The weather in Portland is bright and sunny, bone dry and really, really cold. Makes me feel like I was back in the midwest. So I can’t think of a better time to offer this particular wine, a wine guaranteed to put your mind on warmer things. On top of that, I’ve been fielding emails from a few Californians who have been giving me a good-natured hard time about not offering more wines from their home state. So allow me to kill two wine birds with one bottle by presenting you with a rather amazing deal.
2005 St. Clement Vineyards (Napa Valley) Oroppas (65.00 at the winery)
As I gazed out my office window yesterday afternoon I found myself longing for someplace warmer. Someplace in the land where I was born, someplace on a beach in southern California. While I was California dreaming an email arrived with a rather compelling offer. At first I almost deleted the email. A big, creamy red wine from a winery that I associated with megacorporations? No way! So I sent a polite refusal back to my sales rep, along with a snarky comment about the wine. Then my dogma bluff was called and I was asked to taste the wine in question. I didn’t want to like this wine as my memories of St. Clement revolved around corporate buyouts by Saporro and Beringer. For god’s sake, the wine’s name is “Saporro” spelled backwards. And I’ve been told if you say it slowly, it kind of sounds like “our Opus.” But I’m retailer enough to admit when I’m wrong. I flat out enjoyed drinking this wine!
There’s a lot to admire about St. Clement’s history. The land where the winery now rests was originally owned by Charles Krug. But in the early 1870s the Krug family needed a capital infusion for their winery empire plans, so this property was sold off to Frederick Henry “Fritz” Rosenbaum. After a wine cellar and mansion were constructed, Fritz and his two sons began making Riesling and Zinfandel. Over the next 100 plus years, under the direction of various families, St. Clement produced many notable wines and developed a reputation as one of the state’s top producers. Perhaps it was this strong historical record that made them an attractive target for folks like Saporro and then Beringer. It was this modern history of being bought out by Saporro and Beringer that gave me pause when thinking about this wine. But I’m glad I got a chance to drink it, otherwise I would have missed out on a great wine.
Even though St. Clement is no longer family owned, they have a talented winemaker from a great wine family. Danielle Cyrot is the winemaker in question and Danielle’s great-, great-grandfather was the last in a long line of ancestors who owned the Cyrot vineyard in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. He donated the land to the Hospice du Beaune after losing his son (Danielle’s great-grandfather) in World War I and fittingly, there is still a Pommard Cyrot cuvee from this property sold in the Hospice du Beaune auction each year. Danielle’s grandfather moved to Paris, where her father was later born. Her father eventually moved to the U.S., and during studies at California Institute of Technology, Danielle’s parents met and settled in California. Danielle is only in her early 30s, but she has already racked up numerous awards and has garnered a lot of attention in the wine world. Her goal is to join Old World winemaking techniques and philosophies with California soil and fruit. If this wine is any indication, I have to start drinking more St. Clement wines.
OK, on to the wine. The Oroppas is mainly made of Cabernet Sauvignon, with little bits of Merlot and Petit Verdot thrown in for good measure. And the fruit came from some pretty nice sources. Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards on Diamond and Howell Mountain, as well as Mount Veeder, contributed to the blend along with valley floor Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford and St. Helena. The Merlot came from the Star Vineyard in Rutherford. Ms. Cyrot aged each lot separately in fifty percent new French oak barrels for nineteen months and blended them together before bottling. It’s a heady combination and luckily the wine lives up to its pedigree.
The Orropas is the wine world’s Adam Lambert. It is flamboyant to be sure. It also doesn’t care what anybody thinks of its style or taste in mascara. But behind all that flamboyance is a solid voice, one that no matter how much you hate American Idol and all it stands for, you can’t help but listen to. You see the label and the made up name and you want to keep on cruising down the aisle. But then refrains of “Mad World” pull you back into its black Cabernet and Petit Verdot cloak. Surrender. I won’t judge you.
The first whiff from my glass made me think about warm pie coming out of my grandmother Marge’s oven. Aromas like blueberry compote, raspberry jam and a Cadbury’s Curly Wurly chocolate bar fly up your nose and head straight to the part of your brain that regulates pleasure. “This is not Pinot,” I cried. But I was hooked. I actually gulped the first sip because I had lost my sense of restraint. A series of flavors like black cherry, black raspberry, black pepper and chocolate went up and down my palate like an elevator in a crack house. The palate is wet and silky, reminding me of that first glorious head-long journey down a slippery slide. I felt so dirty after drinking the first two glasses, I saved some for dinner so that food might temper its hedonism. Boy was that a good idea. This wine, when paired with a a pair of dry-aged ribeyes will make you want to do bad things.
This was such an “over the top” experience that I have waited a day to write about it. Since then I was actually relieved to learn that other folks had a similar reaction. Robert Parker gave the Oroppas 91 points and wrote, “St. Clement’s proprietary red, the 2005 Oroppas, is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with small quantities of Merlot and Petit Verdot included in the blend. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by notes of licorice, black currants, cedar, bay leaves, and toast. Ripe, round, medium to full-bodied, and opulent, it should drink well for 10-15 years.” And when Parker uses the “o-word,” well, Katy bar the door! Even more restrained palates, like Stephen Tanzer for instance, observed that the Oroppas had “pure strawberry and raspberry aromas. Supple and fairly rich, with red fruit flavors complicated by spices, leather, earth and smoke. The pliant finish features sweet tannins. This boasts very good fruit but comes across as a tad lower-toned than some recent vintages, with more secondary aromas.” And somewhere in between, James Laube of the Wine Spectator scored it at 90 points and observed the wine to be rich and creamy up front, with lively currant, vanilla-scented oak, herb and blackberry notes that firm up nicely on the finish, giving it backbone and traction.”
2005 was a very nice vintage in the Napa Valley and the Oroppas is a very nice representative of the style of winemaking that seeks to offer maximum pleasure when the bottle is opened. Is this wine big and creamy? Yes. Is there a new oak regime at work here? Yes. Is it a well made wine for the style? Absolutely. On a cold winter evening, in the company of some good beef, it was perfect. This wine is sold for 65.00 as a library release at St. Clement Vineyards. According to Wine Searcher the national average price for the Oroppas is 48.00 and even in the winery’s own backyard it sells at places like K&L for 45.00. But here at Storyteller Wine Company the per bottle price is 39.00. If you go for a six-pack you can get the per bottle price down to 36.00. Need to give holiday gifts? Have a party coming up? Then consider buying a case to get the per bottle price down to 30.00! Welcome to the Hotel California. At these prices, you can afford to stretch out and stay awhile.
Friday Night Beer (and Riesling) Tasting, Dec. 11, 6:00-9:00PM: Rick Allen at Storyteller!
This Friday night we finally get a chance to welcome master brewer Rick Allen to the shop. Rick is the genius behind the German-style lagers that are made at his Heaeter-Allen Brewery and they are just about the only beers I’ll sell. This Friday Rick will be pouring samples of his Bobtoberfest, Sandy Paws, Pils, Dunkel and Schwarz alongside some delicious appetizers. The appetizers are being prepared by Chef Luisa Neumann of In Good Taste fame and her lineup looks fantastic. There will be no fee for this tasting. But just in case that’s not enough, we plan on offering up a “super pour” that reflects one of Rick’s other passions, Riesling. So there will be a “super pour” of something truly remarkable from the great German Riesling producer Clemens Busch. This is the kind of Riesling that doesn’t get opened very often, so I hope you can drop by to check it out!
Sunday December 20, 5:00-8:00PM at Storyteller Wine Company: It’s a Wonderful Cameron Life.
If Storyteller was a sitcom, this would be our holiday episode. John Paul, the wry and witty winemaker/owner at Cameron Winery will be here in person to pour samples of the Abbey Ridge Chardonnay, Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir, Clos Electrique Blanc and Clos Electrique Rouge. After the regular portion of the tasting, our guests will be free to mingle and enjoy floating free pours of 2008 Cameron Dundee Hills Chardonnay and 2007 Cameron Dundee Hills Pinot Noir. There will also be catered appetizers specifically designed to pair with John Paul’s wines. There will also be an opportunity to buy all the Cameron wines that night at very special prices. So if you need to buy a holiday gift for yourself or others, that’s the night to be at Storyteller. This event is by ticket only and tickets are 25.00 each. We are limiting the event to 36 guests, so I wouldn’t wait too long to email or call to reserve your places. Oh yes, there are a few other things happening that night. Five of our guests will walk away with a very nice parting gift. John Paul has also generously agreed to bring a few magnums of some older Cameron wines from his private library. I’ve also heard Brianne talking about some naughty elf outfit, whatever that may entail.
Saturday Wine Tasting, Dec. 12, 12:00-5:00PM: Bordeaux!
Nuff said. It’s rosbif wine time. No charge.
Cheers,
Michael Alberty
Head Storyteller
PS St. Clement is the patron saint of stonecutters and mariners. So all you Seattle baseball fans should buy a bottle or two. Given the nature of your team, they can use all the psychic help you can afford to throw in their direction!
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5511-B SW Hood Ave, Portland | (503) 206-7029 | 1.800.753.2531
