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WTN: 97 Chaleur, 10 Sokol Blosser

PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:20 pm
by Jenise
We drank our last 1997 Delille Chaleur a few nights ago. Nose and palate of raspberry fruit with blueberries, herbs and dirt. The 97 hasn't stood up to time as well as other earlier 90's vintages did. It's not aging so much as fading away; the second glass was considerably less worthy than the first. Drink up!

Tried a 2010 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir from Oregon last night. Medium bodied with bright cherry fruit on the nose and palate with a vegetal, celery note. Tasted so much like the 99 Clos Pepe we had last week that Bob guessed he was drinking a 7-8 year old California pinot. When he got a no with that, he went to Burgundy. It's color, very mild tannins, persistent acidity and lack of sweetness certainly makes that assessment understandable; it's definitely un-Oregonian and very much a food wine at this point. We enjoyed it quite a bit, but it won't be popular with, say, Loring enthusiasts.

Re: WTN: 97 Chaleur, 10 Sokol Blosser

PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:47 pm
by Joy Lindholm
I have found that many of the 2010 Pinot Noirs from Oregon have an herbal/earthy Burgundian quality, especially when compared to the 2009s, which were much riper. The 2010-2011 vintages in Willamette have created some very unique Pinots, and what several producers are predicting to be quite age-worthy. I, for one, can't get enough of the 2010s (2011s still mostly too young to drink), and am excited to see how these evolve in a few years' time. Glad we stocked up on our trip last fall! :)

Re: WTN: 97 Chaleur, 10 Sokol Blosser

PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:04 pm
by JC (NC)
Jenise, I was just thinking that I need to purchase some Oregon Pinot Noir and was considering 2008 Sokol Blosser or Stoller. I had liked the 2006 Sokol Blosser. Some of the wines I was considering (including some from Argyle) were sold out in the library wines so I may look into 2010 vintages instead. Reviews were quite mixed on the ones I checked on CellarTracker.

Re: WTN: 97 Chaleur, 10 Sokol Blosser

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:13 pm
by Jenise
Joy, this was my first '10 Willamette wine and I'm looking forward to trying more.

Btw, I hope no one took my Loring comment to be condemning of that style. I love Loring's work too, but within the context of the fruitiness of American pinots a wine of his and this Sokol Blosser are opposites.

JC, I'm going to be buying some '10's too. I haven't had the '08, so can't offer any opinions other than to say I've never had a SB I didn't like. I bought these bottles at the Costco in Salem, btw. Weird experience: right there in the heart of Oregon wine country, the Costco had pretty much zilch for local pinots. The Sokol Blosser was the best they had and it's the bottom rung of the Sokol Blosser ladder pinots, all the others were the more mass produced industrial stuff. They had more Washington cabernet than they did Oregon pinot. Very odd.