The Hedonistic Taster | № 32 | Chapter 24 Vineyards – Willamette Valley, OR.
by L.M. Archer, FWS | Bourgogne + Champagne ML
A Tasse de dégustiation, or tastevin, is a silver tasting cup used by vignerons and negociants in Burgundy to taste wines. Most are presented as christening gifts at birth.
" data-orig-size="289,175" sizes="(max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px" data-image-title="tastevin" data-orig-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/imgres.jpg" style="border:0;height:auto;max-width:100%;clear:both;display:block;margin:5px auto 10px;border-radius:2px;vertical-align:middle;" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-medium-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/imgres.jpg?w=289" data-permalink="https://binnotes.com/2016/04/10/the-hedonistic-taster-%e2%84%96-1/imgres-4/" alt="Tastevin" srcset="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/imgres.jpg 289w, https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/imgres.jpg?w=150 150w" class="size-full wp-image-13244 aligncenter" data-large-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/imgres.jpg?w=289" />“Wine should not be regarded simply as a beverage, but as an art of living, a pleasure.” – Henri Jayer
Today’s Tasting: Chapter 24 Vineyards | Willamette Valley, OR.
Chapter 24 Vineyards owns Witness Tree Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
" data-orig-size="3024,3024" title="Ch 24 - Witness Tree" data-image-title="Ch 24 – Witness Tree" data-orig-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/ch-24-witness-tree.jpg" style="width: 346px; height: 346px;" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" height="346" width="346" data-medium-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/ch-24-witness-tree.jpg?w=300" data-original-height="346" alt="A view from the top of Witness Tree Vineyard in Salem, OR. Image: ©2017 L.M.Archer." data-original-width="346" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1501259540","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.00032299741602067","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-large-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/ch-24-witness-tree.jpg?w=700" /> A view from the top of Witness Tree Vineyard in Salem, OR. Image: ©2017 L.M.Archer.
Chapter 24 Vineyards produces small lot, exquisitely calibrated ultra-premium pinot noir for only the most discerning palates.
" data-orig-size="3024,3024" title="Ch 24 soils" data-image-title="Ch 24 soils" data-orig-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/ch-24-soils.jpg" style="width: 346px; height: 346px;" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" height="346" width="346" data-medium-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/ch-24-soils.jpg?w=300" data-original-height="346" alt="Chapter 24 Vineyards winemaker Felipe Ramirez points out color-coded maps of Witness Tree Vineyard developed by international terroir specialist Pedro Parra ." data-original-width="346" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1501259593","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.00019798059790141","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-large-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/ch-24-soils.jpg?w=700" /> Chapter 24 Vineyards winemaker Felipe Ramirez points out color-coded maps of Witness Tree Vineyard developed by international terroir specialist Pedro Parra .The story of Chapter 24 Vineyards is a story about coming full circle, a story that begins and ends in Oregon’s bucolic Willamette Valley, but at its heart straddles France and Chile.
A cross-continental collaboration featuring Burgundian consulting winemaker Comte Louis-Michel Liger-Belair of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair in Vosne-Romanée, Chilean winemaker Felipe Ramirez, and LA producer-turned wine impresario Mark Tarlov, the project centers around producing small-lot, ultra-premium pinot noir that reflect a distinctive ‘sense of place,’ or terroir.
Much like a fingerprint, each ‘block’ or site contains its own sensorial imprint discernible through meticulously calibrated mapping devised by international terroir specialist Pedro Parra.
The name “Chapter 24” refers to Homer’s final chapter of his epic “The Odyssey.” The wine’s name “The Fire” Pinot Noir nods to Willamette Valley’s volcanic basalt soil, while the wine label contains a rose and arrow, symbols of “The Odyssey’s” catalysts – women and war.
As Chapter 24 Vineyards advises “Our wines are for those of thinking age.” Indeed. Get your drinking caps on for this one.
Chapter 24 Vineyards of Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a collaboration between Burgundy’s Comte Liger-Belair of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair and former Evening Land founder and wine impresario Mark Tarlov.
" data-orig-size="470,375" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-image-title="2015Fire" data-orig-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/2015fire.jpg" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" width="300" data-medium-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/2015fire.jpg?w=300&h;=239" data-permalink="https://binnotes.com/2017/12/04/the-hedonistic-taster-%e2%84%96-32-chapter-24-vineyards-willamette-valley-or/2015fire/" alt="" height="239" srcset="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/2015fire.jpg?w=300&h;=239 300w, https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/2015fire.jpg?w=150&h;=120 150w, https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/2015fire.jpg 470w" class="size-medium wp-image-17891" data-large-file="https://binnotes.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/2015fire.jpg?w=470" />The Fire 2015 Pinot Noir, Chapter 24 Vineyards, Willamette Valley, OR.Wine: The Fire Pinot Noir – Willamette Valley
Vintage: 2015
Alcohol: 13.5%
Suggested Retail: $60 (NOTE: Only 300 cases produced.)
Link to Producer Specs.
TASTING NOTES
Robe: Luminous ruby robe.
Nose: Dark cherry, floral, basalt.
Palate: Blackberry, black plum, black currant bouche, light body, tannins+, seamless structure, supple body, textural thruline, thoughtful finish.
Suggested Pairings: Fire, hot. Antonio Banderas in a bottle…
A smoldering, dark-lidded pour with an undercurrent of tensile dramatics, sparks may fly when paired with well-rested entrecôte and roasted root vegetables.
Rating: 93
❧
Link here to find out more about Chapter 24 Vineyards.
Chapter 24 Vineyards | 531 OR-99W, Dundee, OR 97115 | 503.487.6341
By appointment only.
Author’s Note:
In November, I visited Comte Liger-Belair at his estate in Vosne-Romanée. His estate contains some of Burgundy’s most illustrious grand crus and climats, an estate also informed by the work of Pedro Parra. In a ‘full-circle’ story moment, tasting the wines of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair book-ended tasting through Chapter 24 barrels with Felipe Ramirez last July. In both instances, a purity of expression carried through, reflective of site and vintage.
Look for more on my tour of Oregon vignerons’ Burgundian cellars in the February 2018 issue of Oregon Wine Press.
Link here to find out more about Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair.
Learn more about international terroir specialist Pedro Parra here.
Link here for more Hedonistic Taster.
Always great to hear from you in the comments below, and on social media.
Cheers!
Copyrighted 2017 L.M. Archer | binNotes. All Rights Reserved.
