Need a little more encouragement to join us at the new J. Christopher Winery in Newberg for Thanksgiving weekend tasting?
Listen to this terrific podcast in which Lynn Chamberlain of iWine Radio interviews both Ernie and Jay. Great insights into the making of fine pinot noirs. Listen here.
Are you heading to Oregon’s Willamette Valley for wine tastings this weekend?
Be sure to stop by the new J. Christopher Winery (our joint venture with winemaker Jay Somers) and taste some truly fabulous wines.
Here’s what you’ll taste for the $10 tasting fee:
2009 J. Christopher Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc $18
Although not widely planted in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for this climate. Made in the clean, fresh style of France’s Loire Valley, the J. Christopher is cool-fermented in stainless steel and does not go through malolactic fermentation. The result is a classic, highly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc with perfect ripeness and excellent acidity.
2009 J. Christopher Cuvee Lunatique $18
Chardonnay done in stainless steel – “No oak/no Malo” – so it’s a bright, fresh style. Just pure delicious Chardonnay! (“Malo” = malolactic fermentation, a secondary ferment that converts firm malic acid to softer lactic acid, thus softening the wine.)
2008 J. Christopher Dundee Hills Cuvee Pinot Noir $30
The 2008 vintage is a blend of the best barrels from five excellent vineyard sites in the red Jory clay of the Dundee Hills AVA. The majority of the fruit is from Le Pavillon, an older vineyard planted in 1972. Abbey Ridge and Charlie’s Vineyard, two other great sites in the Dundee Hills, also contributed fruit. A few barrels from Bella Vida and from La Colina Vineyard also went into the blend. The wine spent 18 months in barrel, with 30% new French oak.
2008 J. Christopher Sandra Adele Pinot Noir $42
A nose of cherry perfume with a touch of violets. The palate is silky and supple, with flavors of bright red cherries, rose petals and a wee bit of sage or thyme. Mostly from the Abbey Ridge vineyard.
2008 J. Christopher Charlie’s Vineyard Pinot Noir $42
One of the great sites of the Dundee Hills this three-acre vineyard has produced great wine for us since 1996. Aromas of dark fruits, leather and earth with an expansive palate of even more dark fruit balanced by a harmonious structure of tannin and acidity. Super excellent.
2008 J. Christopher Le Pavillon Vineyard Pinot Noir $48
Power and grace personified. A highly concentrated wine with aromas of dark raspberries and violets. Big rich flavors of spicy black cherries and freshly-turned earth. Great acidity and tannin structure ensures this wine’s ability to age.
2006 J. Christopher Appassionata Pinot Noir $75 (bonus pour $5)
The 2006 Appassionata is 100 percent Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, blending fruit from Charlie’s vineyard and Abbey Ridge vineyard. The classic, earth-driven aromas of the Dundee Hills conjure up dark fruits with savory notes of lavender. Flavors of dusty black cherry are supported by excellent acidity and lovely depth.
Thanksgiving weekend wine visitors will receive a 10% case discount, including mixed cases.
click here for tasting hours and directions
Special Advice if You Visit 
Bundle up! It will be cold and wet out there in Oregon’s wine country (but it’ll be warm and “toasty” inside the winery).
Also please note that the winery is still under construction; we recommend wearing sensible shoes for walking on gravel.
Learn about Dr. L Riesling from the winemaker himself and enjoy the stunning footage of Mosel Valley vineyards. This is the first in a series, so stay tuned for more in the weeks to follow.
Whether you know a lot or a little about Riesling, this group of videos is terrific and worth watching. Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson’s Riesling Week is fun to watch. It will teach you a thing or two about Riesling, and the wine/food pairings will make you swoon.
(And when you watch the vids, don’t be surprised to see our own Ernie Loosen and Dr. Loosen Rieslings pop up now and then, as well as John Sarich, Culinary Director of our joint venture Eroica partner, Chateau Ste. Michelle.)
Click here to go to AndreaWine.com and then scroll down to click on the list of videos from Week 3 of Daily Tastings TV.
Here’s the list:
* Introduction to Riesling
* Episode 16 — Lunch & Learn: A Riesling Mini-Wine Course
* Episode 17 — Riesling Top Ten Blind Showdown
* Episode 18 — Riesling Master Class with John Sarich of Chateau Ste. Michelle
* Riesling Pairdown at Solage (part 1)
* Episode 19 — Riesling Pairings with John Sarich
* Riesling Pairdown at Solage (part 2)
Okay Dr. Loosen-Fan-Twitter-philes…here’s an event just for YOU.
Vino Goes Virtual
Four Seasons Hotel Austin Hosts First-Ever Wine Tasting Tweetup.
November 17
6 pm Central Standard Time
At a device near you.
On November 17, three top Four Seasons sommeliers will share their perfect holidays wine pairings via Twitter.
Featured wines will be:
* Dr. L Riesling (yay!)
* Paraiso Syrah
* Chappellet Mountain Cuvee
To attend on Twitter, you can pre-purchase the tasting wines and follow along using the hashtag #FSWine. (Just use the hashtag as a search word and include it in your own tweets to be part of the conversation.)
Our own Loosen Bros. VP Kirk Wille will be joining us in the Twitterverse, so here’s your chance to fire questions at him.
In Austin? Attend in Person!
And if you’re in Austin, you can attend the actual Tweetup in person at TRIO Wine Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Austin. Sommelier Mark Sayre will present the featured wines alongside Chef de Cuisine Todd Duplechan’s pairing of fall foods. The wine and food pairing is available for USD 18.00 per person, and no reservations are necessary.
Several other Four Seasons Hotels in other Eastern and Central US cities are hosting their own tweetups then, as well. Florida wine blogger and TV personality Matt Horbund (@mmWine2) of “A Good Time with Wine” says he’ll be attending the Tweetup at the Four Seasons Palm Beach.
Or, hey, go crazy and organize your own at-home Tweetup!
More deets on the Four Seasons website.
Ernie Loosen and Wilhelm Weil
Loosen Bros. VP Kirk Wille just texted these live-action pics of Ernie Loosen and Wilhelm Weil at the International Riesling Symposium at the Hotel Schloss Reinhartshausen, Rheingau, Germany.
Also at the symposium are wine stars Jancis Robinson, David Schildknecht and many other wine pros.
Looks like they’re having a great time, doesn’t it?
Here’s the word from Kirk on the tasting:
First Flight
Kiedrich Grafenberg Erstes Gewachs 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005
Second Flight
KG Erstes Gewachs 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 (first year for Erstes Gewaches (first growth) designation.
Third Flight
Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling “Cabinet” (the old spelling):
1949 (lovely), 1945 (deep), 1937 (perfect!), 1943 (very pure), 1917 (elegant, gorgeous). (The 1937 is Wilhelm Weil’s favorite vintage. Bright, clean, juicy with a gorgeously matured aroma.)
Fourth Flight
KG Spatlese 2002, 2001, 1998, 1996, 1990, 1988.
Fifth Flight
1981 Kabinett (classic), 1975 Spatlese (deep and full), 1971 (pure mineral), 1969 Spatlese (brilliant!), 1966 Spatlese (fine, sappy).
Matt Horbund of “A Good Time With Wine” came out to our new Ernie Loosen-Jay Somers joint venture J. Christopher Winery and Appassionata Vineyards in Newberg, Oregon, and did this great TV segment.
Check it out and, remember, the new winery will be open for tasting on Thanksgiving weekend.
Visit the new J. Christopher Winery this Thanksgiving weekend in Newberg, Oregon
This will be a great opportunity to taste the full range of J. Christopher Pinot Noirs from the much-acclaimed 2008 vintage, as well as white wines from 2009.
Open hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 26-28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tasting fee: $10
Location: 17150 NE Hillside Drive, Newberg, Oregon
Phone: 503-231-5094 (office); 503-554-9572 (winery)
Directions to the winery: please visit www.jchristopherwines.com/events
This is the 15th vintage for J. Christopher Wines (established by Jay Somers in 1996), but the first in the new winemaking facility, which is being built as part of a newly formed partnership between Ernie Loosen and Jay.
Pinot Fermenters at the new winery
For this year’s harvest, however, Jay was able to squeeze all of the barrels and fermentation vats into the barrel cellar space. Jay says: “Since all the barrels of 2009 are still at the old winery, we had enough space at the new place for this year’s production. But next year, when we will have two years’ worth of barrels in the cellar, we will definitely need the new fermentation area to be complete.”
The 2010 J. Christopher harvest team, sorting fruit.
Ernie says: “Our hope is that the estate vineyard will produce really excellent fruit and become the primary source for the special-selection ‘Appassionata’ Pinot Noir that Jay and I have been doing. The soils and location of the site are quite interesting, and we’ll be farming it very carefully, so we think it has good potential.”
Currently, all of the fruit for J. Christopher is sourced from other vineyards, primarily in the Dundee Hills AVA, but also from other areas of the Willamette Valley. This includes highly regarded vineyards such as Abbey Ridge, Le Pavillion, Bella Vida, Charlie’s Vineyard, La Colina and Croft.
Hope to see you at the new winery on Thanksgiving weekend!