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By Jean Yates, on April 2nd, 2012  “2010 is a VOTC -
Vintage of the Century”
- Erin Nuccio, Evesham Wood
Erin Nuccio, owner and winemaker of Evesham Wood, thinks 2010 is a vintage of the century. Wait – better than 2008?! Well, they’ll age as long but they’re also a lot more approachable right now. You can open these and taste them over the course of a week – they stay fresh and delicious. Taste his new releases and I think you’ll agree.
Erin describes the 2010 vintage: “As soon as the wines were in the barrel I knew we had fantastic wines. Very concentrated and what Evesham is all about. Complex, balanced, really exciting with a lot of age-ability. 2010 will go down as a top vintage.”
at right above, Marcus, Andy and Erin taste the new wines
Rose petals and violets, fresh, with a rich, full texture. Pure bright raspberry and floral notes fill the flavor, and the juicy finish has a touch of wood spice, cinnamon and violets. Cellar for 3-10 years. La Grive Bleue is a small, 18 year-old section of Evesham’s estate vineyard. It is organically certified.
There are luscious layers to this wine. Red cherry fruit, spicy sweet smoke, toasted marshmallow, and herbs fill the nose. It is a very fruit driven wine with dominant cherry, raspberry and blackberry forming a nice complexity – layers of flavors on top of each other. You can sense the separate components clearly. In the finish, hints of asian spices – cinnamon, clove, and warm spices join the cherry and sweet oak. Age from 3-7 years and decant before drinking.
This is a “reserve” bottling, made from the best eight barrels of Hidden Rocks Vineyard and the best eight barrels from Eola Springs Vineyard.
 P.S. Don’t forget about our new Build a Case program. Buy a few bottles now, a few bottles later and when you hit 12 bottles, we’ll apply the 10% discount to your full order. Simply select “Build a Case” in your shipping preferences or let me know you’d like to build a case – it’s that easy.
By Leslie Melnyk, on March 29th, 2012 We’re starting a new tradition at Avalon – “Blind Friday.”
If you want to turn a small dinner party into a medium sized one, host a blind tasting.
The event was a huge success. I could tell because we started out with three judges, but as soon as friends smelled what was cooking we ended up with 9 judges!
I will be having another “Blind Friday” soon!
I encourage everyone to try a party like this – guests have fun eating, laughing, and comparing the mystery wines. I made sure that nobody but myself knew which wine was in which bag, and some of the guests didn’t even know which wines were on the table.
The meal we made was a variation of something a fan submitted. We followed the ribs recipe closely and then served with blanched asparagus and fried polenta cakes.
The Judging
The wines we chose were
Belle Pente 2009 (wine#1)
Sharecropper 2010 (wine#2)
Westrey 2009 (wine#3)
The three initial judges tasted all the wines with clean palates to see which one we thought would win. We wanted to see if our predictions were correct –And they were NOT. We predicted that with this meal we would like the Westrey  best, the Belle Pente second, and that the lighter Sharecropper would take third place. Nope.
Of course there were many opinions as everyone has a different palate and we had 9 judges with varying wine experience, but we went with popular vote. 6/9 judges agreed on the following verdict.
T HE RESULTS:
First Place: Belle Pente 2009
Second Place: Sharecropper 2010
Third Place: Westrey 2009
By Marcus Looze, on March 21st, 2012 “2010 is a great vintage for people who actually like to drink wine.”
- Marcus Goodfellow, Matello winemaker
 That makes perfect sense to me, because I’m one of those people. I’m betting you are too.
So I’ve picked three value Oregon Pinots that are quintessential 2010 – they are for people who actually like to drink wine. They’re fresh and vibrant, easy to drink on their own or with dinner, and lower alcohol without sacrificing ripe flavor. I’m ready to drink some Pinot!
Matello Lazarus Pinot noir 2010
$19.75 in any 12 bottle order ($21.95 retail)
I taste a ton of Oregon Pinot and in my opinion, this is the best value Oregon Pinot on the market right now. There is so much packed into this wine: beautifully vivid flavors, surprising density and persistence, perfect balance. Seriously, if this is Matello’s Willamette Valley blend, his 2010 reserves must be scary! Back up the truck and load up. – Marcus
 at right above, Marcus Goodfellow
Ken Wright Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot noir 2010
$23.36 in any 12 bottle order ($25.95 retail)
Lush and energetic, Ken Wright’s value blend delivers heaping scoops of fresh crushed berries. It’s really a “friendly” Pinot, encouraging you to get to know it. Most of the famous vineyard’s Ken works with are blended in this bottle, for half the price of his single-vineyard Pinots. – Marcus
 Haden Fig Willamette Valley Pinot noir 2010
$18.86 in any 12 bottle order ($20.95 retail)
Ah how I love re-tasting a wine. The 2010 Haden Fig Pinot noir is drinking fantastically well – it has really evolved and opened since it was released. Highly recommended. It’s beautiful red fruit is round and creamy, with a mouthwatering finish. A rosemary ribbon carries through the wine, accenting the sweet cherries that resonate. – Marcus
By Jean Yates, on March 20th, 2012 The weather is behaving and we’re shipping the March Wine Club wines. Here’s the rundown.
For complete information on the current wine club and links to all of the newsletters, go to the Wine Club Home Page.
By admin, on March 17th, 2012 March 17th may be St. Patricks day, but it is also another holiday – a holiday that presents a chance/challenge for me to reconcile my shameless love of ballpark food with my love of wine.
Behold: NATIONAL CORNDOG DAY
Setting the scene: A Debussy etude plays on the radio as I get out my ingredients and favorite green apron. I’ve looked at a few recipes and I’m ready to make my own variation.
Corndogs for pairing with Oregon Chardonnay.
Ingredients:
Medium Ground Cornmeal 1 cup
Millet Flour ½ cup
Brown Sugar 1 tbsp
Baking powder 1tsp
2 large eggs
½ cup water, milk (I used Chardonnay)
A dash of white pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste (I like mine spicy, so I use 2 tbsp)
Vegetable oil for frying
Hot Dogs
After surveying the ingredient list, I quickly switch the radio station to classic rock!
The tools needed are:
A Cast Iron pan
A mixing bowl and a sturdy wooden spoon
Wax paper (you could probably use parchment paper too)
Instructions:
1)Mix together all the ingredients until the cornmeal has absorbed the liquids. It’s ok to take a break from stirring to dance to the classic rock while you are waiting for the corn to hydrate, especially if Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones is playing. You want your batter to be really thick, so add more flour if you need to.
1.2) Pour a ½ inch of oil in the cast iron pan, place it on the burner and turn the burner on medium high.
2) Lay out the wax paper and place a hot-dog length strip of batter on it.
3) Put the hot dog onto the strip and roll it up so that the batter surrounds the dog in an appropriate corndog shape. If the dog is not totally evenly coated it won’t matter because of what happens in the pan.
3.2) Take a Sip of your Chardonnay
4) Carefully take the newly battered hotdog and drop it in the hot oil pan. Roll it around quickly. You will see that the batter can be moulded as the entity fries. My uncooked dogs looked rather grim and you will see that they turned out nice and round in the end just because I rolled them around gently and quickly.
5) put the dog on a skewer, arrange with some greens, and serve with the Chardonnay. It’s a good day!
By Marcus Looze, on March 16th, 2012  I need summer. Heck, I’ll settle for no rain. So when three wines poured into my glass this week catapulted me to warmer, longer days sitting on my deck, I had to share them with you.
I usually save personal recommendations like these for more “serious” wines. But I’m SERIOUS about how spectacular these summer (and spring) wines are. They’re all small production wines – get them now because they’ll be long gone before summer arrives!
Matello Viognier 2010
$22.45 in any 12 bottle order or “build a case” ($24.95 retail)
Let me say without reservation: this is the best Pacific Northwest Viognier I’ve tasted. It is the definition of balance, where everything is in its place. Gorgeous fruit and texture, floral and mineral accents, ripe fruit and fresh acidity. Not a fan of Viognier? I think this’ll change your mind – it changed mine. From the oldest Viognier vines in the Northwest, 1994 plantings in Deux Vert Vineyard.
Gilbert Cellars Rose of Mourvedre 2011
$14.35 in any 12 bottle order or “build a case” ($15.95 retail)
Summer in a bottle. This was last year’s Rose hit – the new vintage is even better. Lip-smacking red and citrus fruit has great spicy rose petal and herb complements. Bone dry, screaming to be opened, sipped, and opened again. Who needs summer when you have Rose? This will remind you of Tempier Rose for a fraction of the price.
Cameron Chardonnay Dundee Hills 2010
$17.05 in any 12 bottle order or “build a case” ($18.95 retail)
I was going to save this for my next installment of The Oregon Chardonnay Crusader, but this puppy has started drinking so amazingly well that I couldn’t wait. I’ve found this to be the best value Chardonnay from the Northwest. Every time I think about this wine, my mouth waters. One of our favorite meals is roasted chicken, butter leaf salad with a simple vinaigrette and a bottle of Cameron Chard. Say goodbye to oaks-ville and hello to bright, delicious Chardonnay.
By Jean Yates, on February 18th, 2012 As noted on our Facebook page, the Third Annual “Dragging of the Gut” Festival is being held in McMinnville, Oregon on August 24-25. While it’s about driving up and down Main Street on Saturday night ala American Graffiti, it can be interpreted in another rather hilarious way. I’m hoping there’s a little belly as well as cruising action.
It’s happening at the high season for wine touring in late August. And is on the same street as a handful of wine country’s best restaurants, so you can combine the delicious with the unique in one never to be repeated experience.
By Jean Yates, on February 17th, 2012 Hiking through OSU’s Macdonald Forest to visit families. Babies, teenagers, baby boomers, grannies, and the graves of past generations. Families of fir and oak and cedar and maple and spruce and redwood and huckleberry and birch and buckhorn.
This photo I took north of the Saddle last weekend sums it up for me. In the foreground, newly planted trees in white mesh bags, below them, slash from a new clear cut, behind it the adolescents (15-20 yrs) and up on the mountains, a patchwork from babies to matriarchs. Deep in the forest, the bones – stumps 20 feet across and old, moss covered logs that tower over me even though the are laying on the ground.
When I first moved to Oregon 27 years ago, I hated the clear cuts. I saw them as scars on the scenery. And when they’re left un-managed, I curse the owners. But for a forest like the Mac, tended by OSU’s School of Forestry, I can get behind the forest’s cycle of life. Hiking along the old logging roads I see their beauty, the wildflowers, the new life. I still hate and cry to see old growth cut – it just seems unnecessary and mean spirited when there’s so little left. But the changes in a working forest are OK by me. – Jean
By Marcus Looze, on February 2nd, 2012  As much as I love Oregon and Washington wine, when I make meatballs there’s no substitute for an Italian red. Really, whenever I cook Italian-inspired food (that’s half the time) I’m reaching for a great value Italian red, so I’m always hunting for the next find. At the risk of selling my stash of favorites, here are two of my new go-to Thursday night Italian reds.
Podere San Giovanni Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 05
$15.75 in any 12 bottle order
$17.50 retail
I’d love it if Brunello was something I could drink on a regular old Thursday night, with homemade meatballs. Since that’s not in my budget I reach for San Giovanni Vino Nobile 05. It’s made from Sangiovese (a local clone, Prugnolo Gentile) with a splash of Canaiolo. The little bit of age has made this flat out delicious. The berry fruit, spice, and rustic nature works perfectly with food. After the meatballs were gone, I couldn’t help but finish the bottle.
Ca del Baio Barbera Paolina 09
$13.05 in any 12 bottle order
$14.50 retail
It always makes sense to have a Barbera in the house – such a versatile wine. The Paolina, from one of my favorite Barbaresco producers, has all the charm of the warm 2009 vintage balanced by food-friendly acidity. You can pair this with just about anything, from roasted chicken to pizza, and it makes a great party wine too.
By Jean Yates, on January 25th, 2012 Hi – Jean here -
 At Avalon, we are only as good as our wine recommendations. You have to be able to depend on our skill at finding the best and standing behind them.
After 25 years, 15 of those online, I think we’re a proven success – over and again, we’ve offered you the new, tiny production, and hard to find.
Today we’re doing it again with two hand picked reds. We think you’ll love them.
Remy Wines Three Wives Red 2009
$16.16 in any 12 bottle order
$17.95 retail
Wine Club Price $15.26 in any 12 bottle order
Bergevin Lane Moonspell Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$26.95 in any 12 bottle order
$29.95 retail
 This is a favorite of mine. I can depend on the Moonspell – it’s a proven hit whether we’re watching the Super Bowl or making a gourmet meal. – Jean
Bergevin’s Cabernets stand out in the crowded Walla Walla wine scene. The Moonspell is smooth and rich, with interesting hints of berries, spice, and smoke.
If you’re watching football, try it with garlic toasted croutons and chunks of Canadian extra sharp Cheddar. For a special dinner, serve it with leg of lamb roasted with rosemary and garlic, Yukon gold potatoes, and a dark chocolate torte for dessert. – Jean
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Evesham Wood “La Grive Bleue” 2010