Fall 2009
Fall 2009 — “Better Late Than Never…”
Well, harvest certainly won’t be as late as last year, but as I write in mid-September we seem to be at least another 10-15 days away – definitely pushing us into a later-than-average start. It has been an odd growing season – a late, cool start to spring, a few early hot days (followed by a quick frost that wiped out portions of Ribbon Ridge), three distinct major heat spikes over the summer (each followed by uncharacteristically cool periods), a couple of August rain episodes, and then some more yin-yang in September – going back and forth from hot and dry to cool and wet. All that said, it looks like we have the potential for another good one, but until the grapes are in the fermenters, we really have no idea… Follow all the harvest updates – Burgundy and Oregon – here on the Blog…
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2007 Cuvée Martha Pirrie Pinot Noir – The end of the line!
“Last of the Cuvée Martha Pirrie” Saturday, October 3rd, 12-5
To order online, click here…
Not only are we nearing the end of our supply of the 2007 Cuvée Martha Pirrie, it is also the end of Cuvée Martha Pirrie, period (at least for the foreseeable future). 2007 was the last vintage we produced this wine. Throughout the years it has mostly been from younger vines and from purchased fruit, from vineyards that we no longer work with. (Going forward we will only be working with fruit that we farm ourselves, from our estate and leased sites in the Dundee Hills and Chehalem Mountain.) At $25/bottle (and a 10% case discount) – it’s one of the best values around in delicious Oregon Pinot from top pedigreed vineyards. Only 75 cases available.
Join us in our tasting room for the “Last of the Cuvée Martha Pirrie” event on Saturday, October 3rd and we’ll taste the first and the last vintages (2000 and 2007) – we’re sorry to see her go, but happy that she’ll be going to good homes! Our daughter Pirrie will happily sign your bottles too!
The 2007 version of our value-priced Cuvée Martha Pirrie is an excellent example of everything we hope for in this bottling – pretty red fruits layered over a lithe and supple frame, nicely balanced acidity, and a silky, yummy finish. It has put on some weight and added complex spice notes over the last year in the bottle, and is drinking beautifully right now.
Burgundy Harvest 2009, and Incoming 2007′s
Reports from our growers throughout Burgundy have been reverberating with excitement – most started picking around the 10th of September, and at this point they feel they have the potential for a spectacular vintage. The grapes were ripe, healthy, clean, and delicious. I can’t wait to get over and taste in November and get a first look at what the vintage has to hold. In the meantime, here come the yummy 2007s!
New releases from J-J Confuron, Lucien Le Moine, Taupenot-Merme, Jean-Marc Millot, Benjamin Leroux, Anne & Hervé Sigaut, Huber-Verdereau and Violot-Guillemard are on the way – watch your email for all the updates, and our annual special pre-arrival offering of the micro-quantities of the Lucien Le Moine wines (which are once again drop-dead gorgeous!)
The Burgundy Express Club
If you’re interested in learning more about the complex and fascinating wines of Burgundy – the Scott Paul Burgundy Express Club is the way to go. It’s a unique wine club, in that it’s really all about education. You get two 4 to 6-bottle shipments per year of wines from our Burgundy portfolio, hand-selected by me specifically for the club, and you get them at 20% off.
Each of these shipments comes with a packet of detailed maps, tasting notes, photos, and historical information – making these shipments a virtual “wine seminar in a box”.
The next shipment will go out in mid-October, and it’s a fascinating study of the wines of Chambolle-Musigny, the village that produces Burgundy’s most elegant, refined, lacy and delicate reds. The wines in each shipment are sold at 20% off the retail price – and while you are an active member of the club you also receive 20% off all of your Burgundy purchases from us. To join the club, just contact Kelly Karr – kellykarr@scottpaul.com or call (503) 852-7300. We currently have openings for 25 members. Club memberships also make a great gift (hint, hint)…
2008 Audrey Futures!
Every year since the first vintage of Audrey in 2003 – this wine has developed a cult-like following of its own. Audrey is our selection of the best few barrels of the vintage, and since 2005 has always come from our old-vine blocks of Maresh Vineyard in the Dundee Hills, originally planted in 1970 (making it Oregon’s 5th oldest vineyard).
The 2008 Audrey is a study in elegance, balance, and texture. Winemaker Kelley Fox and I had little to do but watch this wine “make itself” – the grapes were perhaps the finest we’ve ever worked with, and our job was simply to stay out of the way and let this wine display all that mother nature brought to the table. Only 200 cases were produced, and you can taste the wine for yourself here at the winery every weekend in November – we’ll be taking futures orders starting on November 7th, and will continue until the end of the month. Futures are sold in 6-bottle quantities only (maximum 24 bottles per person), and are offered this year at the Futures price of $44 per bottle. If any wine remains after the futures offering, the release price will be $65.
Holiday Bubbles
Our wines from Champagne Marc Chauvet have been selling like proverbial hotcakes. We’re excited to have more coming in for the holiday season, with more of the delicious NV Brut Réserve, and their top-of-the-line Special Club 1999 (which spent nine years on the lees in bottle prior to disgorgement – an awesome bottle for your celebrations at $55.)
And of course the greatest value sparkler of all is Domaine Huber-Verdereau’s Crémant de Bourgogne – 100% Pinot Noir from just below Volnay, and it totally rocks at $22.
UPCOMING EVENTS…
Farewell to Cuvée Martha Pirrie – Saturday October 3rd
As noted above – this is the end of the line for our young-vine, yummy, value-priced Pinot. We’ll have a bunch of special goodies on the tasting flight along with the first and last vintages (2000 and 2007)– plan to join us in the tasting room from 12-5, and take home some wine to stash for your upcoming parties.
Volnay Tasting and Wine Club Pickup day– Saturday October 17th 12-5.
Our Pommard tasting last weekend was a big hit, and now we’re moving next door to the village of Volnay. Home to the most floral, feminine and graceful reds of the Côte de Beaune, the tiny village of Volnay (Pop. 250) is the base for an exciting new generation of vignerons. We’ll feature both village and 1er Cru wines from Huber-Verdereau, Pascal Bouley, and Violot-Guillemard – all of which will be offered at 25% off. Watch your email for all the details…
La Paulée de Carlton – Saturday November 7th (Let’s Party!)
Our 4th annual “La Paulée de Carlton” is set for Saturday, November 7th, and we are ready to eat and drink exceedingly well – with the hopes that you can join us!
Be here for a special Multi-Winery event in our tasting room all day from 12-5. First up, it’ll be your first chance to taste and buy futures of our pride and joy and most sought-after wine – the 2008 Audrey Pinot Noir. Only 200 cases of this beauty were produced, and like its predecessors it is simply stunning (in our humble opinion!) The complete Scott Paul line-up will be available for tasting as well.
In addition, we’ve invited a few other friends & neighbor winemakers to join us. Scott Paul’s own Kelley Fox, who started her own brand two years ago, will be pouring her first releases, along with our friends from Belle Pente– making it a very festive day, with all sorts of great wines open for tasting from all the producers. (And of course a nice Burgundy or two will be in the mix!)
Then that evening it’s our annual La Paulée dinner. Since it’s inception in 2006 we’ve held it in our cellars, but this year we’ve decided to try something different. With world-class The Allison Resort & Spa now open in Newberg, we’ve got the perfect venue for a luxurious evening of dining and pinot-swapping of the highest order. In the tradition of Burgundy’s famous “La Paulée de Meursault”, all guests are invited to bring some older wines from their cellars to share around the room. The past few years have seen a veritable ocean of great old Burgs and Pinots making the rounds – it has become one of the great nights of the year for us, and I look forward to it immensely! A special menu will prepared for us by chef Nathan Lockwood and his team at the Allison’s Jory restaurant – the hottest new dining destination in wine country. Seats for the dinner are $125 each, and space is limited. To reserve your spot contact kellykarr@scottpaul.com or call (503) 852-7300 asap.
Salud – November 13th & 14th
Salud is the Oregon Pinot Noir auction – 42 of the valley’s top producers make a single barrel of their best wine specifically for Salud – and the wines are sold at auction in case lots over the course of two back-to-back events every November. All proceeds go directly to funding health care for Oregon’s vineyard workers – the program is currently serving over 8,000 workers, in fact. We are proud and honored to part of Salud again this year, and urge you to join us for these great events (and to bid high for our wine in the auction!) Tickets and details at http://www.saludauction.org
Champagne & Chambolle – November 21st & 22nd
The weekend before Thanksgiving has become a wine-tasting tradition in its own right here in the Willamette Valley – especially for those who want to get out ahead of the holiday crowds. This event was so well received last year, we’ve decided to make it an annual affair. It’ll be festive all weekend with Champagne from Marc Chauvet, and a selection of Burgs from my favorite village of Chambolle-Musigny – including bottlings from J-J Confuron, Hervé Sigaut, and Taupenot-Merme. And our own Scott Paul goodies will be here too, of course. We’ll be open 12-5 Saturday and 1-5 Sunday. Tasting fee is $20 for this event, refundable with any 3-bottle purchase.
Thanksgiving Weekend Open House – November 27th, 28th & 29th
The granddaddy of them all! Come on out for our joyous annual celebration in wine country. We’ll be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-5 with a great line-up of Scott Paul Pinot and Burgs to taste, including your chance to taste and buy 2008 Audrey Futures.
Your $10 admission fee is refundable with a purchase of 3 bottles or more, and includes a selection of yummy cheeses, patés and charcuterie.
Burgundy Seminars
We’re excited to continue our series of Burgundy seminars next year, with classes for both beginning and advanced Burg-lovers. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about one of the world’s finest (yet most confusing) wine regions – these seminars are for you. Classes take place every month January through June – call Kelly Karr at (503) 319-5827 to book your seats and for more information. The 2010 Schedule will be available in December.
As always, thanks for joining us on our amazing journey!
Martha, Scott, Kelley & Kelly – the Scott Paul team
