Hello, Feastlings.
Rather than write an intro to this month’s Last Sunday wine tasting, I’ll paste this from the OregonLive.com website: “In the early 2000s, Oregon wine country’s brightest rising star was Jimi Brooks, a restless world traveler with a magnetic personality, a large group of close friends and a weakness for Moto Guzzi motorcycles, Unimog lorries and vintage Land Rovers. With his strapping physique, wicked sense of humor and twinkling blue eyes, Brooks was like a leprechaun trapped in the body of a grizzly bear. His enthusiasm was so infectious that he inspired other Oregon vintners to join him in producing riesling and practicing biodynamic farming and winemaking.
Then, he died suddenly, of an aortic aneurism. Brooks was just 38 years old. He left behind an 8-year-old son, Pascal. And it was harvest time.
A dozen local vintners snapped into action. As they mourned, they harvested Brooks’ fruit and vinified it on behalf of their friend. Then, without realizing what she was getting into, Jimi’s sister, Janie Brooks Heuck, took over her deceased brother’s winemaking business, thinking that her young nephew, Pascal, could someday run it.”
Here’s a trailer for the documentary made about Brooks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfNCxSQpyuQ
Now, ten years later, the winery follows in the footsteps of Jimi’s legacy, and as luck would have it, the wines are both delicious and uniquely suited to Thanksgiving, Want to taste them? Please reserve a place at the tasting by calling 326-9363. The tasting is this Sunday, October 30, at 3:30 pm and will offer foods paired with each wine. It’s $30 plus tax and tip, and web and email reservations won’t hold you a seat. We hope you can join us.
Brooks
2012 Brooks “Ara” Riesling, Willamette Valley $29.00
Mouth coating viscosity, ethereal texture, delicious with bright acidity. This Riesling is stunning both for the clean precision and also for the structure and depth of the perfectly ripe fruit. A slight nuttiness similar to the nose with toasted almonds, hazelnut and macadamia, with ripe fruit flavors of pear, red apple and melon. I love the texture of this wine. It has forward fruit and lushness, but also a clean refreshing bright finish.
2015 Brooks “Amycas” Field Blend, Willamette Valley $18.00
Smells like opening up an orange, with intense floral notes of honeysuckle and jasmine. Beautiful, bright citrus; lemon, tangerine, and nectarine. You can really smell the exotic tropical fruit aromas of passionfruit, papaya and lychee, brought to you from the Muscat and Gewurtztraminer, which also add a ginger like spice high note, like cinnamon sprinkled on apple sauce. Youthful and lively on the palate. An elegant blend where all components compliment each other creating a perfectly balanced final bottle of wine. Rich and juicy, amazing tension of sweet and sour, texturally plump, yet light on its feet with bouncy acidity. Bravo on a fantastic and hard to achieve cuvee.
2014 Brooks Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley $18.00
A veritable fruit salad in the nose, with cantaloupe, grapefruit, apples, pears and nectarine. Hints of potpourri, lychee, rose petal, orange peel and cold cream. Plenty of ripe fruit in the mouth, with white peach, kumquat, kiwi and nectarine. Rich and vibrant, lush and fruity with a slight taste of fresh herbs, like tarragon and chervil. Medium bodied, with moderate acidity, it finishes long and fruity with lychee nut and perfume.
2013 Brooks Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley $18.00
Lovely classic perfumed nose of potpourri, white roses and lychee syrup. Very pretty nose of white flower, melon, snap peas, pear and white peach and aromas of citrus flowers in full bloom. Ginger spice as well as cumin and masala. The texture is generous and mouth coating with rich, ripe fruits and a finish of fresh ginger and indian spices. Full and fat ripe melon, white peach and pear, finishing with gorgeous floral notes and a bright verve of snappy acidity. What a wonderful wine both as an aperitif or to finish with fruit and cheese.
2014 Brooks Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $29.00
A beautiful perfumed nose of rich cherry jam, Thanksgiving cranberries with grated orange peel, morel mushrooms and black truffle. A wonderful high note of black tea, leather and potpourri. The wine is so luscious in the mouth, coating the palate with rich, dark cherry, warm raspberry, red currant and black plum. There is a wonderful earthiness of portabella mushrooms on the grill, roasted vegetables, bacon fat and smoked meats. This Pinot finishes with ripe fruit, earth and complexity and a hint of tomato leaf and earthiness. Just delicious!
2012 Brooks “Janus” Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $39.00
Root beer, bacon, blackberry, dark fruits, smoked meat, rose petal, plum and damson cherry. This wine has such a beautiful perfume! Clove and Chinese five spice over a lush mouthfeel of ripe cherry, red plum and strawberry. The Janus is rich and full bodied, fruit forward with round velvety plushness and a finish of bright acidity and ripe red fruits. This is a hedonistic pleasure and absolutely a pleasure to drink.