Cellar report: 2002 Evesham Wood "Cuvée J" Pinot Noir

Timing is everything. Sometime you're a little late. Other times you are dead on perfect. Then there are times you wish you hadn't been in such a rush, because the realization smacks you between the eyes...or in this case the palate.. that if you had waited just a little longer, say four years or so, the rewards would have been so much sweeter. Such was the case of the bottle of 2002 Evesham Wood "Cuvée J" Pinot Noir I opened a few weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad by any stretch, in fact it was incredible, but I knew, as soon as I took that first sip, that true sublime satisfaction lay somewhere in the future.

Here's some quick facts: #1)- 2002 was a great vintage for Oregon pinot noir. Classic. Stellar. The best wines will easily last ten+ years; #2- Evesham Wood is one of the premier producers of Oregon pinot, and former Owner Russ Raney's pinots always need time to show their best, especially in a vintage like 2002; #3)- what the fuck was I thinking taking this to dinner when I knew it was still on the upswing?? I think it was ego that got the better of me this time (again).

What occasioned this was w and I were invited by my sister and bro-in-law to have dinner at Beaker & Flask with her and her friend and super forager-locavore Hank Shaw, who was in town on his book tour, and Hank's huntress girlfriend Holly Heyser (Hank is this dude who is really a great guy, and also someone who will never, ever, go hungry. He just did a tweet about wandering around his hotel block in whatever town he was staying in talking about all the edible plants he saw. Plus Holly was pretty bad ass, too, as she whipped out her freaking hunting knife at the restaurant table we were sharing to show how she could trim a piece of meat off the bone. Two...well, three...things immediately popped into my mind: I wish I was sitting across the table from her instead of six inches away, and please god don't let me say the wrong thing and piss this woman off, because I was pretty sure she could kill me in any number of ways with any number of implements that she probably had on here right now). Anyway, back at home before leaving for dinner I thought "I'll show him some locavoracious drinking" and went foraging in my basement for some Oregon grape based pleasure. I'd been holding this bottle of EW "J" for years, and even as I was carrying it up the stairs and out to the car I was thinking to myself, "are you sure you want to do this?" I had plenty of other choices, but as usual ignored my better judgement. The bottom line on this wonderful wine was that it was super pretty, with Raney's tell-tale cherries, plums and spice. There are "Cuvée J"'s earthy notes, and delicate floral scents in abundance on the nose and the palate. Russ was so, so freakishly good at his craft. Instead of oak and over-ripeness, he just let his pinot do what it lives to do, which is express it's pretty, feminine side. Really fabulous pinot noir here, as good as it gets in Oregon. But the tannins were still a little tight, and the acidity vibrantly fresh meaning it had years to go. Still, it was an awesome bottle. Fruit, texture, and especially this lingering finish that was just.....wow! Still (and here I insert a pathetic "poor me" moment after having this actually quite wonderful wine experience), I can't help but think what might have been........

Cellar Report

I know the focus is on food here, but what do we have with food more often other than a bottle of wine? Let me answer that for you who need to have the obvious overstated...NOTHING! Just reading about food without knowing what to drink with it is like test driving that new Benzo without checking out the stereo or A/C. Remember knowledge is power gang.

Here at the wine shack I get asked all the time, "How long will this wine last?", and the answer I give is "At least as long as it takes for your credit card to clear." Okay, maybe that isn't my answer, but knowing how long you can cellar a wine is kind of an esoteric subject, so every now and then when I pull something out of the archives, I'll give a little report on how it's showing.

Last night was a beautiful, warm spring evening here in Portland, so w and I fired up the grill for some grass-fed beef cheeseburgers off the Weber. We had just been talking about different kinds of wines we liked, and w had mentioned her preference for good Oregon pinot noir. I had just rearranged the collection, and had a few things that were ready to go, and because I only want for the happiness of others I grabbed a bottle of 1998 Evesham Wood "Seven Springs Vineyard" Pinot Noir for the table. The last time I had this particular wine was about two+ years ago at a restaurant in NYC, and then it was okay, but still very acidic and a bit lean, so I didn't know what to expect. All I can say is what a difference 795 days can make. This has developed into a classic bottle of Oregon noir. EW's pinots are always delicate, more feminine wines, and owner Russ Raney never loads on, thankfully, a lot of new wood. He lets the fruit do the talking, which too many wine makers, in search of high scores, forget to do. When first in the glass, it was a bit smoky and cherryish, and that tart acidity I didn't like last time had integrated into the fruit perfectly. As it sat open it just opened up more and more, and after an hour or so, it was showing loads of sweet, strawberry and slightly peppery, minerally fruit, hints of earthiness just peeking out, with a velvety, long finish. If Russ had been one of those guys who loads on the new wood on top of overripe fruit, which like I said is all the rage, this wouldn't have been near so good going on ten years old. Really great wine, and I'm glad I have one more bottle, which I'll probably let rest comfortably for another couple of years. I love it when it works out like that!

By the way, if you have some bottles in your basements that you're wondering how they might be drinking, feel free to send them to me and I'll let you know! No? Well, then feel free to leave a comment with your question(s) and I'll answer back here and give you my semi-educated opinion. I'm all about love and information at Eat.Drink.Think., so take advantage!