Belle Pente

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Saina Nieminen

Saina Nieminen
It is rare to see US wines here so I'm always happy to try them on the rare occasions I see them. A friend flew over from America's west coast and brought a Belle Pente Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2001 from Oregon's Willamette Valley. What was surprising was how youthful this seemed: still a bit of noticeable oak, quite sweet fruit aromas; smooth yet with a touch of heat on the finish (14,3% abv on the label). But it does seem to have true pinosity so I wonder if another 5-10 years will make it more interesting? Despite the high alcohol it was quite refreshing on the finish and the whole was really rather moreish. I don't know how this winery is viewed on this bored (sic) but this seemed nice and had honest pinosity so I guess it must be ok.
 
Otto, I can't speak to this producer or bottling; however, I can say that the Willamette Valley area is making some wonderful Pinot Noirs.

We expect to tour Willamette Valley in early November and enjoy some of the fine Pinots being produced there.

. . . . Pete
 
It's a Coad classic. I had, I think, the '01 on Roosevelt Island with said friends a few years ago. I recall liking it v much. But then I fell and split my lip on the esplanade, so perhaps I wasn't in my cups.
 
Otto,
I've met Brian O'Donnell, the wine maker at Belle Pente a few times. He is a great guy. Originally from New York, then settled in Carlton Oregon. He has a beautiful farm with sheep and goats and the estate Pinot comes from there. I think those vines were planted in the 1990s. It is in the Yamhill/Carlton part of the Willamette Valley. His estate reserve comes from a section of older vines on his farm. It's a great wine I think, but it has some new oak to integrate. IIRC it sees about 30% new barrels. My favorite Pinot he makes comes from the Murto vineyard in the Dundee area. Those vines are older, planted in the 1970s I think. The Murto has a nice spiciness. That vineyard is higher elevation so the grapes can ripen with a bit lower alcohol. He makes some nice whites, a Pinot Gris which is round and full and a decent Riesling. He also makes a white blend called Belle Oiseau which is an Edelzwicker blend that they serve by the glass at Little Bird cafe in Portland. It goes well with NW oysters and is a great match with a fried trout dish there that is served with lettuce wraps and pickles that you eat like a Vietnamese lettuce roll.

My guess on the 2001 is you wouldn't want to hold it more then another 3 years. I think 10-15 years depending on vintage is the sweet spot.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
It's a Coad classic. I had, I think, the '01 on Roosevelt Island with said friends a few years ago. I recall liking it v much. But then I fell and split my lip on the esplanade, so perhaps I wasn't in my cups.
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We visited them when we were in Portland. Brian (the owner) was extremely gracious, even though he seemed to be in the middle of some muddy field work and we were cleary not bigshots of any stripe. I like the wines across the board, but I find them hard to resist drinking and can never leave them be long enough to see how they age. Another clear manifestation of The Edmunds Dilemma.
 
originally posted by Chris Coad:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
It's a Coad classic. I had, I think, the '01 on Roosevelt Island with said friends a few years ago. I recall liking it v much. But then I fell and split my lip on the esplanade, so perhaps I wasn't in my cups.
Click to expand...

We visited them when we were in Portland. Brian (the owner) was extremely gracious, even though he seemed to be in the middle of some muddy field work and we were cleary not bigshots of any stripe. I like the wines across the board, but I find them hard to resist drinking and can never leave them be long enough to see how they age. Another clear manifestation of The Edmunds Dilemma.
Click to expand...

What they all said. I'm a fan. But I think they need at least 5-6 years before starting to show their best.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
It's a Coad classic. I had, I think, the '01 on Roosevelt Island with said friends a few years ago. I recall liking it v much. But then I fell and split my lip on the esplanade, so perhaps I wasn't in my cups.
Click to expand...

Chateauneuf-du-Pape and old vine Zinfandel go better with split lips, although they sting a bit.
 
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
originally posted by Chris Coad:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
It's a Coad classic. I had, I think, the '01 on Roosevelt Island with said friends a few years ago. I recall liking it v much. But then I fell and split my lip on the esplanade, so perhaps I wasn't in my cups.
Click to expand...

We visited them when we were in Portland. Brian (the owner) was extremely gracious, even though he seemed to be in the middle of some muddy field work and we were cleary not bigshots of any stripe. I like the wines across the board, but I find them hard to resist drinking and can never leave them be long enough to see how they age. Another clear manifestation of The Edmunds Dilemma.
Click to expand...

What they all said. I'm a fan. But I think they need at least 5-6 years before starting to show their best.
Click to expand...

The pinot noirs, definitely, most especially the single-vineyard versions. The gamay? The riesling? The pinot gris? I'd say drink while young, juicy and friendly.
 
I am drinking the '11 estate reserve right now (at Little bird). It is plenty good. 12.9 % abv. Especially lovely finish. And, robert and Sharon, get this: I am told the owner has in the past few years gotten a few llamas!!
 
originally posted by kirk wallace:
I am drinking the '11 estate reserve right now (at Little bird). It is plenty good. 12.9 % abv. Especially lovely finish. And, robert and Sharon, get this: I am told the owner has in the past few years gotten a few llamas!!
Click to expand...

Nice.
I'm guessing you didn't order the trout with the Pinot. It is such a great dish there.
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:
Thanks for thread. I have an appointment to see them next Monday. Will report back.
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If you are staying in the area for dinner we had a nice meal at Bistro Maison in McMinnville. It's not NY or SF but we enjoyed it.

King Salmon with morels was really good. Decent wine list too.

Ask Brian at Belle Pente if he can open a 2011 next to a 2012 when you get to the Pinot Noir part of the tasting. The 2012 vintage received a ton of praise but I prefer the cooler 2011s.
 
I can second the praise for Bistro Maison in McMinnville. Probably not widely known about outside the close-by areas, but very popular among those who do know about it.

Very charming and good food and wine!

. . . . . Pete
 
Had an absolutely wonderful tasting. I LOVE these wines.

I did not take notes so this is from memory

Whites:

12 Muscat - fantastic
12 Pinot Gris - excellent
10 Chardonnay - just a tad too buttery for my tastes but still very nice and something I would be happy to drink off a wine list
06 Gewürztraminer (open for almost two months) - nice. Intrigued to try a fresh bottle

Red (All Pinot Noir):

12 Murto - delicious
12 Estate - also delicious and noticeably different than the Murto vineyard
11 Estate Reserve - tons of spice and I agree I like 11 better than 12. Amazing wine. I was shocked positively when I saw the price these are incredible wines and especially at the price points

Really enjoyed talking to Brian about his thoughts on SO2, he only uses a small amount at bottling for the whites, he believes lower sulfur helps the whites live longer and this was certainly true with the 06 Gewürtz that was open for 2 months. He described it as brown winemaking versus green.

We finished up after purchasing some wine by spending some time with the various animals.
 
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