Celebrate Regenerative Oregon Leaders with Brooks Pinot Noir, Montinore Italian Red Blend, Troon Amphora Mourvedre
When you think of Oregon, what comes to mind? Misty mornings along the coast? Snowy Mt Hood and the Cascade Range? Warm inland days with cool nights? Portland’s Powell Books and rugged, green individualism? An ethos of progressive sustainability? Vineyards of Pinot Noir? Oregon is all of this and more contributing to make the wine and the place special. Oregon Wine Month, which concludes today, celebrates it all! Here on Wine Predator, where we focus on sustainability and wine pairings, we have three red wines by three of Oregon’s leaders when it comes to growing grapes and making wine sustainably: pioneers Brooks and Montinore, and now Troon. Three very different red wines from three different parts of Oregon:
- Certified 2008. Located in Forest Grove in the northern part of the Willamette Valley not far from Portland, Montinore Estate began practicing Biodynamic viticulture in the early 2000s under the leadership of Rudy Marchesi, and the estate vineyard earned Demeter Biodynamic® certification in 2008. They have tasting rooms in McMinnville, OR and Woodinville, WA.
- Certified 2013. Jimi Brooks committed to growing organically from the beginning in the Amity Hills of the Willamette Valley, and the Brooks Estate moved to biodynamic farming and winemaking in 2002, becoming Demeter certified in both the vineyard and the winery in 2013. The tasting room is at the winery.
- Certified 2019. While Troon was founded over 50 years ago in the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon, it’s only since 2016 under the leadership of Craig Camp that the winery moved to biodynamic farming, attaining Demeter certification in 2019, and earning a “Gold” Regenerative Organic Certification in 2023. They have tasting rooms at the winery and in McMinnville, OR.
So when you think Oregon you think Willamette Valley and Pinot Noir, you’re not wrong — but there is much more to Oregon wine than this single grape. Yes, the Willamette Valley produces 73 percent of Oregon’s wine grapes with Pinot noir accounting for 60 percent of production, according to a 2018 report from Oregon State University but Oregon grows other grapes too: in Southern Oregon at Troon, grapes that originated in the Rhone are doing really well, Brooks does Riesling like few others do, and Montinore grows Italian grapes and make single varietal wines as well as blends.
To celebrate Oregon Wine Month, we chose from three different areas and three different red wines: the challenge was what to pair with them? A range of cheeses and meats always works and makes Sue happy, and for a main course we went with braised beef shanks (also known as osso bucco). I’d just been in a hit and run car accident and the nourishing broth sounded very healing as well as pairing well with each of the wines.
Celebrate Regenerative Oregon Leaders with Brooks Pinot Noir, Montinore Italian Red Blend, Troon Amphora Mourvedre
3 Oregon Red Wines
- 2021 Brooks “Cahiers” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
- Montinore “Rosse di Marchesi Sesto Anno,” Willamette Valley
- 2022 Troon Vineyard “Amphora” Mourvedre, Applegate Valley
Menu
- Charcuterie board with olive and fig crackers including:
mushroom brie, St. Augur blue, pate, mimolet - Spring Green Salad
- Beef shank Osso Bucco served on mashed potatoes with a gremolata
2021 Brooks “Cahiers” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
2021 Brooks “Cahiers” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
ABV: 13.5%
SRP: $60
Grapes: Organic and Biodynamic Pinot Noir from Muska, Crannell, Brooks Estate, Muska-Bement vineyards Sample for my review
300 cases
Founder Jimi Brooks was gung-ho for regenerative farming, and his philosophy infuses farming at Brooks today, long after he passed away suddenly during harvest leaving his young son (read more here). The wine comes wrapped in tissue with Jimi’s handwriting, which links to the name of the wine, Cahiers (pronounced KY-YAY) which means Notebooks or Journals in French. Jimi Brooks loved to read and write, and when his son Pascal found that his father’s journals allowed him to connect with his father.
The goal of this wine, says Jimi’s brother Janie, is to reflect the three vineyards on one specific hillside. To do so, they blend biodynamic and organic farming, both certified, uncertified, and in transition vineyards. The Estate vineyard is BD, Crannell is BD year three so still in transition and not certified, and Muska/Muska Bement which is Organic not certified. With “no disease, high sugars, balanced acids, and great flavors,” they suspect that “2021 will undoubtedly rank as one of the top Oregon vintages.” So buy two bottles– one to enjoy now, and one to lay down to enjoy later!
Appearance: Raspberry/ ruby with a fushia/pale violet rim, translucent.
Aroma: A nose like this is why people fall in love with luscious Pinot Noir– cherry, roses, carnations, lavender, violet, iris, very feminine, raspberry, licorice.
Palate: Super bright tart fruit, tart cherry, rhubarb, raspberry, depth of character and flavor, full body but light. The palate goes in many different directions, oxcollis, violet, bright acidity, mellow tannins, black current tea, rosewater finish.
Pairing: Fantastic with the cheese plate, perfect with the mushroom brie, the St. Agur, the pate, so great with the mimolet, this was a perfect wine for this cheese plate, very nice with the osso bucco, there is a depth of richness between the meat and the wine almost as if the two are playing pickle ball. Part of what made the wine tango with the osso busco was the gremolata on top, the herbs made the dish pop.
Read about the Brooks “Eclipse” wines here.
Montinore “Rosse di Marchesi Sesto Anno,” Tualatin Hills AVA, Willamette Valley
Montinore “Rosse di Marchesi Sesto Anno,” Tualatin Hills AVA, Willamette Valley
ABV: 13.2%
SRP: $35 (current edition)
Grapes: 35% Lagrein, 27% Sangiovese, 16% Nebbiolo, 13% Teroldego, 9% Pinot Nero
Sample for my review
After the eruption of nearby Mt St Helens in the early 1980s, the Montinore Ranch was no longer suitable for cattle ranching and farming, but a team from UC Davis and others concluded it was perfect for wine grapes so the first vines were planted in 1982 with 1986 the first vintage.
In 1998, Rudy Marchesi joined the team as a vineyard consultant and soon ran daily operations began implementing Biodynamic farming practices. In 2005, Rudy purchased Montinore Estate and under his leadership, the 200-acre vineyard received Demeter Biodynamic® certification in 2008, strengthening the vines and the character of the wines. The Marchesi family has deep roots in Italy, and the Rossi collection reflects their love for Italian wines, and they offer blends and single varietals like Lagrein and Teroldego.
Appearance: Ruby with a dusty rose rim, medium density
Aroma: Cherry, pink peppercorns, black cherry, elusive mint, as it opens up the elusive mint shows even more, carnation, potpourri, roses
Palate: Super tart cherry, bold tannins, bright acidity, very clean, yearns for food, very fun and original wine
Pairing: With food more herbal aspects are enhanced in the wine, fennel, fennel seeds, licorice, fabulous with the St. Agur, the wine becomes so fruity, herbal and sweet with the pate, perfect with the Mimolette, the wine loves the richness of the meat and the bright green fresh elements of the gremolata especially the lemon rind, the brightness of the gremolata enhances both the wine and the meal.
2022 Troon Vineyard Amphora Mourvedre, Applegate Valley
2022 Troon Vineyard Amphora Mourvedre, Applegate Valley
ABV: 13.5%
SRP: $65
Grapes: 75% Mourvedre and 25% Grenache
Sample for my review
About their very first red amphora wine, Winemaker Nate Wall notes that Troon added two extra large amphora for the 2022 harvest but with only just enough mourvèdre to fill one of the amphora and about 2/3rds of the other one, he topped with Grenache making the 2022 Amphora Mourvèdre 75% mourvèdre (with 35% whole cluster) and 25% grenache (with 30% whole cluster).
Adding Grenache is brilliant in my opinion as it brings a fresh fruity liveliness, and having the whole cluster “ leads to a bit of semi-carbonic maceration, which further highlights the fresh fruit from both grape varieties. Lastly, the vessels themselves – terra cotta amphorae do not add or mask any flavors while supporting a richness and texture, especially across the mid-palate, leading to a very transparent, natural expression in the wine,” states Nate. “As with all wines at Troon, no additives, acid or sugar adjustments, enzymes, or sulfur additions were used at crush. The finished wines were pressed, settled, and then transferred into the XL amphorae for aging. After about ten months of aging in amphorae, the wine was racked to tank where a small amount of sulfur was added before bottling.”
Troon was the second winery in the US to achieve Gold Regenerative Organic Certification which is quite an accomplishment considering where they started from just a few short years ago. The operation is very impressive, and if you get a chance to visit them in Southern Oregon, you should!
Appearance: Beautiful translucent, hint of cloudiness, not a dense dark wine, ruby violet with a platinum rim, colorless long legs
Aroma: Sweet fruit, fresh strawberry, baked strawberry, mountain strawberry, strawberry cheesecake, carnation, very pretty nose, quite enticing
Palate: Juicy, earthen, clay, silky, even tannins, cocoa nib, fresh raspberry, rhubarb, violet on the finish, heady on the back end. It is such a satisfying wine.
Pairing: The wine changes and melds with the different foods. With the St. Agur food the wine becomes sweet and fruity, sweet tart and umami, such a great pairing, so fabulous with the extra sharp snowdonialn cheese, peach pig apricot jerky, so rich, yum with the mimolette, decadent with the mushroom brie on a fig and olive cracker, very nice with the truffle mousse brie. The wine has a lot of vitality, acidity and pizzaz so when you pair it with the rich meat it shows up to dance, the big fruit in the wine when paired with the rich meat and potatoes, the wine really stands up and pays attention. There is all this richness in the food and the wine stands up and says “OK” it pays attention to this rich luscious meal.
Note: In early May, Sue and I met to pair these wines and take notes on them just before I left for Italy. I’d expected to finish this wine before my trip, but I didn’t and when I returned there it was waiting for me in the fridge! Generally you wouldn’t think a red wine after a month of being open would be any good, but it was excellent, and very smooth, with enough for a glass for me and for Kathy who picked me up at the airport. We enjoyed it with a toralle, 60 month parmagiana, and truffle salami I brought back from Italy, followed by a dinner of Copper River Salmon.
Read more about Troon’s wines here.
And yes I’m back from Italy after three weeks! I had planned to finish editing and publishing this while I was on the road, plus other content, but my laptop screen stopped working one week into the trip– and I wasn’t going to try to edit and publish this using my cell phone! Now that I’m back home, I have my back up laptop at hand with all the data migrated from the laptop that had a mishap, which is on its way to get fixed! Fingers crossed it will be under my Apple Care warranty!
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 