Join us in Carlton on Saturday Feb. 4th from 12n-5p – this is an absolute don’t miss tasting for Burgundy lovers of all stripes. We’ll be pouring all five of the outstanding 2009 Meursaults from top-drawer producer Domaine Buisson-Charles. Though perhaps not as famous as Lafon, Roulot or Coche-Dury, the Buisson-Charles wines are at the same amazing level of quality, for a fraction of the price. Burgundy authority Allen Meadows of Burghound puts it succinctly -

“I have noted this before but the quality coming out of this domaine in recent years is nothing short of spectacular. 2008 saw them fashion some excellent wines but they have outdone themselves in 2009 as everything is outstanding and they have made some of the top wines of the vintage. If you aren’t familiar with the wines, you should be…”

Patrick and Kate Essa in the cellars at Buisson-Charles

We’ll be pouring the Meursault Vieilles Vignes (90BH), the single vineyard Meursault Tessons (91BH), and three outsanding 1er Crus – the Meursault Bouches-Chères (93BH), Meursault Charmes (94BH), and Meursault Goutte d’Or (95BH). Wow.

This will be a great study in the terroir of Meursault, the village that produces Burgundy’s most oppulent and sexy Chardonnay, as seen through the hands of Patrick Essa, the 5th generation vigeron at the helm of this tiny domaine.

Tasting fee is $20 for this special flight, refundable with any 3-bottle Meursault purchase.

On Saturday Feb. 11th at our tasting room in Carlton, we’ll be pouring every vintage of our La Paulée Pinot ever released, from 2002 through the current-release 2008.

For the first time ever, we’ll be pouring all of our La Paulée bottlings side-by-side, seven in all, starting with the 2002 (made at Domaine Drouhin Oregon, where Scott was the GM at the time) right up through the 2008, which was recently featured on the cover of Food & Wine magazine. There are only a handful of bottles in the cellar of some of the older vintages, so sadly they are not available for sale. Join us to taste the full vertical, and take home some of the 2008 before it too is gone.

“La Paulée” is the name of the ancient Burgundian tradition at the end of the grape harvest every year, where each domaine puts on a feast for all of their pickers and winery crew to celebrate the harvest. In the 1920s “La Paulée de Meursault” was born, and has become the most famous wine event and celebration world-wide, with 800 of Burgundy’s top winemakers and their guests gathering each year to share ancient and treasured bottles from their cellars. Scott is presently completing work on his book on the Paulée tradition, scheduled for release in fall 2012.

Tasting fee is $25 for this special flight, refundable with any 6-bottle purchase.

Join us in NW Portland at Scott Paul PDX for a Happy-Hour Champagne tasting on Friday Feb. 17th from 4-6pm, prior to our Champagne seminar that night. (A few seats for this class are still available.)

We’ll be pouring a couple of great bubblies from our portfolio of Grower Champagnes – micro-production bottlings that are guaranteed to seduce you, your valentine, or all of the above! Tasting fee is $5, refundable with any 3-bottle purchase. A special “Splurge” pour will also be available, details tba…

Join us at Portland’s only Champagne-only wine bar, Ambonnay, for a special flight of three Champagnes from micro-producer Bruno Gobillard.

Importer/Champagne Junkie Scott Paul Wright will be on hand to talk about the Gobillard bubblies – which are made in miniscule quantities and have an avid cult following.

The flight will include the lush and creamy NV Brut, the bright and citrusy NV Brut Vieilles Vignes, and the simply stunning NV Brut Rosé. This flight will be available from 6-9pm and is a don’t-miss for any and all Champagne-lovers. Cheers!

Join us in NW Portland at Scott Paul PDX for our ongoing series of First Friday happy-hour tastings on Friday March 2nd from 5-7pm.

We’ll be pouring our limited-production Oregon Pinot and selections from our import portfolio, with a special “Splurge” pour also available, details tba. Tasting fee is $5, refundable with any 3-bottle purchase. Kick off your weekend with us, with good cheer and great wines in NW Portland!

One of the most common questions we get is – “what happens to Burgundy as it ages?” Here is your chance to find out, or at least get a glimpse of several fine Burgundies from the 2006 vintage, now with five years of age on them.

Join us in Carlton on Saturday, March 3rd from 12n-5p for a tasting of six 2006 Burgs. Upon release the 2006s were thought to be good to very-good, with the potential to age well over the medium term, i.e. 10-15 years for most wines. At age five, these wines should be starting to show signs of developing some secondary flavors and aromas, as they start to lose their youthful fruit and baby fat.

In the cellar with Thierry Violot-Guillemard

Five Premier Crus and One Grand Cru 2006s will be open for tasting and available for sale:

Domaine Taupenot-Merme: Gevrey-Chambertin Bel-Air 1er, Nuits-St. Georges Pruliers 1er, & Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

Domaine Violot-Guillemard: Pommard Pezerolles 1er & Pommard Rugiens 1er

Domaine Huber-Verdereau: Pommard Bertins 1er

Tasting fee for this special flight is $20, refundable with a 3-bottle purchase of the featured wines.

We’re excited to welcome winemaker Alexandrine Roy to Portland for a special tasting and intimate winemaker dinner. “Alex” is the 4th generation to helm her family’s tiny 10-acre estate, Domaine Marc Roy in the legendary village of Gevrey-Chambertin. Her wines are drawing raves from all the critics, and have developed a cult following here in Oregon over the last several years.

In the vineyard with Alexandrine Roy

Here’s the word from Burghound’s Allen Meadows – “For those readers who are not familiar with the Roy wines, the style is a mix of old style classicism coupled with moderate new oak treatment that doesn’t upset the balance or transparency. The wines are absolutely worth trying should you see them and at the prices that I have seen on offer, they represent fine value as well.”

Join us at Scott Paul PDX – and meet the charming Alexandrine for a special Happy Hour Wednesday from 5-7pm for a tasting of the gorgeous 2009s – the lush and yummy Marsannay Blanc “Les Champs Perdrix”, the Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, the single vineyard Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur (90Pts-BH), and the stunning Gevrey-Chambertin “Cuvée Alexandrine”, a micro-production bottling Alex makes only from the tiny millerandage grapes picked individually by hand (“a terrific effort! 92Pts-BH.)

Tasting fee for this special flight is $5, refundable with any 3-bottle purchase of the Roy wines.

You’re invited to join us for an intimate winemaker dinner with Burgundy’s rising star Alexandrine Roy, of Gevrey-Chambertin’s Domaine Marc Roy. Only 10 seats are available for this special dinner at Portland’s Little Bird Bistro, the latest hit from James Beard Award-winning chef Gabe Rucker.

We’ll be featuring a full array of Alexandrine’s wines, matched with a four-course dinner from the outstanding Little Bird kitchen, along with some treats from the Scott Paul cellar as well.

Dinner is set for 7:30pm on Wednesday, March 14th. Your payment of $125 per person secures your seats – email Kelly Karr to book yours asap.

Alexandrine Roy and "Merlot"

We’re so pleased to announce our 2012 series of classes!!  Scott’s Burgundy (& Champagne) seminars have been a perennial hit, booking up quickly each year.  In 2012, we’ll hold them in our new Scott Paul PDX space in NW Portland (2537 NW Upshur St, Portland 97210).

Seminars make a GREAT gift!

The first 3 classes are outlined here.  Reserve now by emailing or calling Kelly Karr, 503-319-5827.

Burgundy 101, January 20, 7-9 pm, $50

Champagne, February 17th, 7-9 pm, $69

Oregon-Burgundy comparison, March 16, 7-9 pm, $50

Seating is limited.  Reservations required. Reservations can be made with Kelly at 503-319-5827 or kellykarr@scottpaul.com. Prices include the seminar, wines, snack of cheeses and pâté, and printed materials. Participants also receive 15% case discounts on the featured wines.  Classes are taught by proprietor/winemaker Scott Paul Wright, whose passion for Burgundy was his inspiration for making wine in the first place, and for launching his Burgundy import company in 2005.

Seminar Descriptions:

Burgundy 101: The class is a great way to get a really solid grounding in the basics of the complex wine region that is Burgundy. We explore the history, geography, geology, appellation system, viticulture and winemaking, as well as take a look at each of the major winemaking villages up and down the Côte d’Or – while tasting six examples of wines from the region along with some nice cheeses and charcuterie. It’s a comprehensive introduction to Burgundy, and you will leave with more Burgundy knowledge than 99% of your friends!

Champagne! This fun and informal seminar is a great introduction to the world’s greatest sparkling wine region. We’ll explore the different sub-regions and terroirs of Champagne, the grapes and viticultural techniques, and delve into the labor-intensive winemaking process that makes these wines the world’s benchmark for sparkling wines.  Our in-house Burgundy & Champagne authority, Scott Wright, will give you a good overview of the region, and you’ll be tasting six great Champagnes over the course of the class.

Oregon and Burgundy – the Capitols of Pinot Noir. Oregon and Burgundy – so similar, yet so dramatically different. The two best places in the world to grow Pinot Noir have much in common, but the wines they produce are often as far apart as apples and oranges. In this class we’ll explore what makes Oregon “Oregon” and Burgundy “Burgundy”, discuss the geological, climatic, meteorological, viticultural, enological and historical factors that come in play, and taste some excellent examples from both regions – all in the name of science, of course! An array of French and Oregon cheeses and charcuterie will accompany the wines.

New in 2012 – Scott Paul PDX is our special event space in NW Portland. Here we’ll be holding our monthly series of Burgundy and Champagne seminars, as well as occasional special tasting events and winemaker dinners. (We’re at 2537 NW Upshur St. Portland 97210)

First Fridays in Portland! Join us in Portland for happy-hour tastings from 5-7pm on the first Friday of every month – we’ll be featuring our new releases along with selections from our import portfolio. (Please note – Scott Paul PDX is not open for regular tasting room or retail hours.)

When you’re headed out to Carlton for one our events, or just a day of wine tasting – why not make a weekend of it, and consider the following recommendations for B&B lodging:

Abbey Road Farm Bed & Breakfast

http://www.abbeyroadfarm.com/

The Allison

http://www.theallison.com

Black Walnut Inn

http://www.blackwalnut-inn.com/

Brookside Inn

http://www.brooksideinn-oregon.com/

The Carlton Inn

http://www.thecarltoninn.com/

Carlton Cottages

http://www.carltoncottages.com/

Inn At Red Hills

http://www.innatredhills.com

R.R. Thompson House Bed & Breakfast

http://www.rrthompsonhouse.com/

Winery Lofts

http://www.vrbo.com/306590

Youngberg Hill Vineyards & Inn

http://www.youngberghill.com/