Oregon or California? A Blind Tasting

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Last Saturday, I attended TEDx Portland for its tenth anniversary. Initially, the celebration was to be in 2020, but things happened. So here I am a week later, still inspired and pondering. I got introduced to so much, but a couple of highlights for me include Meow Wolf. Another highlight was Atticus, an anonymous poet. He was on stage masked. I missed the first part of his talk, and I regret getting up for water. In this Creator / Influencer world, he has not shown his face. He is now taking that work further as an unmasked virtual avatar. I cannot wait to see the whole talk when it comes to YouTube.

Some of his books include:

• ​Love Her Wild
• ​The Dark Between Stars
• ​The Truth About Magic​

Here’s one poem from The Truth About Magic

― Atticus Poetry

Not all TEDx talks strike a cord, but I was first introduced to Zach King at a previous TEDx event, but the most impactful for me was one from Frank Moore. I seriously thought of talking only about Frank today because his story is uplifting and heartbreaking, and it’s not possible to listen to his talk without shedding tears. He is the only speaker in TEDx history who received a standing ovation before and after his speech. I found out on Saturday he passed away a couple of months ago.

It has been a bit since the topic of the podcast has arisen. Rest assured, it is still happening, and there are multiple podcasts “in the bank” waiting for release. Expect the next one on June 25th. Also, if you subscribe to the audio podcast or on YouTube, my goal is to release a new episode weekly. If you don’t subscribe, don’t worry about missing out. I will give you the insider information here every other week.

One of the Wine World topics that have piqued my interest this year is NFTs. This week, I talked with Michael Jergens about the topic and expect the episode to drop in the newsletter on July 23rd. He also has a weekly newsletter about wine that is the polar opposite of mine but is funny and vulgar while being educational. Here’s a link if you’re curious.

I mention Micheal because he is also part of ClubDvin, a wine NFT project. This week, I also found another wine NFT project from a former Amazon exec. NFTs in the Wine World are interesting, to say the least.

If you think Wine NFT projects are weird, what about the first avocado wine? Yeah, tell me about it! Someone in Florida is making wine from avocados.

The TTB released an interactive map of AVAs in the US in AVA news. It’s pretty darn cool! Washington also added a new AVA called Rocky Reach.

I am a little surprised nobody mentioned my mistake last week saying Magic in the Mountains was happening today, not last weekend. So if you have nothing to do, go and visit 26 wineries in one place!

If you are in Springfield, Oregon, this weekend or planning a trip, make an effort to visit the Iris Vineyards. On Thursday, June 2nd, they opened the first tasting room on Main Street. Do you remember the great debate between a Sparkling or a Pinot Gris to win at the McMinnville Wine and Food Classic, the Pinot Gris won belonging to Iris Vineyards.

Forbes published an article titled, “Oregon is a source for Quality Chardonnay.” SOMM TV highlighted “4 Unexpected Wine Regions Making Traditional Fancy Fizz” aka Bubbles.

James Suckling released his Oregon report the other day, and I was pretty excited seeing “Eye-Opening Chardonnays” in the title! Overall, there were 771 wines included in the report. Seventy-five wines had a score of 95 or higher. Two Pinots scored a 99. Three Pinots scored a 98, along with three Chardonnays. I was so happy to see many producers getting kudos all around, but I think my favorite was a Blanc de Blanc that came out after my Sparking Report got a 95!

I was going to rant about scores, but the rant was getting way too long with too many perspectives. I have rambled enough already this week. Time to get this train moving forward!

Today’s train takes us on another blind tasting adventure, trying to distinguish between Oregon and California Pinot Noirs. When I first heard about this tasting, I thought this would be easy. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as you might think.

The tasting was at Et Fille, and the “Nicest Person in Wine Country,” Jessica Mozeico, was taking us through the wines. Back at the first of the year (isn’t it crazy we are halfway through 2022?) I interviewed Jessica for the podcast and learned so much.

Jessica set the stage for us. All of the Pinots were from the 2018 vintage, and she messed up a little by telling us three of the Pinots were from Oregon, leaving the other four from California. Of course, the three Pinots were Et Fille. Each wine was poured one at a time, giving the group the ability to talk about it before moving on.

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Wine #1 - my guess California

• Notes: Stinky nose, short finish, a twinge of bitterness mid-palate, clearly California, medium tannins
• Result: Twomey Anderson Valley

Wine #2 - my guess Oregon

• Notes: delicate body, with classic bolder fruit of an Oregon 2018 vintage
• Result: Et Fille Palmer Creek

Wine #3 - my guess California and changed to Oregon

• Notes: excellent vibrant entry, long, slightly funky finish with an admirable tannin structure
• Result: Cartograph Estate from the Russian River Valley

Wine #4 - my guess California and changed to Oregon

• Notes: super light in color, bright red fruit mid-palate, balanced oak, medium body with nice acidity and integrated tannins.
• Result: Et Fille Maresh vineyard

Wine #5 - my guess Oregon changed to California

• Notes: excellent silky entry, a higher concentration of alcohol, with a bit of funk on the finish
• Result: The Joy Fantastic Santa Rita Hills

Wine #6 - My guess California

• Notes: Super dark in color, lots of tannin and acidity
• Result: Et Fille Kalita Vineyard

Wine #7 - My guess California

• Notes: I didn’t take any because I saw the foil wasn’t Et Fille’s black foil
• Result: Aries Los Carneros

Overall, I did admirable distinguishing between California and Oregon, but I had doubts along the way. Knowing there were only three Oregon Pinots helped immensely, allowing me to look back at my notes to change my mind. Something I find interesting about my notes is that I know what they mean to me. Would you be able to read, “super light in color, bright red fruit mid-palate, balanced oak, medium body with nice acidity and integrated tannins” and conclude it was an Oregon Pinot? Probably not! What would you write as a distinguishing factor for Oregon or California?

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience while having my patootski handed to me multiple times. I think someone should do a blind Chardonnay event like this with all of the press Oregon is getting for this grape. Comparing the same grape from different regions is so much fun and educating! If you haven’t tried it, get a group of friends together and have fun with it over fondue, brats, and pizza!

If you haven’t visited Et Fille’s tasting room or had their wine, you have to stop by! You can't miss them if you are window-shopping in Downtown Newberg! There is a chance you can drop in for a tasting or if you are the planning type, visit their website to make a reservation, and I promise you will not be disappointed with an excellent tasting, especially when you tell them, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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