I love surprises. So imagine my delight at discovering people actually study surprises. According to “suprisologists” Tania Luna and LeeAnn Renninger, there are stages of surprise that culminate in the need to share your surprises with others. That’s why I’m here.
Each year I keep a notebook of wines that caught me by surprise. The wines also have to taste great. I don’t like bad surprises.
These are six of my favorite wine surprises from 2020.
2018 Un Autre Monde Columbia Gorge Red Blend
Un Autre Monde is a 14.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) syrah-zinfandel blend, an unusual find in Oregon. This wine is a side project for Chris Berg at Roots Wine Co. The fact I loved a high octane red in a 250 ml. can with a dragon on the label surprised the heck out of me.
Given the alcohol number, this eggplant-hued beauty is surprisingly balanced and light on its feet. Its aromas and flavors of dusty roadside blackberries, leather and black pepper were perfect with the steakburger I recently slathered with Arthur Bryant’s barbecue sauce. Grab a straw.
I bought my can for $6 at Roots’ tasting room in Yamhill.
roots.wine or info@roots.wine.
2019 Ordeaux South Bank Red Wine
We’re staying in the Columbia River Gorge for this Bordeaux-inspired blend of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and petit verdot. The fruit comes from a vineyard near The Dalles whose identity winemaker Jeff Vejr protects like it was the entrance to the Bat Cave.
The South Bank’s black-and-blue berries waltz with notes of iodine, dried rose petals, graphite and iodine. It is a lithe and lean 12.22% ABV. I also highly recommend the Ordeaux BLV, a 100% cabernet sauvignon made with fruit from that same mysterious vineyard. Vejr is a skilled winemaker you need to get acquainted with in 2021.
I purchased my bottle for $23.99 at Park Avenue Fine Wines, Portland.
ordeaux.com or jeff@goldencluster.com.
2019 The Color Collector “Lila” Gamay Noir
Hidden away in Cascade Locks is a winemaker named Bethany Kimmel. Her label is The Color Collector, and Kimmel is a persuasive advocate for the gamay noir grape.
The “Lila” is a fine place to begin your gamay noir journey. It has a color so pinkish-pale you could hold your full glass up to an eye chart and still pass the exam. Scents of blueberries, violets and orange peel fill the nose, while the flavor of sugar-free strawberry jam slips and slides all over your mouth. It’s packed with acidity and registers a lively 11.5% ABV.
I discovered “Lila” at E&R Wine Shop for $25.
tccollector.com or bk@tccollector.com.
2019 Landmass Wines “Jerome” Chenin Blanc
While Melaney Schmidt is known for making sparkling wines, don’t sleep on her whites. Take the “Jerome,” for example. Named in honor of Schmidt’s grandfather, it is one of the very best domestic examples of chenin blanc I have ever tasted.
This brisk chenin blanc has aromas of damson plum, cantaloupe, wild chamomile and fresh straw, with flavors of quince, pear, walnuts and honeycomb. I was surprised how much “Jerome” reminded me of my favorite dry white wines from Savennières in France’s Loire Valley.
You can find “Jerome” at P’s & Q’s Market for $19.
landmasswines.com or hello@landmasswines.com.
2018 Championship Bottle “Silicone on Sapphire”
“Silicone on Sapphire” is The Clash’s dub version of their song “Washington Bullets.” “Silicone on Sapphire” the wine is Saul Mutchnick’s Oregon remix of the great whites of Friuli.
Mutchnick’s blend of Willamette Valley ribolla gialla, Tocai Friulano, pinot blanc and chardonnay is one of my favorite discoveries of 2020. Scents of yellow apples, earth, butterscotch and rose hips filled the air when I poured this wine into my glass. Flavors of pineapple, green mango, coriander and white pepper sealed the deal. Go find this wine before it disappears from local shelves.
I found my bottle for $27 at Vinopolis Wine Shop.
championshipbottle.com or wine@championshipbottle.com.
2018 AniChe Cellars No. 5
At the end of December, I took a flier on a bottle of white wine from an unfamiliar winery: AniChe Cellars in Underwood, Washington. One sip of their No. 5, a 50-50 blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc, led me to make a resolution to buy more of their wines in 2021.
Scents of saline, melon, lemon balm and lanolin grabbed my attention. Flavors of grapefruit pith, lime and chalky meringue compelled me to pour a second glass. I can’t wait to visit Rachael Horn and her team of women winemakers at AniChe Cellars to find out what else I’ve been missing.
I purchased this wine for $25 at Wellspent Market.
anichecellars.com or 360-624-6531.
-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.
January 24, 2021 at 01:00AM
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6 Pacific Northwest wine surprises from 2020 - OregonLive
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