Adelsheim’s Bryan Creek Vineyard. © Kent Derek, used with permission.

Over the years I’ve come to realize that Adelsheim makes delicious wine on a consistent basis. From crisp Wednesday night whites to single-vineyard Pinots, they cover all the bases. One of Oregon’s founding wineries, Adelsheim planted their first vines in the Chehalem Mountains in 1972. Today, Adelsheim farms 229 acres of vines from 11 vineyards across the Willamette Valley.

I recently tasted through a bunch of Adelsheim’s new releases, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. The wines were received as trade samples and tasted blind.

Review: 2012 Adelsheim Chardonnay
Oregon, Willamette Valley
SRP: $22
Smells of honeysuckle, green melon, some orange zest and perfume notes, it all comes together quite nicely. Like whipped honey on the palate, but the acid sings all the way through. All sorts of melon flavors, mixed in with white flowers and honeycomb. There’s a sour-sweet note that reminds me of green apple Airhead candies, as strange as that may sound, but I like it. Still, it ends up as a clean and focused Chard. (88 points IJB)

Review: 2012 Adelsheim Auxerrois Blanc Ribbon Springs Vineyard
Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge
SRP: $25
Aromas of white peach, orange blossom, honeysuckle and a waxy note. Crisp acid, a whipped honey and waxy mouthfeel. White peach, green melon goes along with some lychee nut, candlewax and honeycomb flavors, with a hint of mineral on the finish. Not the most complex wine, but it’s got a unique style. Tasted blind, I wondered who slipped some Alsace into my Pacific Northwest samples. Turns out Adelsheim brought this grape (a blend of Pinot noir and Gouais Blanc) over from Alsace in the late 1970s. A rare varietal wine, and a fun one. (88 points IJB)

Review: 2012 Adelsheim Pinot Gris Willamette Valley
Oregon, Willamette Valley
SRP: $19
On the nose, juicy white peach, white flowers, all sorts of fruit blossom-y notes. Some creaminess to the texture but this tingly acid soaks it all up. Racy, but full of lime, white peach and apricot. A sea salt note on the finish. A very precise and crisp wine that deserves the freshest of seafood. (89 points IJB)

Review: 2011 Adelsheim Pinot Blanc Bryan Creek Vineyard
Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
SRP: $25
The nose is extremely floral, like a burst of orange blossom, honeysuckle and potpourri. Tangy on the palate, with tart grapefruit, orange peel and white cherry notes. Those flowers stick around on the palate, accenting the fruit. The finish is like white tea with lemon and honey, but the crisp acid lasts all the way. (88 points IJB)

Review: 2010 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Bryan Creek Vineyard
Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
SRP: $75
Smells like currants and cranberries, along with spiced coffee and violets. I get the impression that the aromas are stunted at the moment, wound up, even after an hour of swirling in a massive Burgundy glass. Full on the palate, firm tannins, tangy acid. The currant and dark plum fruit have these concentrated and rustic themes. Juicy, some notes of tobacco and roasted red pepper. Mocha and toast, but not too much. Showing signs of future elegance, but a bit tightly-wound now. (91 points IJB)

Review: 2010 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Elizabeth’s Reserve
Oregon, Willamette Valley
SRP: $55
Really intriguing aromatically. The first thing I notice is a goat cheese aroma. Seriously. It fades after a bit, morphs into this kind of mushroom thing, but on first pour: dead ringer for goat cheese. I get some rich cherry and raspberry as well, with some earthy and incense notes. Tangy acid matches up with firm tannins, and the wine shows a sense of grit and tartness. Bright red fruit is framed by notes of soil, roasted coffee and soy sauce. I think the complexity will only grow over the next five years or so. Blended from 12 vineyards across the Willamette Valley. (90 points IJB)

Review: 2008 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Vintage 31
Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains
SRP: $180
Bold aromas of tangy cherries, red plums, along with a kick of red flowers, tobacco, cedar and nutmeg. Bright on the palate, framed with moderate acid, the tannins are fine-grained but show solid grip. The cherry and red currant fruit tastes snappy and fresh, and it’s backed up by notes of chewing tobacco, mint, roasted coffee and cedar. I like the zip on the finish. Seems to be drinking well now but will probably age well in the near term. I was more than a bit shocked at the price. A good wine, but — holy hell! — that’s a lot of money. (90 points IJB)

Review: 2010 Adelsheim Syrah Calkins Lane Vineyard
Oregon, Willamette Valley
SRP: $45
Dark purple color with bright rims. Darker and deeper on the nose, with black cherries, currants, lots of loam and cedar, a bit of anise as well. Full-bodied with an incredibly silky texture. Fine tannins meet crisp acid. All sorts of red and black cherries and currants, equally matched with distinct olive, mushroom and tobacco flavors. The earthy aspects of this wine are really attractive. Integrated alcohol and moderate toast. Drinking well now right out of the bottle, but I’m sure this will improve over the next five+ years. Gorgeous stuff, and so elegant. I’d love to throw this in as a ringer in a blind Northern Rhone tasting. (93 points IJB)

“[Fine wine labels] are quietly deploying technology in a new way: not just to make bad wine decent, or to make good wine more cheaply, but to make already-great wines greater still.” The Economist investigates.

“‘It is my goal that the flute will be obsolete by the day that I pass away.” In Decanter, Chris Mercer reports on Maximilian Riedel’s grand plan.

Robert Joseph challenges those who think there’s an audience for wine on TV “that extends beyond the small group of people who are already established wine lovers” to put up or shut up. Jamie Goode explains why he isn’t ruling it out.

Eric Asimov chats about drinking on Thanksgiving.

CNN’s Al Goodman visits Spain to spend some time with wine entrepreneur Alvaro Palacios.

On CNN’s Eatocracy, Ray Isle praises his favorite charity-friendly wines.

Panos Kakaviatos explains why his “fifth growth darling remains Château Grand Puy Lacoste.”

Turkey Day is notoriously confusing for the at-home sommelier. Every wine critic has a few recommendations, including me!

Perhaps the only common ground? That you should have a lot of wine on hand. This year, I’ll be sharing five wines from across America with my family:

From Long Island, a 2009 Lieb Cellars Blanc de Blancs
From Virginia, a 2011 Linden Vineyards Avenius Chardonnay
From California, a 2012 Matthiasson Rosé
From Oregon, a 2011 Brick House Vineyards Gamay Noir
From Maryland, a 2010 Black Ankle Vineyards Leaf-Stone Syrah

You’ll notice they’re all domestic — and from five different states. While I typically avoid jingoism, purchasing a foreign wine on Thanksgiving just doesn’t seem right.

What will you be having? Let us know in the comments!

“To remove the acquisition aspect of some wines is like making love to that person you have been wanting for years… craved, lusted for and spent hours devouring from afar… finally feeling them wet and beneath you or firm and above you, with the lights off.” Samantha Dugan hates blind tasting.

In Wine Spectator, “James Molesworth roughs it in Cornas at A. Clape and Jean-Luc Colombo.”

Richard Jennings celebrates the Mondavi family and its impact on America’s wine industry.

“Whereas in April of this year only a couple of restaurants in New York were experimenting with the device — which seemingly offers the ability to serve a single bottle of wine over many days or months with no deterioration in quality — it is now common to see sommeliers using a Coravin in dining rooms across the city.” In Eater, Levi Dalton explains how the Coravin is changing the New York wine scene.

In Wine-Searcher, “Mike Veseth delves behind the headlines to assess the current state of the market.”

Meanwhile, on his blog, Veseth explains why he’s going “Beyond the Usual Suspects” this Thanksgiving.

“In the year 2000, in recognition of the birth of his first grandchild, Marguerite, David Lett reserved a special Pinot Noir cuvée from the best of his vineyards. This year, Jason Lett released the wine.” Lily-Elaine Hawk Wakawaka expresses her thanks for this wine.

W. Blake Gray is excited about paper bottles.

Tom Wark celebrates Fermentation’s ninth birthday. Congrats, Tom!

From Wikimedia.

“American wine growers have long expressed varying degrees of skepticism about [terroir], some dismissing it as unfathomable mysticism and others regarding it as a shrewd marketing ploy to protect the cachet of French wines.” In the New  York Times, Nicholas Wade reports on a new study from UC Davis researchers which concludes the terroir might be as simply as “the fungi and bacteria that grow on the surface of the wine grape.”

In Beaune, winemaker Emmanuel Giboulot “stands to be charged €30,000 and serve a six-month prison term because he refuses to treat his vineyards in Burgundy for a disease known as Flavesence Dorée.” Alder Yarrow brings attention to this fascinating story and the questions it raises.

“It was Cockburn’s 1908, and it was a Damascene conversion at the age of 13. In Wine-Searcher, Adam Lechmere chats with Steven Spurrier, “The Man Behind The Judgment of Paris.”

In Palate Press, Mary Orlin visits three producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains that “are doing exiciting things” with Pinot Noir. On the list? Rhys Vineyards, Muns Vineyard, and Windy Oaks Estate.

Wine Enthusiast’s editors chat with Vitalie Taittinger, the global ambassador of Champagne Taittinger.

Antonio Galloni tastes through the latest releases from Cedric Bouchard.

Ray Isle investigates “the most effective method” to preserve an open bottle of wine. His conclusion? “A combination of gassing the wine and putting it in the fridge.”

In Wine Spectator, Bruce Sanderson explains why Rajat Paar’s “Maison L’Orée is a label to watch.”

W. Blake Gray thinks you should drink American wine on Thanksgiving.

In App Storm, Jessica O’Toole concludes that Delectable is “The Holy Grail of Wine Apps.”

Neal Rosenthal reports from Champagne and Chablis.

As regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.

These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).

In my latest column, I praise Wine Spectator’s selection of Cune’s 2004 Imperial Gran Reserva as its wine of the year. And I explain why top Rioja represents a remarkable value.

Rioja Gran Reserva: Expensive — But a Remarkable Value

Each year, the wine world eagerly awaits Wine Spectator’s “Top 100″ list.

Since 1988, the magazine’s editors have looked back over the wines they’ve reviewed over the previous 12 months to rank the 100 wines that most impress them “based on quality, value, availability, and excitement.”

This year, the competition was stiffer than ever; more than 20,000 wines vied for a spot on the coveted list. It’s no wonder why retailers and consumers alike have made a parlor game out of speculating which wine will land at the top.

This year’s highest honor went to the 2004 Imperial Gran Reserva from Cune, a fifth-generation, family-run winery in Rioja, Spain. This marked the first time that a Spanish wine came in first, so the news was celebrated across Spain. In the United States, the announcement helped bring attention to a region that’s been overlooked and undervalued for far too long.

Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.

From Wikipedia.

The Pilgrims didn’t drink Chinon. But Jason Wilson thinks you should.

“After a small 2010 harvest, a generally ordinary set of wines from 2011 and a tiny 2012 harvest, 2013 feels like a kick in the teeth.” But according to Andrew Jefford, the year could be a “breakthrough” for vintners in the Languedoc.

“Forbes’ wines do renew my faith in Pinot Noir, but interestingly they shed light on the grape itself less than they do the character of the Yarra Valley, and what it means to make wines of place.” Lily-Elaine Hawk Wakawaka writes a wonderful profile of Mac Forbes.

“Just one glance at any photograph of the extraordinary topography of the underpopulated Douro valley is enough to demonstrate that viticulture will never be cheap in this corner of the wine world and deserves our support.” Jancis Robinson visits the Douro.

In the Wall Steet Journal Europe, Will Lyons profiles Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, whose “ambition is to provide a bit of affordable luxury for everyone.”

In Bloomberg, Elin McCoy contends that Gruner Veltliner producers “the best-value great white wines in the world.”

W. Blake Gray attends a tasting of domestic Pinot Noir from 1999. His conclusion? “California and Oregon Pinot Noir can age gracefully.”

“‘Social media is everybody’s job,’ Mabray said. ‘There is always (a return on investment) in talking to your customers.'” In the Napa Valley Register, Peter Jensen profiles Vintank.

“Many years ago, when I wrote comedy, I often wrote for an audience. Now I do not. But I can feel you out there, reading HoseMaster of Wine™ on your laptops, your tablets, your phones.” The HoseMaster gives thanks.

Everywhere I go, people are suggesting thoughtful wine and food pairings. But I’m rarely impressed.

Don’t get me wrong, wine is the clear choice to pair with food in general. Sorry, beer geeks — only the wine-food combination is capable of producing that magical, transcendent Gestalt, a new whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Beer, on the other hand, is too often like another meal.

That being said, this elusive transcendence is relatively rare and very difficult to predict or define. And yet, like the Supreme Court said about pornography, “you know it when you see it.”

Ultimately, I’d like to devise a practical technique to help onemake an educated guess about whether a wine has the potential to create a perfect pairing. But first, I want to make a semantic distinction between a technically correct pairing — where the beverage serves as a perfect accompaniment and elevates the dining experience — and a pairing that somehow intensifies both the food and the wine, creating an altogether different, elevated experience.

The former is common; the latter is rare.

While the experience is rare, we can begin to map out this secret world of taste transcendence through trial and error.

For instance, perhaps there is no more reliable source of this experience than oysters and Muscadet (preferably from superior wineries, like my personal favorite Domaine de la Pépière). While a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire will do in a pinch, I guess, nothing does the trick like a sublimely oceanic Muscadet — hands down the world’s most underrated wine.

By comparison, while it may be true that any decent Cabernet Sauvignon elevates a steak, and sometimes produces the more rarefied 1+1=3 experience, it doesn’t reliably produce this experience. As much as I might enjoy the occasional summertime combination of Napa Cab and grilled steak, an aged Bordeaux will more reliably produce this experience.

Of course, this is the same thing as saying Old World wines more reliably create symphonic wine-food pairings. And that’s the first principle. Don’t get me wrong, a Cab and a steak is always at least good — but we’re making a distinction here between good and correct and something more than that.

The fact that Old World wines pair better with food is only a principle and not a law — a broad principle at that, if reliability is the goal. For example, a savvy, technical pairing of a relatively robust Leitz German Riesling with David Chang’s mostly spicy-porky creations during a recent meal at Ssam Bar in New York was a disappointment. The pairing “worked,” of course, just fine. But that kind of yeoman’s wine/food experience wasn’t what I was after.

On the other hand, I was shocked when a cured chorizo sausage I brought back from an Andalusian mountain village dazzled with a totally unplanned sip of leftover, entry-level Trimbach Riesling. In retrospect, perhaps, I shouldn’t have been so shocked. After all, Alsace wines are known to have a certain affinity with pork.

(I don’t think any wine performs as well with food as consistently as does Trimbach. Can we call that the second principle?)

So outside of the fact that we are more likely to find it with Old World wines, what, really, do we know about this elusive perfect pairing? Although the science of taste provides a few clues about the conditions of this experience, I find this science mostly uncompelling; taste is opaque, after all, and any explanation of “it” will have to come from descriptions of the experience of “it.” I think we can better begin to develop knowledge about this experience through phenomenological investigation and first-hand accounts. So given that, here is what I think we know most: We know when we experience “it” because, suddenly, a sip of the wine perfectly recalls the food, even well after we’ve finished eating it. It turns out our palate has a perfect, photographic memory, and wine has the ability to continuously reactivate it. With each new sip, the flavors of the foodreturn to resonate and linger on the palate, sometimes even long after we’ve tasted the food.

Does that sound about right?

The science of taste does have something interesting to offer this discourse. Throughout history, lacking refrigeration, most food was preserved with salt, and wine was made with the expectation of food. Significantly, the science suggests that salt and acid occupy the same palate terrain, the same taste “pathway.”  That is, acid in wine works to, in effect, balance or cancel out the taste of salt, providing a platform to emphasize the other flavors. It’s no wonder that Old World wines are high in acid — they had the difficult task of making these dubious foods taste good.

On the other hand, fruit-forward wines, low in acid, are less likely to create this favorable palate environment where flavors shine. As with beer, the fruit flavors of the wine tend to compete with rather than showcase the flavors of the food.

Of course, the fact that sleek Old World wines excel with food is news to nobody. The point is rather that there is something practical to be extrapolated from the salt/acid dynamic: if you want to know if a wine is likely to offer that magical synergy with food, try a sip with a pinch of salt. You’ll notice that the flavors of the wine are enhanced — or not.

Ed Comstock loves to travel and discover new wines, often at the same time. When he’s not doing that, he teaches classes in the Department of Literature at American University in Washington, DC.

RdV Vineyards.

“A new generation of Virginia winemakers has begun to produce wines that can compete with the best of those from California and Europe.” In the Washington Post’s Sunday Magazine, Dana Milbank contends that “a petite Bordeaux is taking root” in Virginia.

Dave McIntyre suggests pairing some oysters with Virginia’s wines.

“The situation is analogous to someone who bought a fine illuminated manuscript at an auction, and were given an award for having done the work themselves.” Richard Leahy is outraged that Wine Enthusiast named Eric Trump its “Rising Star” of the year.

“The benefit is better wine and more pleasure for all who are interested. The costs? Homogenized cultures and hyper-competition for the historic benchmark wines that puts them largely in the hands of the ultra-wealthy.” Eric Asimov checks in on global consumption habits.

In the Wall Street Journal, Lettie Teague tours America in a search for Thanksgiving wine.

“American’s first great wine was a pink sparkling libation made from a hybrid grape called Catawba, grown in the Ohio River Valley outside of Cincinnati.” Jordan Salcito tells the story in the Daily Beast.

“There’s just one small problem. For the most part, the wines are not that distinctive.” Lyle Fass wonders if it’s a good idea to “[use] the United States as a dumping ground for estate Riesling.”

Jon Bonné checks out the 2011 Pinot Noir offerings from Mendocino County and Santa Barbara.

On Saturday, a case of 1978 Romanee-Conti sold for $474,000 at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong. That’s $39,500 per bottle.

“Getting wasted all the time will only wreck your marriage if your spouse doesn’t get drunk with you.” That’s the conclusion from researchers at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions.

This week, we’re looking to Italy. These wines were received as trade samples and tasted blind, unless otherwise noted.

Review: 2006 Ferrari Perlé
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento
SRP: $35
Tasted sighted. Could’ve fooled me for Champagne on the nose. Lots of doughy, yeasty, lemon-lime notes and apple peel. Tangy acid, fine bubbles, a good amount of creaminess on the palate. The key lime is mixed in with a pleasantly bitter crab apple note. Toasted bread and mineral accents linger on the finish. A solid sparkling Chardonnay for $35. (88 points IJB)

Review: 2012 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi “Tenuta dell’ Ammiraglia” Toscana IGT
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
SRP: $18
A light straw color. The first thing that comes to mind upon sniffing this is banana peel, like the inside of a perfectly ripe banana. There’s also some lemon zest and seashell. On the palate, this wine is plump and generously textured, with green melon, pineapple and banana fruit. Medium acid keeps it reigned in. A white tea and honey note rounds out the fruit, and there’s a shot of minerals and crushed rock flavors. Quite complex. Rich, but not too much, and the flavors are clean and fresh throughout. A delicious Vermentino. (90 points IJB)

Review: 2012 Folonari Chianti
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti
SRP: $8
Juicy, dark fruit on the nose, blackberries, candied cherries, as well as some earth and tobacco. Creamy texture forms from the fine tannins, fresh fruit and moderate acid. The plums and blackberries taste pure and juicy, and they’re backed up with notes of cracked pepper and some tobacco and toast. Surprisingly pleasant for the price. (86 points IJB)

Review: 2011 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi “Terre More dell’ Ammiraglia” Maremma Toscana IGT
Italy, Tuscany, Maremma Toscana IGT
SRP: $14
Aromas of plum sauce, rich earth, allspice, currant jam, roasted coffee. Juicy red plums and black cherries on the palate, with an overall jammy profile. Medium acid and firm tannins provide structure. Pepper and floral tones mix in with toasted oak, roasted coffee, cedar and caramel. Very rich and bombastic, perhaps not the most food-friendly Italian red blend, but very tasty. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 5% Syrah. (87 points IJB)

Review: 2010 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Morellino di Scansano “Riserva Pietraregia dell’ Ammiraglia”
Italy, Tuscany, Maremma, Morellino di Scansano
SRP: $23
A bit restrained on the nose, but it opens up to show violets, black currant, vanilla and rich coffee. On the palate, the tannins have grip but also a round feel. Significant tartness, with flavors of black cherry, currants and snappy plums. Mocha, hazelnut and vanilla flesh the wine out. I also get a light sense of mineral and graphite on this wine. Put together well, and quite delicious, this wine has quite a few years of refinement ahead of it. 85% Sangiovese, 10% Ciliegiolo and 10% Syrah. I dig this, especially at the price. (89 points IJB)

Review: 2012 Allegrini Valpolicella
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella
SRP: $15
Red and black cherries, some raisin and smoke note on the nose. Light tannins, soft acid, this wine takes the road of simple, easy-drinking pleasure. Flavors of black cherry and currant, snappy, but the fruit also has some coffee and earthy aspects. A juicy blend of 65% Corvina, 30% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. (85 points IJB)

Review: 2009 Allegrini “Palazzo della Torre” Veronese IGT
Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT
SRP: $20
A kicking mix of sour and dark cherries on the nose, along with some dusty earth, tobacco and roasted coffee. Firm tannins for structure, and the acid keeps it clean. The sour cherry and red plum and currant fruit is tangy and delicious, backed up by roasted herbs, violets and rich coffee. Rich and velvety, but the focus and zip to this wine is impressive. I bet it will have even more to show soon. 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 5% Sangiovese. (90 points IJB)

Review: 2009 Allegrini “La Grola” Veronese IGT
Italy, Veneto, Veronese IGT
SRP: $28
Bright cherry color. The cherry and plum fruit smells rich but fresh, along with some sweet herbs, dried flowers. Loving the aromas here, and it opens up more with time. The tangy acid plays off the rigid tannins. Tastes like sour cherries mixed with some ripe blackberry, and there’s a nice mix of spice, cedar, coffee and a flavor that reminds me of a smoky Islay Scotch. Dense and earthy, this will open up more over the next few years. 80% Corvina and 20% Syrah. (90 points IJB)

Wines Scoring <85 points
Review: 2012 Folonari Pinot Grigio Venezie IGT
Italy, Venezie IGT
SRP: $8
Medium yellow color. Some golden apple and honey on the nose, but also some brighter floral and citrus components. Medium acid, with yellow and green apple, and there are some floral notes, but overall it’s a bit bland. Short finish.