Bachus Athena & Apollo

Busted! Been a month since I posted! Okay so I was off having a late summer full of wine, food, & fun. And while Bachus may be the God of wine and good times, I ran into a few others of the Pantheon while enjoying my time and wines...

Boedecker Cellars Athena 2004 Pinot Noir – This beautiful Pinot Noir aptly carries the name of the Greek goddess of Beauty. It also carries the name of the song of the same title by the Who - which was mentioned more than once during this tasting while enjoying this somehow contradictory, but aligned, powerful yet sultry and delicate Pinot Noir. While actually named after one of the vintners it is truly a lovely Pinot Noir, which fixed me with its allure. It had colors of deep ruby red with rose highlights and the moment I put the glass near to my nose I smelled bacon fat, smoke, and earth. As I waited scents of dark cherries and geranium arose more to the front. The initial scents surprised me and definitely intensified my interest. The palate may have surprised me even more with a full but delicate mouth-feel that was so round and well put together. Freshly picked dark cherries were the most pronounced flavor to me but with a nice sultry alcohol lift and tasty smoked earth notes towards the finish. It had very nice acidity as well that lasted long and pressed far back on the tongue. The balance of this wine was the topic of some conversation as well as it was so good and straight – like walking a long tight rope but with more thrill than fear. I was very fortunate to have this wine, as it is in very scarce suplly! I learned a lesson here, when I held off on placing an order for just a few days finding that none remained through that initial outlet. It again had me recall the song by the Who - Athena, I had no idea how much I’d need her. My life has been so settled and she’s the reason…
If you find this wine, this is a rare case where I will recommend buy on locating. You wont find it at a tasting likely; it’s a stunner and at a really reasonable cost for what it is. $$

Ermita VeraCruz 2005 Verdejo - Have you not had the Verdejo (Vayr-Day-Hoe) varietal of Spain before? Well I think you are missing out! This version of this white wine is a last gasp of summer to complement the few sunny warm days we've still managed. The description couldn't have come to me more easily with the Vera Cruz. It was citrusy lemon and filtered sun streaks through groves of trees touched by the fingers of Apollo. Full of lemon and some other citrus in the nose I couldn't quite get a hold of, but with a dry warm whiff that was almost dusty grassy scented. Bright yellow lemons swirled with other citrus, and lemon grass ran around the mouth which then met with a pith taste... there running back until finish an aftertaste of white minerally rocks such as limestone or white gravel. It was bold, racy, and bright and I could easily visualize the hand of Apollo picking only the very best fruit for his own. Best of all its an affordable end to summer. And heck its so good I might open in the middle of winter just to get some summer glow and chase away any Oregon cabin fever. Run through the groves ye children of Apollo. $