Oregon Wine Concierge 9-28-10

2008 PONZI PINOT NOIR RESERVE
The Ponzi Pinot Noir Reserve is finally back on our shelves. As you know, this is the rarest Pinot Noir in our portfolio every year. A product of the highly anticipated 2008 vintage, it is remarkably lush & creamy with loads of spice layered into the mix. Our Abetina Vineyard always makes up the backbone of this wine, lending an amazing array of complexity. Planted in 1975 on a tiny two acre block, it’s planted to 20 clones of Pinot Noir; this was one of a few clonal test sites commissioned by Oregon State University in the early days of the industry. As the story goes, the university contacted Dick Ponzi as he was already farming in the area that they intended to plant this vineyard. He agreed to put the vines in the ground and needless to say, they thrived! In the early 80’s, the Ponzi family was presented with an opportunity to purchase the Abetina Vineyard. Ever since, it’s been a treasured vineyard in our portfolio. It is what makes this wine so spectacular year in, year out! The only down side to the 2008 vintage is that most Willamette Valley producers were down 20% from normal yields and we were sadly not spared. In short, this wine, along with our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir will likely be sold out before Thanksgiving.
$60/Btl, $648/Case, which includes a 10% case discount

2008 AYOUB VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
What more can we say about Mo Ayoub? His flagship Ayoub Vineyard Pinot Noir has been one of our favorite wines every year since the first release in 2004. As of this morning the 2008 is about 6 cases away from selling out, so if you’d like more, shoot us an e-mail or call us ASAP. It will be long gone by the beginning of next week!
$52/Btl, $561.60/Case, which includes a 10% case discount

2009 AYOUB MENOIRS PINOT NOIR
Some of you also fell in love with a project that he launched in 2007 called Memoirs. The label was an adorable picture of young Mo Ayoub with his siblings and cousins on an idyllic beach enjoying a family vacation. With his next release, 2009, the picture is of his mother and father, dressed to the nines at a café wasting away an afternoon. It’s a very personal touch to one of the best value Pinot Noirs in America, hands down! The vineyard sources are remarkable, primarily from the Dundee Hills, with a smidge of the fruit coming from his winemakers’ vineyard in the McMinnville foothills. Wonderful & refreshing acidity with tons of richly textured fruit framed in with silky tannins. The 2009 Memoirs is destined to age easily for 12-15 years! Stock up and enjoy some in the near future and watch it unfold over the next decade.
$32/Btl – $345.60/Case, includes a 10% case discount

Cheers!
Andrew Turner