The new issue of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate was posted on-line this morning – with a bunch of nice reviews for the ’07 Pinots (of course this can’t be right, because Wine Spectator said ’07 was a terrible vintage – therefore none of the wines could possibly be any good. But we digress…)

Jay Miller, who covers Oregon for Parker, had this to say about the vintage -

“… there are many excellent wines that are characterized by their elegance, spicy aromatics, savory red fruits, and balance.”

Gee, sounds pretty awful to me. Actually, I think he hit it squarely on the head in saying that the vintage was similar to ’05, with ’05 producing more potentially “great” wines, but ’07 having more consistent success overall. And he liked our ’07 La Paulée, so of course he must be right!

“The 2007 Pinot Noir La Paulee is medium ruby-colored with an enticing nose of cedar, iron shavings, mineral, damp earth, cherry, and raspberry. Velvety-textured, it displays elegance, excellent grip, savory fruit, and a lengthy, sweetly-fruited finish. This stylish, feminine effort will provide pleasure through 2017. 90 pts.”

Our La Paulée bottling continues to offer maximum bang for the buck at $30. Most of the wines in this report at 90-points or higher are listed at 2-3 times the price.  90-points worth of elegance and finesse at $30 may just be the best deal around. I’m just sayin’… (We will release the ’07 La Paulée on Saturday Nov. 7th in the tasting room in Carlton – please join us for a festive day at the winery. And the last bit of the ’06 La Paulée – also a 90-pointer at $30 – will be be available as well…)

I have not had any wine in seven days now. Mostly because I’ve been fighting the flu and have had no desire whatsoever. (Is it swine flu? I do have an insatiable urge for bacon…) Also, my subconscious is likely in the process of preparing my liver for the annual onslaught of bacchanalia that comes each November – that wondrous thing known as La Paulée.

A few bottles awaiting their liberation at La Paulée 2008

This year I will have to endure not one but three Paulées. (Yes, I know, I have the best job in the world. Actually, Allen Meadows has the best job, but we digress…) First up is our 4th annual La Paulée de Carlton on Saturday November 7th – starting with an open house tasting at the winery and then the dinner and pinot-palooza that night. (As of this writing there are still a couple of seats open – kellykarr@scottpaul.com if you’d like to join us.)

Revelers at La Paulée de Carlton 2008

Then a few days later I’m off to Burgundy for the Hospices de Beaune auction, my fall visits to our growers to get a good post-malo look at the ’08s in barrel, and the Paulée. And another Paulée. La Paulée de Meursault (the grand-daddy of ‘em all, as American sportscasters would call it) is always on the Monday following the third Sunday in November. I last attended in 2003, and have been invited this year by the Buisson-Charles family. This event is, for those of us that are not winemakers in Burgundy, usually a once-in-a-lifetime event. To get to go again is a rare treat, and I am way excited to say the least. It takes place in the cellars of the Chateau de Meursault, and about 600 squeeze in for a day of feasting and more old bottles of Grand Cru Burgundy than you are likely to ever see in one place anytime anywhere.

Just a couple of mags of '47 de Vogüé Musigny (and that's a 1918 Meursault Goutte d'Or to the left...)

The near impossibility of most folks getting a seat in Meursault prompted Véronique Drouhin (winemaker at Domaine Drouhin Oregon and reigning princess of Burgundy) to start her own private Paulée back in 2003. It is limited to 50 friends, collectors, and winemakers from around the planet, and is held in the ancient cellars of Drouhin beneath the streets of Beaune. It is usually held on the same day as the Meursault event, but this year will take place the day after, hence I will get to saturate my liver at both events back-to-back. (Yes, I feel all that deep sympathy coming my way.)

I will be reporting back from Burg-land on a regular basis, posting photos, tasting notes, etc. In the meantime, a week or so of flu-forced detox is probably not a bad thing. I look forward to enjoying a good wine or two with you here on the 7th! Watch this space for a special announcement on the day of our Paulée…

If you’re anywhere in the New Orleans area – my much better half Martha will be pouring tomorrow evening (Thursday October 29th) from 5-6:30 at Hopper’s in Uptown Square. Martha’s a New Orleans native, and is looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and pouring our ‘07 Cuvée Martha Pirrie and ‘06 La Paulée Pinots – please plan to stop by if you can!

For more information, call Ric Hopper at 504-861-7500, www.hopperswines.com, 170 Broadway, Suite 145.

If you’re anywhere in the New Orleans area – my much better half Martha will be pouring tomorrow evening (Thursday October 29th) from 5-6:30 at Hopper’s in Uptown Square. Martha’s a New Orleans native, and is looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and pouring our ’07 Cuvée Martha Pirrie and ’06 La Paulée Pinots – please plan to stop by if you can!

For more information, call Ric Hopper at 504-861-7500, www.hopperswines.com, 170 Broadway, Suite 145.

Martha on the wall at Musigny

And here’s the 3rd and final segment of our feature on WineExpedition.com – mostly focusing on our Burgundy import business in this one…

View down over the village of Pommard

Now that harvest 2009 is fully put to bed, I’m gearing up mentally for a couple of weeks in Burgundy. I leave two weeks from tomorrow, and have quite a schedule lined up, as always. Details on all the plans coming up shortly, and of course I’ll be reporting in from the Côte on all the tastings, events, meals and festivities. (Hey, somebody has to do it!)

Scott Paul Wines comes to Portland for a festive holiday tasting and sale on Friday night, December 4th at the EcoTrust building in Portland’s Pearl District!

The EcoTrust Bldg. - 10th & Johnson in Portland

Watch your email and this space for all the details soon. For now, I just wanted to let you know that we’re coming and that the date is set. It will be a special joint event with Siri Jewelry -  our friend Siri Healy handcrafts wonderful jewelry in gold and silver, and this will be a great opportunity to pick up both wine and jewelry for your holiday giving and entertaining. Plan to join us, and bring your friends. Full details in the days to come…

What began as my burning passion to make a little Pinot Noir in 1999 has grown over these 11 vintages to become something beyond my wildest imagination. Scott Paul was started with some borrowed money and a lot of desire – but with no firm business plan, I must say. In retrospect that was probably a good thing, because I’ve learned that in this business one generally throws the business plan out the window every year anyway!

We’re now a well-respected producer of Oregon Pinot Noir, known for a particular and consistent style of wine, as well as a national import company representing a portfolio of Burgundy’s best and brightest young producers. We have thousands of loyal fans across the country, a website that gets tens of thousands of hits, and we get more than our fair share of national press and recognition.

So how did this all happen? Staying true to our vision and passion throughout, for one. Tremendous support from my wife Martha & our partner Cameron Healy for two. But in many ways whatever we’ve achieved is hugely due to the talents, efforts, and dedication of our two team captains – Winemaker Kelley Fox and Marketing Director Kelly Karr.

The Kelly(ey)s are two remarkable women who deserve full-on recognition for their ongoing contributions to all things Scott Paul. I just wanted to take this moment to publicly thank them and let them know how much they are appreciated. We are blessed to have such quality human beings on our side.

Kelley Fox (2 or 3 hair-colors/styles ago!)

Kelley Fox has just finished putting crush 2009 to bed, with meticulous care and dedication, and we already know that we have an excellent vintage to unveil in 18 months or so from now. Kelly Karr has just finished orchestrating our fall Burgundy Express Club shipment – the details and logistics of which simply make one’s head spin. And all has gone without a hitch.

Kelly Karr

We’ve got a massively busy few months ahead, with our annual La Paulée event & dinner, the Salud auction, the release of the 2007 La Paulée, Futures offerings of the 2008 Audrey, our Champagne & Chambolle tasting, Thanksgiving Weekend Open House, not to mention regular daily operations and a quick 10-day trip to Burgundy in the middle of all that for me – none of which would work were it not for Kelley & Kelly and their ability to nail it all down. I may be the public face of Scott Paul Wines – but know that these two top professionals are the ones who keep it all together.

Thank-you, ladies! If only my beloved Arsenal were as consistent and on top of it as you two…

And here’s part 2 of 3 of our feature on WineExpedition.com. Nice wines, but who is that weird old dude behind the bar?…

Meanwhile back at the ranch – the last fermentations are finishing off nicely. We could be pressed and in barrel and done within the week. Kelley is starting to see the bright light at the end of the tunnel!

I’m watching a just-released Wine Expeditions video about Scott Paul Wines, drinking a strong cup of CDM coffee alongside a slice of moist Harvest Cake.  We thoroughly enjoyed meeting the crew from Wine Expeditions a few weeks back.  Fun, easy-going guys who had done their homework on our area and our wines and were ready to learn more.

The cake?  I like it.  It’s a Patricia Wells recipe.  I love any cake with ground almonds.  It’s not overly sweet and it’s subtle.  It’s even better now, a few days after baking, since the grape juice has seeped into the cake a bit more.  Perfect after a harvest lunch with the whole crew.  I served it the other night after a meal of Beouf D’Oregon, my easier-to-make take on Boeuf Bourguignon.

The coffee?  Good, but not as good as my mother’s, but visions of New Orleans are dancing in my head.  I fly there Friday and will stay the week.  I’m planning to visit, eat and drink.  For those in New Orleans, please come see me!  I’ll be pouring two of our Scott Paul pinots at Hopper’s Wines & Spirits at Uptown Square on Thursday, October 29, from 5-6:30 p.m.

Harvest Cake, recipe by Patricia Wells

Check it out – here’s the first episode of a video interview we did a couple of weeks ago with the guys at WineExpedition.com – a great site that we’ve been enjoying a lot. See the video here.

In the meantime, our ferments are behaving well. Kelley has one lot barreled-down already, and the rest should be finishing up by the weekend. We remain very happy with the quality – shaping up to be a very nice vintage indeed. And the colors in the vineyards right now are at their most glorious peak…