For December, the French Winophiles engage with Oregon and Bourgogne tied houses: Maison Joseph Drouhin‘s  Domaine Drouhin Oregon and Maison Louis Jadot‘s  Résonance Wines.   ‘Tied-houses’ means the wineries work in two places, making them tied together; in this case, Oregon and Bourgogne aka Burgundy. Both regions are known for fantastic Pinot Noir. My focus is on Drouhin.

In 1880, the Drouhin Family began making wine in Burgundy; 100 years later, in the 1980s, they established their winery in Oregon. 

I received a sample of the Domaine Drouhin Oregon “Laurène” to participate in this month’s event.

What would have been REALLY interesting and valuable would have been to also taste the comparable wine from Burgundy. Hopefully that might happen in the future with Maison Joseph Drouhin and  Domaine Drouhin Oregon or with Maison Louis Jadot and   Résonance Wines.  Or possibly either tied houses like The Rhone’s Chateau Beaucastel and Tablas Creek which are both biodynamic.

After tasting the wine, we paired it with a cheese board suitable for opening a meal or ending it. Pinot Noir is a finicky grape and when pairing it likes what it likes. It likes mushrooms, it likes earthy flavors. It loves pate. Fantastic with pork. The cheeses that went best with the wine were the cheeses that had the earthy components.  Our Cheese Board included: White Stilton with Cranberry, Brilliant Saravin with Truffles, Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor, Emma Le Marechael Raw milk cheese aged 60 days or more, Taleggio, Rouge Creamery Oregon Blue, Isigny Ste Mere Aged Mimolette, LaTur, Truffle brie encroute, plus pate because I love Pinot and pate. 

2017 Domaine Drouhin “Laurene”  Pinot Noir Dundee Hills, Oregon
ABV 13.9% 
SRP $75
sample provided for my participation

This barrel selection of their Dundee Hills Pinot Noir is named after Véronique’s daughter “Laurène.” Véronique chooses barrels with extra complexity, length, and depth. In 2017 Drouhin celebrated their 30th Anniversary in Oregon; the 2017 Laurène marks the 26th release. 

Color: Very pale, translucent, ruby, platinum rim; possibly unfined and unfiltered.

Nose: Eucalyptus, mint, sage,  rhubarb, light raspberry, smells like a new world wine, complex nose.

Palate: Very dry, raspberry fruit, pomegranate, Sue felt the tannins on this wine. There is an oak presence, light and smooth, rich caramel like finish. The Dundee Hills are red red red and we could taste the iron oxide; it even hints at the iron in blood. 

Pairing: So fantastic with the Truffle tremor cheese, but it should be no surprise, we know from experience that pinot loves mushrooms and truffles bringing out such nice fruit in the wine. Wow with the Brilliant Savarin with truffle, then followed with truffle mousse pate and your senses are on a happy overload. LaTur is Sue’s favorite cheese in the entire world and there is good reason, it is so fantastic with this wine. Fresh and bright both the wine and the cheese dance together beautifully. We were not excited about this wine when it was on its own. With our cheese plate it is a game changer. So many amazing flavors burst from our taste buds when paired together. The mimolette and wine brings out a sweetness in the wine and a caramel nut flavor in the cheese. The tellagio makes the wine so sweet. Sue made a mushroom tellagio lasagne once that would be so fabulous with the wine. There is a textural quality that is amazing when the two are together. Sue really liked the wine with the cranberry stilton; she felt that the stilton would not have been as great without the cranberry, but it was great with. 

Each month the French #Winophiles post on a predetermined theme to discuss varying wine regions, producers and food pairings on the third Saturday of the month, and then participants contribute to a virtual wine tasting

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm tells of “Countries United Through Food and Wine”
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Galette au Chou + 2017 Résonance Pinot Noir”
• Terri at Our Good Life tells tells us about “Resonance Pinot Noir and Roasted Pork Loin”
• Here at Savor the Harvest I share “Oregon Pinot Noir With a Burgundian Heart – Domaine Drouhin Laurène”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels cooks up “BBQ Brisket with Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Oregon PN for a PNW holiday meal: A Résonance”
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles has a discovery: “Découverte! Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Dundee Hills and Mediterranean Salmon” #Winophiles
• David from Cooking Chat “Braised Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Oregon Pinot #Winophiles
• Jane from Always Ravenous has an “Oregon Pinot Noir Paired with Braised Chicken Thighs, Blackberries, and Fennel Purée”
• Melanie from Wining With Mel tells us “New World meets Old World: Oregon’s Résonance pinot noir paired with beef bourguignon”
• Liz from What’s In That Bottle shares a “Taste of the 45th Parallel”
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! tells us about “Louis Jadot on Both Sides of the Pond”
• Payal from Keep the Peas shares “Burgundy via Oregon”
• Nicole at SommsTable has a “Burgundy vs Oregon Showdown with Drouhin Wines”
• Jill at L’Occasion covers “Bourgogne’s Western Vineyards: Crafting Pinot Noir in Oregon”
• Here on Wine Predator we share “From France’s Bourgogne to Oregon’s Willamette Valley: Domaine Drouhin does Pinot Noir” #Winophiles
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog takes on “Best Of Both Worlds: Burgundy Producers Craft High-Quality Wine in Willamette Valley”
• Cindy from Grape Experiences offers “Résonance Wines Express a Burgundian Vibe in the Willamette Valley”
• Our host, L.M. Archer shares life “À Table with Domaine Drouhin Oregon and Résonance Wines” group at 8am Pacific. Check out this month’s contributions and the twitter chat discussion questions below:

Check out chat on the topic on Saturday Dec. 19 by following the hashtag #Winophiles. As you can see, we will be hearing from one of the winemakers as we discuss the following topics: