Brooks and the Hunt for the 2010 Sweet P Riesling

Every week to sit down and write about my journey through wine country feels amazing to me. I don’t have the stress of multiple messages coming through the endless number of communication channels we open ourselves up to every day. I get to escape into my memories and relive some amazing visits along with amazing people in Wine Country. I cherish it on every level and hope you get something worthwhile out of it as well.

Sunday was the first day of the month, and I always hold my breath a little to see what monthly fitness challenge Apple has in store for me. This month I am walking 3.7 miles a day. Boring! I have wondered, on many occasions, why I don’t get a bike challenge. Does the workout App know enough about me to know I am a bike person? Now, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy my walks, but I am a person who needs to be drenched in sweat multiple times a week to stay sane. Staying in accordance to earn my workout badge for the month, I have been listening to Mimi Castell on “I’ll Drink To That” podcast talk about her views on maintaining a vineyard. Interesting, to say the least. I also want to listen to the episode titled “Jason Lett Is Not At Peace.” If I can’t physically be amongst the vines, I might as well augment my reality in some fashion.

When I visit a winery for a tasting, I enjoy diving beyond the wine and the winery to find ways to explore beyond the said prescribed tone of the tasting. Earlier this year, when I visited Lingua Franca, I was talking with Amanda. Somehow the conversation steered towards Brooks. I mentioned the plethora of labels and how it boggles my mind. At one point, Amanda mentioned how she used to work at Brooks. Always looking for an in, I had to ask for a memorable wine of hers. The answer was a Riesling, but not just any Riesling. It was the 2010 Sweet P Riesling. If you know anything about me, you know I immediately made a note of Sweet P in my wine journal.

My next visit to Brooks was this past summer. Oh my, the sun was out, and the view was astonishing spectacular. Sitting outside on the deck at Brooks on a clear day is one of the best views possible when visiting a winery, in my opinion. On the day's flight was the 2017 Old Vine Pommard Pinot, 2016 Cahiers Pinot, 2019 Rose, 2014 Ara Riesling, 2018 Ara Riesling, 2018 Oak Ridge Gewurztraminer, and the 2018 Viognier. I was completely blown away with the 2014 Ara. Wow! The 2018 was also amazing, but seriously the 2014 blew my flip flops off the deck.

While I was going through the tasting, I talked with the hospitality person (yes, I suck big time for not remembering the person’s name) and mentioned how the 2010 Sweet P was a must-have. I was hitting a sweet spot for them as well, and his response was something along the lines of “Oh yeah, it is so good. It is Chef Norma’s favorite!” Done. My order was placed, and at some point, I will have to come back to claim these precious bottles in the future.

Speaking of Chef Norma, I attended a dinner in the vineyard during the summer, and it was fan-freaking-tastic! Chef Norma was out in the vineyard preparing our dinners and giving us the low down on every course. I have to admit there was one course I was not sure I could stomach. It was the octopus. To look at this piece of meat on my plate with the suckers looking up at me, I was so incredibly turned off. I am not the biggest seafood person to begin, and for me, octopus suckers in my mouth is a huge leap of faith. I have to say it was the highlight of the meal. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wouldn’t blink twice about trying it again, all thanks to Chef Norma.

Fast forward a bit to October. I finally got back out to Brooks to pick up my bottles of Sweet P. The flight that day consisted of the 2017 Crannell Pinot, 2017 Muska Pinot, 2017 Sunset Ridge Pinot, 2017 Yamhill Riesling, 2017 Bois Joli Riesling, and the 2018 Eola Springs Muscat. I was lucky and also tasted 2017 Hopewell Riesling, 2016 Cahiers Pinot, and the 2012 Rastaban. Cahiers is one of my favorite Pinots at Brooks, but the 2012 Rastaban tastes beautiful right now. The Muscat was intriguing, fun, and I don’t even know how to describe it. I seriously need to explore Muscat more. I will say 2018 Eola Springs Muscat was worth it on many levels! The 2017 Hopewell Riesling came from Mimi Castell’s Hopewell vineyard, and from what I gathered, she is replacing her Riesling with Chenin Blanc. Needless to say, I bought a couple of bottles of Hopewell.

Coming full circle to the truffle event at Brooks last week, Chef Norma was in charge of the event. If you have been to Brooks and haven’t met her, you need to really find an opportunity. Her passion for food and wine is incredible. Anyway, as she was going from table to table, she eventually came to my table. We chatted a bit, and I told her, “I heard a rumor the 2010 Sweet P is your favorite wine.” Without skipping a beat, she confessed this was true. When she heard someone ordered three bottles, she got in on the action and ordered three bottles herself.

It is Thursday night, and I finally opened a bottle of the 2010 Sweet P. Before I get into what I thought of the wine, I want you to think about something for a minute. Pinot is King and Chardonnay is Queen here in Oregon. To see an older bottle of Pinot or Chard isn't all that rare. How often do we see or hear about a 10-year-old Riesling from Oregon? I haven’t seen or heard of anything out there. I am not saying I am the end all be all by any stretch of the imagination. I am saying that seeing a bottle of older Oregon Riesling is like seeing Santa fly across the Oregon rainy Christmas sky. I will also say it is difficult for me to escape my Pinot security blanket at times, so I get it. Expand your palate a bit and dive into some kick-ass Rieslings!

What did I think of the 2010 Sweet P? First off, it is a semi-sweet Riesling. The Ara I mentioned earlier is a dry Riesling. The ABV also shocked me a bit coming in at 8.6%. Hands down, I enjoyed the Sweet P beyond a shadow of a doubt. Upon entry, the Sweet P hits you immediately as sweet, but once your initial reaction calms down a bit, there is so much to savor. The tropical fruit mid-palate is decadent. I swear, the rain outside tonight disappears when sipping this, and I am immediately taken to a nice crisp, cool beach in Hawaii. The finish sticks with you forever and is way better than any fru-fru beverage that comes with a tiny umbrella. I am shocked by how much acidity is still there. It is 10 years old, and I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t go easily for another 10 years.

I wished Brooks was closer to me, but I am also glad it is a solid 45-minute drive. I want to get out and have brunch one weekend. The November menu Chef Norma has in store is making me hungry. I can’t be hungry right now. It is 7:30 at night on Thursday while my daughter is doing ballet. Way too late to eat! The feature for “The Perfect Pairing” is “Truffled sea scallops over garlic and potato puree with truffle scented broccolini & shaved Oregon white truffle.” I watched the video of Chef Norma preparing this, and I am seriously going to fail miserably when I try to recreate cooking up some scallops. Not so much for scallops? I hear ya. How about this description of the mushroom sandwich coming fresh from the Brooks email newsletter, “a trio of wild mushrooms with a Marsala cream sauce and spinach served open-faced on thick-cut garlic toast.” Thank goodness I still have a little cheesecake at the house. I am going to need it.

Oh man, I forgot to mention how the 2006 Ara Riesling was at the President’s dinner in 2009. You can read all about it here. I need to find an end to the newsletter this week. Well, I wouldn’t say an end because you and I both know there will be another email coming to you bright and early next Saturday. How about a pause? Yes, I like that so much more! If you visit Brooks, I would greatly appreciate it if you mentioned, “A.J. sent me.”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

PS - #ajsHappyHour is coming up on Tuesday and you don't want to miss this one! Janis from Arlyn will be on with us and I seriously can't wait.

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PPS - Thank you for all of your patience with my spelling and grammar errors. I reread the newsletter last week once it was public and I beat myself up for so many errors.

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