Alexana, and the Pinot a Stranger Told Me to Try

Tomorrow is November 1st. Wow. In some respects, the year has flown by, and in other respects, it has moved along at a slugs pace. This time of year, I begin my reflection of the year and start the process of envisioning what next year will look like. Every year I choose one word to encapsulate the year instead of picking goals. For 2020, ruckus was my chosen theme. I have no clue what my word for 2021 looks like yet. There is a whole workbook I go through every year, and once this year’s workbook, I will post a link in case you want to join along in the journey.

Speaking of journeys, driving through wine country this week has been absolutely magical. The leaves are turning, and hillsides are cascades of beautifully manicured vines displayed for all of their glory. The sun has greeted us every day this week in the afternoon. I was at Arlyn on Wednesday, sitting under a canopy at a picnic table, and you couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon. By the way, if you haven’t visited Janis at Arlyn, stop reading this newsletter right this very second and make an appointment! Seriously, stop reading and make an appointment. I will gladly wait.

Thank you for making an appointment with Janis. For those who didn’t make an appointment, Santa is always watching, and Christmas will be here before you know. In the weeks to come, I will go down the rabbit hole of Arlyn and Janis because you need to have Santa stuff your stocking with Arlyn wine!

Last week I talked about Domaine Serene. In my PPS, I briefly mentioned the passing of Ken Evenstad. I had the newsletter already queued up to send out when I heard the news. Ken and Grace have done so much for the Oregon Wine Community. The passion Ken brought has dispersed throughout the wine community. We all learn from other people, and I have no doubt there is something in your glass of wine that has been an indirect reflection of what Ken has done. Ken will be missed but not forgotten for his contributions.

I mentioned earlier driving through wine country this week, and one of the places I stopped at was Alexana. I don’t know how many times I have been to Alexana now, but the feeling of being a little boy in a toy store never goes away. I remember going to the store as a 10-year-old, picking out a new Transformer and being all giddy (btw this is when Transformers were metal and not some stupid plastic crap). I still get this same feeling as an adult, and on Monday, I was so freakin excited.

Last November, I did a Thanksgiving Weekend tasting at Alexana, and at the time, I was obsessed with their Revana Estate Single Clone Pommard. Well, I am still obsessed, but I was single-focused at the time on that one label. The weekend tasting was at a communal table, and me being me, I was talking to those around me. Oh, how I miss these days. Towards the end of the tasting, the guy sitting next to me mentioned I need to try the Sitar Pinot. I quickly jotted down the name in my little wine journal for future reference.

Fast forward a little bit to February, and I set up a Revana Portfolio tasting with Jazminia. This was the first time I sat down with Jaz for a tasting, and to say I was nervous is an understatement. My tasting was upstairs, and before me were some amazing bottles of wine. If you are not aware, Alexana is one of three wineries under the “Revana Portfolio.” There is another winery in California and one in Argentina. I tasted Pinot, Malbec, Cab Sauv / Cab Franc blend, and a straight-up Cab. Wow!

Sitting there and chatting with Jaz, I was blown away by her knowledge of wine in general and of Oregon. She is the reason I was able to connect the dots with Mo, the winemaker at Ayoub. Come to find out; Mo is a major reason she moved to Oregon. She helps with the wines at Ayoub. I have gotten to know Jaz over the last 8 months, and there isn’t enough I can say about her. Part of me wonders if her goal is to be a winemaker ultimately. Her knowledge is there, and she has hands-on experience. If she has a different goal, I am curious about what it is. I know I could easily ask, but that would be like buying a book, flipping to the last chapter of the book, and spoiling the ending. Life is about a journey of unexpected twists and turns. I want to be surprised by this outcome.

Once Jaz and I went through the Revana Portfolio tasting, I flipped back to the notes I took back in November and asked her about this Sitar I was told about. Her eyes lit up and said, “Hold on.” She came back with a bottle and poured a splash for me. Oh my goodness, I was in heaven. I ended up leaving with a five year vertical starting in 08. The temptation to dive into this vertical has been strong, but somehow I have been given in. When I left, multiple feelings were coursing through my veins. First, I can’t wait to visit during the summer, and all the construction for their addition will be finished. I so want to sit out here, smell the lavender, soak up the sun, and dive into the endless labels Alexana offers. The other prominent feeling I had was I can’t wait to come back in a couple of weeks to pick up my Sitar vertical.

A couple of weeks later, I scheduled a time to pick up the vertical, and Shane was doing the tasting. I adore Shane! He is amazing beyond belief and has been with the winery for 5 years. He is currently 21, going to school for IT, and just starting pouring this year. His depth of knowledge is astounding. Jaz says his palate is unbelievable. During this tasting in March, he turned me on to Alexana’s Fennwood label. Mind freaking blown. For me, tasting a young Fennwood felt like I was tasting a Cab, but an older Fennwood is this luscious, velvety Pinot with so much complexity it is difficult to figure what in the heck is going on.

As we all know, 2020 kicked in high gear a few weeks into March. Through #ajsHappyHour, I still kept in touch with Jaz, and she introduced me to the deliciousness in a bottle 08 Dundee Hills Pinot, which is sold out, but I was able to grab some before it was gone. Construction on the extended porch and larger tasting room was halted. Sometime during this period, I got an email from Vivino about Alexana’s Gran Coeur, and it was a steal. Knowing the quality of all the other wines, I snatched up six bottles. Gran Coeur is a Bordeaux Blend of Cab, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. When I am in the mood for a meatier wine, this is my go to.

Fast forward to early October, and I set up a tasting to pick up my Fall allocation. Construction is progressing, and I was greeted at the door by none other than Jaz to let me know Shane was going through the tasting with me. He went through all wines (2017 Signature Chardonnay, 2018 Revana Estate Pinot, 2017 Fennwood Pinot, 2017 Zena Crown Pinot), and I got to looking at the wine list. There were Rieslings listed. What?!?! I didn’t know Alexana has Rieslings. Again, so many varieties and labels. Shane was more than willing to pour a taste of the 2011 and 2018 Alexana Revana Vineyard Riesling side by side. Again a wave of being a little kid getting a Transformer swept through me from head to toe. I have been composing a list of Oregon Rieslings for my Oregon Wine / Winery Report coming out in January. I so need a better title…….. Shane also introduced me to the 2017 Cab Franc from Corazon Del Sol, the Argentina property.

Bear with me a little longer. I promise this story is coming full circle.

Last week, I happened to see an IG post of a vertical Sitar tasting, and I promise you within 30 seconds of seeing the post, an email was sent to taste through these bad boys. This brings us back to last November when I first heard about Sitar from a random stranger I was sitting next to. It was worth the 11-month wait to go through all of the Sitars. Sitar is a label that is no longer being produced. The closest resemblance to Sitar is the Benevolence which I haven’t had yet. I didn’t take many notes on the Sitar’s, but what I do remember is the 08 is a beautifully aged Pinot with slight earth tones coming through mid-palate for a gorgeous finish. I personally liked the 09 out of the vertical. It was a little more pronounced over the 08 with the earthiness. Unfortunately, my recollection on the 10, 11, and 12 aren’t too detailed. All of them were amazing, and I am so glad to have the vertical. I have to figure out a good time to pop these corks.

The main reason I didn’t take as many notes is simply the fact I was sitting down with a friend talking life, wine, and enjoying myself. 2020 has been a lot of heads down to the grind for myself. In our chat, I asked Jaz about Cabs, and of course, she had a suggestion. I am looking forward to my visit in a couple of weeks to pick up the bottle. I want to explore older Cabs where the tannins have settled. I have yet to find a Cab that speaks volumes to me. I wonder how awesome this new Transformer will be? During my next visit, there is a possibility the new deck will be done as well! I can’t wait for it to be completed, and it sounds like the addition to the new tasting room will be done in December. Fingers crossed!! I walked through the new tasting room construction, and wow. You are going to be blown away once you see it!

As you can tell, I am a fan of Alexana, and I don’t see my enthusiasm going away anytime soon. For November, I am featuring Alexana in my App, Winederful. If you haven’t downloaded a recent update, take a second to update. The featured section has a nice little overhaul. I added a story about the winery, along with some tasting notes. Let me know what you think. I want to hear the good, the bad, and how things can be improved. Also, when you visit Alexana, please let them know, “A.J. sent you.”

With Gratitude,

A.J.

PS - The next #ajsHappyHour is November 10. I have spoken with Janis at Arlyn, and she is willing to come on and talk. I am sure she will talk about wine, farming, and much more. I am so looking forward to it!