Et Fille Blakeslee Vineyard Pinot noir 08
This wine has a garnet color with beautiful clarity, lush mouthfeel, and a lasting finish. The tannin structure would pair well with game or tomato-based pasta dishes. Simply put, this is a great value pinot noir.
Avalon friend Robyn Lillehei on the 2007 vintage of Et Fille's Blakeslee Vineyard Pinot noir:
Maybe it's a Guy Thing
"Is it legal to drink red wine with fish?" he asked.
"Pinot isn't red wine and tuna isn't fish," she replied.
As the tuna came off the grill, they speared the asparagus travelling with sun-dried tomato pesto next to a heaping spatula full of pilavlik bulgur and jasmine rice. (That newMediterranean grocery-restaurant provided a great addition to the pantry.)
"It's so sweet" he commented as he swirled the wine out of his glass. He's a Scotch and water guy.
She contemplated the legs dripping from the edge and suggested, "It doesn't taste sweet to me, but if it does to you, well, it does to you!"
Et fille spread across her tongue like a sail full of mid-June air. She thought about sun speckled aspens on lake shores – with a little concern for the quickening breeze.
"Can I have some more?" he queried. "I really like this – it isn't like…well, your typical heavy red wine."
"Please" she tipped the bottle against his glass.
"It's definitely sweet" he insisted as he wiped the tuna marinade on his plate with the rice. "We do pretty good at meals, you know."
She thought of rapidly approaching the newly sun-dried dock – a little faster than she could control her landing. "Yep, we do," she murmured.
"I feel like using the Bowflex for awhile. See you later." He padded out of the kitchen into his man cave.
Another swallow preceded her inspection of the label: "Et Fille Blakeslee Vineyard Pinot noir 07."
Fathers and daughters, she sighed. No wonder. To him it tastes sweet; how could he know about life as the offspring of a man who is a state of being rather than just a person? It all made sense now.
- Robyn Lillehei
From the Father/Daughter winery of Howard and Jessica Mozeico.
Dad: High tone nose reminiscent of Elton. Raspberry, strawberry, and marionberry taste. Complex and structured. Long finish.
Fille: My mom recently reacted to a Kate Winslet movie by saying, “Wow, she’s not just the girl from The Titanic- she can really act.” This wine reminds me of Kate Winslet… started out as pretty, promising, yet simple, but has demonstrated serious complexity over time.
This is our first year producing pinot noir from Blakeslee Vineyard, owned by Bill and Sheila Blakeslee. It is located in the Chehalem Mountains, which is the Willamette Valley’s newest declared Viticultural Area. The soil type is Laurelwood (loess) into clay on a south, south-east orientation at an elevation of 500-550’. Our grapes come from pommard and Dijon 115 pinot noir clones. - the winery
