  I had always wanted to visit to Esquin as I had heard of it through various wine channels.  Sometimes, in these massive wine shops, it is easy to be confused by all of the options.  Where to begin? What is it that I am actually looking for?  Did I even want to buy anything?  I should look for something obscure.  There was this crazy orange wine from Georgia (the country, not state) that I still have found memories of.  [Special thanks to Germain at the Amelia Wine Bar in San Francisco for introducing me to the "Phesants Tears" Unfiltered Rkatsiteli (the grape) wine.]  I wonder if they have it here?  No, they didn’t.  Damn.

OK, I must rewind the story a bit:

The drive from Portland to Seattle is about 3.5 hours depending on the weather and traffic.  It was raining cats and dogs, so this was going to be a slug of a drive.  It was a great time to catch up with Jesse.  Lots of talk about wine, food, travel, and always music.  Jesse had asked me if I had been up to Walla Walla lately and asked when the last time I had talked with Tom Glase (owner/winemaker at Balboa Winery) was.  I had mentioned that Tom and I talked in early fall just before harvest kicked in.  So, we had verbalized the words “Tom Glase”.  The universe would remind us of her eternal powers, by producing Tom Glase in the flesh at the end of our meeting with the distributor (Tom and Jesse now share a distributor in Seattle.)  I remember Jesse and I looking at each other with shocked expressions.  We talked about Tom, and then , BAM, Tom appears hours later.  Spooky.  Of all the people that could have shown up as we had literally just finished the tasting/meeting, it was Tom that walks into the conference room.  He looks at us all, grabs a glass, takes a big gulp of Jesse’s wines, and says “Wow, that’s good.”  Wine is a Conduit….this is all I could say to myself.

When Jesse and I arrived at the Distributor’s warehouse, we had to take the stairs to the offices upstairs.  There was a shelf of wine right next to it and I remember looking at this group of wines each time I was coming up or down.  It was as if the wine gods were sending me a “LOOK HERE” message.  I mentioned this to Jesse after the meeting and that this producer was one that I had been dying to try for many years, I just never came across it.  The wines are tough to find and I have never seen them anywhere here in Oregon.  Jesse hadn’t seem them before either and he only vaguely remembers hearing about them.  The name of the producer was now verbalized and sent out into the universe…………..Pyramid Valley.  Surely, the universe must have been satisfied by just producing Tom Glase for us, but apparently not, the joke was still on us.

OK.  Now back to Esquin Wine Merchants.

So we really weren’t there to buy anything, just look around and see what they had to offer, where Jesse’s wines might be placed.  I kept being attracted to the Chile, Argentina, New Zealand row of wines for some reason, and there at the end of the aisle, right near the entrance to the store, were those same Pyramid Valley wines I had seen at the Distributors  just hours before.  So, I had to pick one up, touch it, read it, get to know that bottle.  I mean, here it is Jeff, you’ve always wanted to try this, you’ve never even SEEN a bottle before.  Could a purchase be more obvious?  Jesse came over and we discussed the Pyramid Valley wines again, recalling our earlier conversation.  Thank you, Wine Gods.  Now which one to buy?  I was in a white wine mood (odd, since it was all grey and gloomy outside) so we were looking at the 2008 Riverbrook Riesling and the 2007 Kerner Estate Pinot Blanc they had. Neither of us had ever tried a Riesling or Pinot Blanc from New Zealand, so we really couldn’t loose. Besides, this was Pyramid Valley, does it really matter which wine you start with? At about this time, a very attractive redhead (who’s name I failed to get) asked us if we needed any help.  I said “No, I think we’ve decided on one.”  In hindsight, I should have said “Yes, we’re a couple of idiots, can you help us?” Stupid me.  I decided I wanted to try the Riesling, in part, because we had talked about Oregon Riesling in the car on the ride up.  I went to pay for the wine and thankfully, the attractive redhead was there at the check-out (double entendre) counter.  She made some glowing comments about the Riesling and the producer, but mentioned that she preferred the Pinot Blanc.  Touche!  I looked up and saw Jesse scramble over to grab the Pinot Blanc. Nice move, well played, my friend.  We left Esquin with two bottles of Pyramid Valley wines, both ga-ga for the redhead and wondering what the hell were we doing back there, not getting a name?  Now what? Well, we’re in Seattle, Jesse landed a distributor for Washington state, we’re armed with two Pyramid Valley wines, it is getting late, we are hungry, so let’s stay in town and grab dinner to celebrate.  The decision of what to have was easy.  I think we said “sushi” at the same time.  After deciding on sushi the “where to go” was even easier: Shiro’s.

For you sushi lovers out there, I defy you to tell me of any better sushi restaurant in the USA.

Sushi Heaven

So, we arrived at Shiro’s and we were trying to decide which wine to bring in, the Riesling or the Pinot Blanc?  I decided on the Riesling, as it was my way of contributing to the celebration, and because I had envisioned a spicy albacore tuna hand roll in my future.  As we walked in, there were only 4 customers in the entire restaurant and they were at the bar (which IS the best place to sit at Shiro’s.)  It was only 5:30pm, so we felt pretty lucky to grab two seats at the end of the sushi bar.  The menu’s arrived and after a quick glace Jesse had mentioned that we should just go for the “Chef’s Choice Sushi Platter”. This is one of the many things I appreciate about Jesse.  He has great instincts for food and wine.

The young sushi chef was surprised that we had made such a quick decision, but he was ELATED that we wanted the chef’s choice.  His first words were: “Do you eat everything?”  Jesse let out an emfatic “Yes”, as if the sushi couldn’t come out fast enough.  I should mention, that Jesse is also a very accomplished chef in his own right.  I don’t think I have seen him so filled with anticipation over a meal.  We finally had a moment to look around and we could see two very large (softball size) fresh sea urchins on top of the sushi counter.  The chef (who’s name we didn’t get, apparently a theme of the day) placed a half of sea urchin shell (spikes and all) on our plate and arranged 6 of the fattiest, tastiest, most delicate slices of uni that I have ever had in my life, inside. Arranged around the rest of the plate were neatly cut and fanned cucumbers, lemon peel, pacific albacore, fresh salmon, red snapper, and yellow fin tuna sashimi  that was all fresh from the sea that day. Here is one of the best things about Seattle. Fresh seafood.

We opened up the Riesling and were imediately impressed.  The aromatics hit with wet stone and delicate flowers.  But which ones?  Now, part of the fun of drinking wine is finding the right descriptors (which are very individual in context) to the wine. Really, there are certain wines that I feel compelled/challenged to describe.  So, after we bounced some ideas off of each other, it hit me: cover crop.  If you have ever walked through a Bio/Organic vineyard in the summertime, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  This Riesling literally smelled like cover crop (Dandelion, Horsetail, Chamomile.)  Stunning.  On the palate, the wine enters clean, like fresh spring water, then you taste the flora, then there is a well integrated level of exotic citrus.  Exotic citrus?  Ok, I have never been to New Zeland, but I would venture to guess, that there is a specific type of citrus fruit that they have down there that this wine tastes like. I do not have the life experience (never been to NZ) to accurately describe what I am tasting here.  This is also one of the wonders of wine.  The new flavors from around the world. Wine unlike any other beverage really should taste like a ‘place’….a bottle of wine should transport you there.  There is something about the use of indigenious yeast that allows these flavors to reveal themselves.  For me, being able to smell (and sometimes taste) elements of the specific parcel of land is one of the beauties of wine.  This Riesling is continued proof that with proper agricultural and cellar practices, this can be achieved.  So can visiting a place without actually being there.

So, after about 15 pieces of the most lip smacking sushi I have ever eaten and one empty bottle of Pyramid Valley Riesling, we were in a conundrum.  What to do?  Well, we all were hitting our stride (chef included), so instictually, Jesse just grabbed his keys, stood up, and declared, “We need the Pinot Blanc now.”  YES!

Upon his return, the worrisome look on the chef’s face was replaced by beams of light.  I don’t think he heard our exchange, so he was puzzled as to why Jesse had gotten up and left the restaurant so fast.  To see Jesse walk back into the restaurant with another bottle of wine fired up our chef again. Clearly, at this point he realized that it was, GAME ON.  Here is where wine becomes the international language.  Our chef bounced into action, before Jesse even sat down.

This is where the meal and evening was elevated from amazing to sublime.

Pinot Blanc doesn’t get enough respect.  I won’t bore you with historical context as to ‘why’ it doesn’t, instead I want to offer you a wine as an example of what ‘can be’ great about Pinot Blanc.   The 2007 Pyramid Valley Kerner Estate Pinot Blanc.  Really, go out and find this wine.  It will challenge you on many levels.  First, being the color.  When you pour this wine into your glass it is cloudy, that’s because it is unfined and unfiltered.  DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THESE WINES.

We both impatiently swirled and sniffed, we knew what the cloudy wine meant.  It meant this was gonna be a show stopper of a wine.  We are about to travel to New Zealand. Immediately, you could smell this wine.  My nose is about 2 feet from the glass and I can already smell it.  WOW!  As I dove into the wine, I was picking up ruby red grapefruit, white peach, wild flowers, cover-crop (yahoo), minerality, and saline.   It was a wine that completely changed the next time I raised it to my nose.  I LOVE these “shape-shifter” wines.  So generous. They’re wardrobe changing supermodels.  This wine is killing it for us.  Holy Mackrel (Spanish “Aji” to be percise!)  We dove into about 10 more sushi combinations, most of which were roe inspired.  Roe (fish eggs) are pungent, potent, and can be difficult to drink delicate white wines with.  This Pinot Blanc had the balls to hold up to all of the different sushi combinations, but it also had the dexterity to compliment them. This was due to the unfined and unfiltered nature of the wine.

Towards the end of the meal, Jesse and I were feeling a bit guilty, we offered up the last glass to our hero chef.  All I could say was “Oishii” (おいしい)

He smiled victoriously and accepted the last remaining glass of wine.  After we left and were walking back to the car, it dawned on the both of us that one glass of wine didn’t really show enough appreciation.  Jesse had a few bottles of his wine in the truck of his car and wanted to give the chef a few bottles.  A gift from one culinary artist to another.  I couldn’t think of a more fitting tribute to our meal.  A gift for a gift.

I wish I knew enough Japanese to put into proper words what those 3 HOURS were like sitting there at the sushi bar eating and learning about all of the complexities of the artistry of sushi preparation, presentation, and of course gastronomic enjoyment.   It would be borderline gluttunous to describe in detail each piece of sushi, each flavor, each unique sensory experience.  I tried foods that I had never eaten or heard of before, never knew were even sushi options.  Like wine, sushi is a much bigger world, it’s not just about Salmon and Tuna.  But, to be in the company and mercy of a passionate sushi chef, was really an honor, and a education.  Like wine, sushi is about the art of sharing.  Our personal chef that night couldn’t have been more gracious. He gave us a very special evening, one that will go down in food and wine experience lore.  We agreed that it was the best sushi we had ever had and that the Pyramid Valley Pinot Blanc was the greatest Pinot Blanc that we had ever had.  We do not throw out the words ‘greatest’ too often.  But, the sushi and the Pinot Blanc were deserving of such accolades.

We finally got back to Portland around 11:30pm.

17 hours filled with reminders of why we came to be in this business.

When Matt Kramer steals your thunder! (RIP: Marcel Lapierre)

Toasting a life with the 'Life'

Wine, like music, attracts a very fervent bunch.  I’ll admit, I’m a rabble-rouser in both camps.  Hey, I’m a passionate guy. Those new bands or new wineries that you ‘think’ you discover create such an impression on you.  There is a sense of ownership (misguided, I know) that one feels.  So, I was filled with conflicting emotions when I read an article by our local (and globally recognized) wine critic.

Bitterness.  Jealousy.  Total Elation.

So it was after I read Matt Kramer’s article on Cooper Mountain Vineyards in the September 12th, 2010 issue of the Oregonian.

It was posted online here on September 11th, 2010.

I have been screaming from the rafters about the wines at Cooper Mountain Vineyards for about 4 years now (that seems like forever to me).  Typically, in Portland (30min drive from the vineyards) you didn’t get much love for Cooper Mountain Vineyards by the local wine buyers.  Why?  Great question. I’ve been asking myself that for years.

Maybe they’re just not the winery ‘du jour’.
Maybe because Cooper Mountain is one of the ‘older’ estates in the Willamette Valley.
Maybe it is because they are located so close to Portland that they become an oversight.
Maybe it is because they are not located by any other wineries.
Maybe people don’t want to have to talk about Biodynamics.

The reasons for the lack of attention and admiration have confused me for years.  I get many, many, many funny looks by my fellow compatriots (see: most wine buyers in the Portland Metropolitan area) for my ardent stance on Cooper Mountain Vineyards.

So, when I read Mr. Kramer’s article, it felt like someone stole my discovery.  I was Leif Erikkson to Mr. Kramer’s Columbus.  However, after some soul searching, I’ll admit, I did feel a little vindicated. I’m not going to lie.  Validation in any form is very pleasing.  Mr. Kramer moved from “stealing my thunder” to comrade.  When debating the merits of the wines at Cooper Mountain Vineyards, I now have the “Kramer Card” in my arsenal.

Matt had my back, and it felt great.  I wanted everyone to know.  Validation can make you do crazy things.

I linked that article to my Facebook profile.
I sent an email out to many of my wine industry brethren who thought I was crazy.
I texted people.
I made phone calls.

Mr. Kramer keeps a very low profile here in Portland.  He lives here, yes, but he doesn’t make himself a fixture in the wine community.  I get that.  Portland is the type of town that you can enjoy a sense of privacy and anonymity.  The ‘mystery’ is extended to his wine reviews as well.  Week-to-week it could be an Italian wine (something Portland craves, in part because of Mr. Kramer, so much so, that Portland is the 2nd largest wine market for Italian wines in the country, yes really), could be French (I wish he would review more of these), and the occasional Oregon wine.  You can imagine the ‘buzz’ that happens locally when Mr. Kramer reviews an Oregon wine.  We call it the “Kramer Effect” in the wine business.

Famous Wine Critic reviews local wine = Local wine must be frickin’ amazing.  Go out and buy now!

This happens.

I was so happy for Cooper Mountain Vineyards.  It was long overdue.

[Full Disclosure]

At Cooper Mountain Vineyards, I consider Barbara (GM) and Giles (Vigneron) friends.  They have always been so gracious with their time with me and support of all of my wine business dealings. Each time I stop by, we always seem to get into some deep discussions about the wine industry, life, and biodynamics.  I’m grateful for their friendships.  It was during one of these meetings where Giles gave me a bottle of his limited release 2009 ‘LIFE’ Pinot Noir.  The ‘LIFE’ wine is what could be called a ‘natural’ wine.  Zero added sulfites (SO2), no added yeast, no enzymes, no finning, no filtering, no nothing.  It’s the purest expression of Oregon Pinot Noir that I have ever had.  It’s a palate stumper and a wine that really makes you slow down and think.

Marcel & LIFE

Marcel Lapierre, one of the worlds renowned ‘Natural’ wine Vigneron’s, passed away yesterday. Without hesitation, I fetched that bottle of ‘LIFE’  that Gile’s gave me and cracked it open.  I toasted Marcel and his life with the only Oregon wine that is produced in a similar manner as Mr. Lapierre’s. There were obvious connections between both vignerons, the name of the wine, the style of wine, and the thoughts the wine provoked.  I bet Marcel would have enjoyed experiencing our Oregon terroir.

So, when you see a Cooper Mountain wine on the shelves, buy it and drink it slowly.  If you are planning a trip to the Willamette Valley, make sure Cooper Mountain makes it on your itinerary.  If you live in the Portland Metro area and you haven’t been to Cooper Mountain yet, what is your problem? Go visit, taste through their wines and tell them that Jeff sent you.

Mr. Kramer gets enough attention.

When the Vineyard Spoke, I Listened

Momtazi Vineyard after Harvest 2009

Tahmiene Momtazi – Winemaker – Maysara Winery & Momtazi Vineyard

She has been the winemaker at Maysara since the 2007 vintage, but has been an instrumental part of the winery since 2001. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science and Technology (Fermentation Science) with a minor in Chemistry from Oregon State University. In addition to her experience from school and at Maysara, she has worked with wineries including Belle Valle (Corvallis, OR), Kim Crawford (Marlborough, New Zealand) and Toluca Lane (Newberg, OR). She has enjoyed much critical acclaim for her wines from many notable wine publications.

Unlike most people, a good bottle of wine did not spark my interest in joining the wine industry. Being a biodynamic® grower and producer, you have to believe in destiny and faith. These two things have played a significant role in both my own life and the life of family as well. I have been very lucky in the sense that my parents wanted my siblings and me to experience different cultures and see different things in the world. Born in Madrid, Spain and raised in United States with Persian parents made for a very interesting and diverse upbringing. Since I was young, my father always loved farming and he always practiced a natural way of farming and never wanted to use chemicals. Our family understands that there is a difference in the taste and quality in food that is made naturally. The quality of land of where things are being grown is very important. In today’s society in particular, we are realizing the green movement in life is very important for mother earth and to all of us as humans.

So, here is my story and how I came to be where I am today. I was in a student at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon studying pre-med. While growing up, my family never influenced us on what to study, only emphasizing that we will attend college and that was the end of the discussion. My passion at the time was to study medicine to help others or do medical research. You could say I like being a mad scientist seeing things under the microscope and wanting to know how everything works. Even today, I still ask ‘why?’ on even the most random things. I tell myself to remember when you think you know all the answers you really don’t. We are ‘grasshoppers’ in this world.

My third year in college, I was studying for a class that I could not get my head wrapped around it because the professor and I apparently were not speaking the same language. My youngest sister Hanna came in my room and she started to talk to me about the medical field route. Well, the short version of the story is that she made me think, if what I was doing in pursuing the medical profession was indeed the choice for me. To this day, I think she knew that was destined to be the winemaker that I am going to be. One thing I have to mention to be ready to see things in a different light or think outside of the box. I was 19 years old not even legal to drink in public. In my house, I would drink in front of my parents and I did appreciate a good glass of wine.

For several months, I did not say anything to my family that I wanted to quit school or changing majors. I spoke with my advisor at Linfield and told him what was going on with me and wanted to hear another person’s opinion. To anyone that is reading this that is in college or you’re in the quest for answers, “there is no formula in life but live life the fullest.” I remember him asking me, why I don’t get in the wine industry because my parents have the connections and maybe I would enjoy it. Then he asked me, “If I knew what love is?” That is when I started to think about what I love (except eating and sleeping).

When I was younger I remember that I loved being with my father on his farm and seeing life happening in front of your eyes. The smell of fresh air and aromatics that you cannot describe always will remind me of my childhood. During those several months I started to hang out with my father and saw what he did. I love working with my father. We might not always see eye-to-eye on everything at Maysara but at the end of the day we are trying better ourselves and the brand.

During those three months when I was trying to find out what I love to do, I went to my parent’s vineyard and walked around for a while. Just imagine a girl that is 19 year old talking to herself, roaming around the vineyard. That is what I was doing. Everything was pointing me back to my family and my roots. I secretly loved the vineyard. Everyone was telling me that when I get into the real world I have to love what I do and be excited to be at work. I loved being in the vineyard seeing life growing around me and all of the changes we witness from vintage to vintage. Life is never dull when you get a chance to help the wines to reveal themselves. It’s the beauty in the bottle that I explain to people all the time. The vineyard and the wine are like a story from a book. That is when I fell in love with wine. The connection between my family, the vineyard, our winery, and our collective love for each other is evident in each of our wines.

It was the vineyard that spoke to me that day. I am reminded of that old saying that “Everything comes from the land, and everything eventually is given back to the land”. I do not care that I spend 20 hours each day at the winery or stay up for two straight days. I am deeply in love with my job and I feel such tremendous responsibility to my family, our land, and my wines.

So, my advice is to go and visit a vineyard and see firsthand something so inspiring and beautiful.