A Virtual Barrel Tasting with Walter Scott

January 16 - Walter Scott

Since November 1st, I have gotten outside and went for at least a 40-minute walk. Today was an exception. It was sunny out, and I went for two 40 minute walks. I have made walking buddies per se who are also taking a walk simultaneously every day.

Getting outside is huge for me. If you remember, over the summer, I was doing morning bike rides. I could technically still do bike rides, but there is something about riding in the cold and the rain I can’t get my head around. Getting away from all screens and losing myself in an audiobook has been fabulous. One of the books I have enjoyed is Cork Dork. The basic premise is that a tech journalist spent a year going down the wine rabbit hole to become a sommelier. She had blind tastings and worked with Victoria James, the author of Wine Girl. I also devoured this book, and maybe I will talk about it another time. If you are looking for a book to read, Cork Dork is a great read while making you doubt what toothpaste to use!

Real quick, I want to thank everyone who purchased my first Oregon Wine Report. I can’t thank you enough. If you were waiting for the Kindle version or the Apple Books version, they are now available as well. Please don’t curse me too much when I continue to promote my accomplishment for a few more weeks.

Way back in March, a group of us was going to spend the day in Wine Country. Looking back on the calendar, it was March 21st. The group was going to Beaux Freres, Walter Scott, and Purple Hands was doing a special Chardonnay event. I was excited and also a little scared of what would become of my wallet. All the reservations were set, and boom, everything got shut down. My wallet let out a huge sigh of relief we weren’t going to Beaux Freres. Somehow my wallet has this sixth sense I will fall in love with their wine and end up hocking the house or something. I really want to visit the new tasting room Purple Hands has out in the vineyard, but for some reason, I never thought much about getting back out to Walter Scott. Thinking back on it, I think I had too many other squirrels I was chasing after.

At any rate, normally Walter Scoot does a Thanksgiving Futures barrel tasting, but with everything being shut down it didn’t happen this year. What did happen was a virtual barrel sampling, and oh my oh my oh my. Are you ready? Alright, here we go.

With 9 samples and food to go along, I am a little shocked this only went a little over 2 hours. If we were doing this #ajsHappyHour style, it would have been an all-day affair.

I forgot to mention something earlier. I told myself I would do better in getting the newsletter completed earlier in the week and not wait until Thursday night for the first draft and proof on Friday morning. Here it is Thursday night. Sigh. I had to share with you my thoughts as I went to take a bite, yes, only one bite of carrot cake.

Back to it.

In March, my perception was that Walter Scott was a high status, very difficult winery to get into. As I was sitting there on the Zoom call, Ken and Erica were so down to earth. At one point, Erica riffs on Ken for spitting the wine on a Saturday.

At one point, they talk about their assistant winemaker Kathy McBride and my ears perk up because it is another name to traverse deeper into the rabbit hole. I found a blog article from her Australian wine that was no longer active, but I found a cached version thanks to Google. Here it is.

Chasing Autumn

by Kathy McBride - Winemaker

Anyone who knows even the slightest thing about me, knows that I am the coldest person I know. I’m a total wuss, and I own it.

For the past 4 years, I have been so very fortunate that Rob has let me take off to the northern hemisphere for vintage in the slower months here at home. And while this may sound wonderful and romantic and like I am chasing the warm weather around the globe, the truth is, I chase autumn followed very closely by winter to Oregon, so it’s torture for this poor frozen winemaker.

All joking aside, Oregon has been an incredible learning experience for me year after year, and I am extremely thankful to have been given the time to head over there.

Each year seems to have presented a very different area in which to increase my knowledge and 2019 was no different. We were faced with what was originally thought would be an exceptional year quality-wise, that very quickly turned in to a case of late in harvest vineyard management, more fruit sampling than I have ever experienced, and some very tough harvest decisions.

After a mild winter and cool spring, the onset of Autumn was early and fast. The weather turned un-seasonally cold just days after my arrival, and we experienced three significant rain events during the picking window. It was a roller coaster ride of racing to get fruit off vines that wouldn’t survive the next big downpour and patience when the fruit was capable of quite literally weathering the storm.

I believe it will be a polarizing vintage. One where the winemakers who didn’t panic about the rain, those who made informed and educated picking decisions based on both analysis and taste and gut feel, will have some killer wines on their hands come bottling. Fingers crossed we are some of those winemakers.

And some killer wines indeed we staring me down during the call.

2019 Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot, Mt. Pisgah 150 cases, aged in barrel for 15 months, 50% new oak, whole cluster 0%

2019 Sequiter Vineyard Pinot, Ribbon Ridge Mike Etzel planted this vineyard. 100 cases, aged in barrel for 15 months 25% new oak, whole cluster 0%

2019 X Novo Vineyard Pinot, Eola Amity Hills 400 vines per acre, 200 cases, aged in barrel for 15 months, 40% new oak, whole cluster 15%

2019 Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot, Eola-Amity Hills 100 cases, aged in barrel for 15 months, 25% new oak, whole cluster 10%

2019 Sojeau Vineyard Pinot, Eola-Amity Hills 340 cases, aged in barrel for 15 months, 35% new oak, 15% whole cluster

2019 Freedom Hill Chardonnay, Mt. Pisgah 365 cases, 500 and 350L barrels for 12 months finished in stainless steel for 3 months, 35% new oak

2019 Sojeau Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills 140 cases, 500 and 350L barrels for 12 months finished in stainless steel for 3 months, 65% new oak

2019 Seven Springs Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills 275 cases, 500 and 350L barrels for 12 months finished in stainless steel for 3 months, 60% new oak

2019 X Novo Chardonnay, Eola Amity Hills 300 cases, 500 and 350L barrels for 12 months finished in stainless steel for 3 months, 50% new oak

I did mention the 2018 X Novo in Weinnotes, and here is my little narrative.

Walter Scott 2018 X Novo (19) I was 21 the first time I tried Chardonnay. I knew nothing about wine, but something in me said I should celebrate my first marriage with Chardonnay. It is what grown-ups do, right? Can you believe I didn’t know anything about needing a wine key to get the cork? I was stupid! Once I dug apart the cork for 15 plus minutes, I took a sip, and it was disgusting! It took me over 20 years to taste another Chard.

The first time I tasted the X Novo, it was the exact opposite of my first Chardonnay experience. I was in love, and I didn’t care who in the world knew. The nose grabs you immediately, and you know instantly this is a journey of mind, body, and spirit. The light yellow color captured in the glass tells me it is a young wine, and smelling the acid on the nose tells me this will be something to cherish in time. Maybe at a wedding in the future, maybe not. It doesn’t matter. There will be a wine key involved, no matter the event. So many different spice textures grab you mid-palate for a savory transition into an exceptionally long finish. I would give a rating of 20 hands down, but if I gave it a 20 now, there would be zero room for growth. There is so much potential for the X Novo in the years to come. I can’t wait to open another in 10+ years.

I am extremely looking forward to getting to know Ken, Erica, and the wines they produce in 2021. If things open up and you can visit, let them know A.J. sent you.

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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PS - The next #ajsHappyHour is February 9th. I don’t have a theme yet, but I will say I am working on it already.

PPS - I was asked this question today, “What are you yearning for?” My answer was, “A dinner outside under the stars of summer with smiling people mingling about and wine free-flowing from bottle to glass.” My turn to ask you. What are you yearning for?

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