11 Jun Just for fun – 2009 Beaux Frères Upper Terrace Pinot Noir & 2011 Quilceda Creek Red

This will be a wild week in the Pat The Wine Guy household.  In the next seven days, we have two birthdays, a graduation, Father’s Day and we’re hosting a dinner party.  Faced with that daunting schedule and desperate for fortification, we raided our cellar, grabbing two splurge  bottles for a Sunday evening treat.  Thought we’d let you in on the fun.

While we absolutely love these wines, these are not our normal PTWG recommendations.  They do not fall into our $15-$30 window.  Also, it’s highly unlikely you could find either in a store or shop around Portland.

Disclaimers be damned, let’s talk about the wine.  The 2009 Beaux Frères Upper Terrace Pinot Noir is upper-echelon Oregon pinot noir at its finest.  Rich, deep and smooth, its strawberry/cherry flavors are dialed in so well.  Is it the best pinot I’ve ever tasted?  Not sure, but it’s definitely in the top five.

The  2011 Columbia Valley Red is Quilceda Creek’s “entry level” wine.  All entry level wines should taste as good.  Predominately cabernet, this Bordeaux blend is a fantastic balance of fruit and tannins.  I have not tasted Quilceda Creek’s more expensive offerings.  But after sampling their “generic” red, I plan to take out a second mortgage so I can purchase a couple of their higher-end bottles.

Make no mistake:  the Beaux Frères pinot and Quilceda Creek red are definitely aspirational, special occasion wines.  Both of these specific wines/vintages are scarce if not flat-out N/A in Portland-area stores & shops.  The good news:  their latest vintages are available (various versions of both) around town if you look hard enough.  (Zupan’s and Bale’s Thriftway should have both brands.  Fred Meyer/Safeway?  Maybe.  Depends on the specific store/steward.)   Anything by Beaux Frères or Quilceda Creek is worth seeking out.  So now all you have to do is rob a bank…