The original OPP- Erath

"Grapes from the earth, wines from the heart." 

 

  

Those are the words you'll find on the back of this 2011 Erath Oregon Pinot Noir. 

 

I purchased this wine a while back from Safeway because I recalled how much I enjoyed Erath in the past. However, when I opened this one, something was different. It wasn't as earthy as I had remembered and was quite light.  It had a hint of cocoa, herbal tea and a tiny bit of earth on the nose but a dominant cherry taste. In fact, it was way too cherry for me and I had to look again to make sure this was indeed an Oregon Pinot.

 



Upon further research, I found that there are a few different collections of wines that Erath makes. The yellow label which I had purchased is part of the Oregon Collection which displays the Erath signature profile of being fruit-forward and being ideal for everyday drinking. The green label, the one I had enjoyed years ago, represents the Estate Collection which is a blend of Erath's finest lots chosen to highlight the best fruits from selected vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley each year. 

Suddenly, it all made sense.
I won't make the mistake of buying the gold label again. It wasn't terrible. It just wasn't the type of Oregon Pinot that I enjoy and while the Estate Selection Pinot is obviously more expensive, it's totally worth every penny.

 

 All was not lost though.

I made lamb ragu over tagliatelle pasta nests with fresh mozzarella for dinner.

 

 

The wine was tolerable with food. However, in order to completely "fix this wine, ya'll know what had to happen, right?

Yep, you got it!

 CHOCOLATE!

 

 

It just so happens that I stopped by Confections, my local cupcakery, and bought a four-pack of cupcakes on the way home from work. 

I ate the Triple Chocolate one with two glasses of this Erath wine.

Absolutely amazing how much better the wine was with the chocolate cupcake. 

 I still wouldn't buy this wine again, but rest assured, this bottle surely didn't go to waste!

 

 

 

The 1960s ushered in an era of winemaking adventurists in Oregon and the Willamette Valley lured a few young mavericks of which one was Dick Erath. Undeterred by the region’s cool climate, he  found the region had a striking similarity to France's Burgundy, most notably Pinot Noir.  In 1969, he planted his first Pinot Noir grapes in the heart of the Willamette Valley, in the Dundee Hills.. Throughout the 1980s, the Oregon wine industry blossomed.

Erath is known as one of Oregon's wine pioneers and it has been said he is as tenacious in his approach to Pinot Noir as the Pinot grape is stubborn. After graduating from UC-Davis in California in 1968, Erath moved into an unheated logger's cabin on 49 acres and made it his home as well as serving as an ad hoc winery for many years. The next spring he planted Dundee Hill's first wine grapes, 23 varieties in fact, and Pinot Noir flourished!  A year before I was born (that would be 1972), he produced Erath's first commercial wine of 216 cases and became the first official wine producer in the Dundee Hills. Erath's obsession with French varietals made him test non-California clones and he was soon instrumental in importing French clones to Oregon two years later.  In 1976, Erath broke ground on the first winery in this area of Oregon and thanks to his successful 1982 Pinot Noir vintage, he inspired other winemakers to move to Oregon!

 

While I may not be a fan of this collection, I can't deny the history behind Erath. If it wasn't for Dick Erath though, Oregon may not even have Pinot Noir. For that alone, I am thankful.

 

If you enjoy a delicate Pinot with a bright cherry taste, you'll enjoy this classic Erath.

Kudos to Erath, the original OPP, Oregon Pinot Pioneer!