Yours Truly is on THE LIST
I got home tonight from a decent dinner (jerk chicken and coconut rice) and found a few wine-related letters of interest waiting for me:
- A postcard advertising “Dundee Hills…For the Love of Wine!” On Saturday, February 10, Archery Summit, Domaine Serene, and Domaine Drouhin all throw open their doors for this special event, which involves pairing chocolate with wine at Archery Summit and Domaine Serene. At Domaine Drouhin, you can try some DDO wines with some Maison Joseph Drouhin wines direct from Burgundy. Each event is $20 and at DDO you get your own etched Riedel glass. I have 2 already and we have plans for that weekend, so I can’t go…but it sounds great!
- I got a Siduri Wines mailer advertising their three new Pinot Noir releases, all of which are 2005 vintage wines. I have tried a Siduri Pisoni but I want to try a couple other wines from their massive stable, particularly their Hirsch Vineyard release.
- I also received word from Domaine Drouhin regarding my membership in their exclusive DDO Direct Wine Club. It seems the 2004 vintage featured delicious fruit and reduced volumes, although I will still get my 3 bottles of 2004 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley. I think it’s smart that they are just now releasing their 2004 vintage wine when some of their neighbors have already released their 2005 vintage wines a couple of months ago! Now that’s patient.
But the best letter came from Williams-Selyem. I have apparently outlived some other members of their mailing list and have been officially added to “THE LIST,” as they call it. THE LIST is not a wine club, it’s a twice-yearly mailing to a specific set of people who are able to purchase wine direct from Williams-Selyem. I am incredibly excited about being a member!
I realize that Williams-Selyem is hardly an affordable wine choice, but their Pinot Noirs are excellent. I have had only one W-S wine before, a 1997 Coastlands Pinot Noir made from grapes sourced from David and Diane Cobb’s Coastlands Vineyard (tip of the hat to Haeger for that nugget of information). I had this to say about the wine several months ago:
- Aroma: Cherry, cedar, slightly earthy/forest floor essence, red/black fruit in good harmony.
- Flavor: Incredibly smooth, perfect mesh of tannic activity and acid, almost impenetrably complex.
- Overall impression: Wow. A special treat. The last bottle they had; their master sommelier was quite impressed when I asked for this one.
Getting on THE LIST takes time. They have a waiting list to join THE LIST. Part of joining THE LIST means I get a letter of congratulations and a two-page description of their policies and procedures, most of which exhorts you to buy quickly once you receive your offer letter.
I think it’s cool that the current owner of W-S, John Dyson, is also customer number 2,080. The winemaker, Bob Cabral, is customer number 576. That means I am probably customer number 645,322. But at least I’m on THE LIST!
POSTSCRIPT: My favorite typo of the day comes from the Williams-Selyem Web site. The page describing their Forchini Vineyard Zinfandel says, “The Feeney Vineyard Zinfandel was aged in neutral Francois Freres French oak barrels for 164 months.” I see two problems here…is it Forchini or Feeney Vineyard? And do they really age their Zinfandel for over 13 years before releasing it? That’s Rioja territory! This comment is all in good fun, of course. I make my share of typos on this site and I’d hate to have them pointed out to me. Mostly they occur because I type very fast and I use an ancient IBM clicky keyboard that can’t always keep up with me….