What a terrific first day this turned out to be. From the morning's opening ceremonies to the evening's grand dinner event, it was a day that offered a variety of learning experiences, meaningful connections, and outstanding meals. Without further ado, here is a summary of impressions from this amazing Friday at IPNC 2010.

Opening Ceremonies

Fruit of the rambling vine for breakfast...fresh raspberries, blackberries, marionberries...pastries galore...welcome from Dr. Thomas Hellie, president of Linfield College...quotes winemaker who claimed, "Pinot noir is the tuning fork of the soul"...still resonates with me even now...Ray Isle, MC for IPNC, talks about the "communal bond, the community of Pinot noir"...according to Isle, Pinot is the "peace, love and understanding grape, while cabernet is the military industrial complex grape"...continues to wax poetic about the aromatic complexity of Pinot...seventy winemakers from around the world introduce themselves...the Italian gets the crowd going...amazing how so many come from so far to attend this annual gathering...its 24th year celebrating a single grape.

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Vineyard Tour & Winery Lunch

Board bus 6-A to unknown destination...Jessie Lange is a cheerful tour guide...announces "Lemelson Vineyards" to quiet riders...upon arrival greeted by Eric Lemelson (owner), Anthony King (winemaker) and rest of staff...glasses of Oregon riesling provide a refreshing start...a walk up the hill to the vines...Eric is a former environmental litigator turned sustainable cultivator..."so much of this is awareness"..."biodynamics gets you out into the vineyard"...Anthony talks about the vines, soil, farming and weather...good fortune to have been designated this winery for this occasion...an incredible learning experience in the midst of a beautiful vineyard.

Head back to winery for blending seminar...each table headed by a featured winemaker...nice to see IPNC creating a varied experience with this hands-on exercise...barrel samples of Pommard, Wadenswil, and Dijon 777 clones to mix and match...tasting (and spitting) thru the line up...Gary Homer of Erath guiding our table..."fill in the gaps"...a humbling experience for all of us neophytes...Dijon (50%) is the base for my blend with Wadenswil (30%) and Pommard (20%) covering the other half...blend to win or blend to age...several sitting together have same mix...my blend loses at the table but matches overall winner's bottling.

Luncheon kicks off with featured winemakers from Lange, Erath, Brandborg, Marc Roy, and others pouring their wines...delicious hors d'œuvres along the way...nice conversation with Jesse Lange about "The Grail" while enjoying his wine...can't get enough of the duck confit and crispy pork belly...enjoyed meeting Alexandrine Roy, 4th generation winemaker of the domaine...would have loved another glass of that Lemelson riesling...informal tasting with apps was a terrific way to showcase other featured winemakers.

Sat down to a multi-course lunch from guest chef Sunny Jin and his team at Jory...joining our table is Anthony King, a consummate gentleman and gracious host...enjoyed dining with Brian, Ann, Bob, and Deb from Montana...Brian decides to invest $1 in BeyondtheBottle.com becoming first shareholder (more in a future post)...scallops cooked to perfection with wonderful chardonnay pairing...beet salad was amazing with the apples stealing the show...Wagyu beef was delicious with the Lemelson pinots...the hot sun was not kind to these wines...they drank well nonetheless...seminar's blending entries were critiqued by a panel of judges...really smart and funny descriptions for each bottling...a connected experience that went well beyond the bottles of wine poured...many thanks to Lemelson for hosting such a wonderful day.

The Grand Dinner

Alfresco tasting offers useful frame of reference on many local and global Pinots from 2007...only confirming my stated preference for this vintage...queueing up for dinner as if it mattered...locating a table with fellow friends Dustin and George...serendipity strikes again at IPNC by running into Ron Zimmerman who ends up sitting beside me...remembering how Ron pointed the way to Oregon ten years earlier after a dinner at The Herb Farm...a treat to have winemakers Laurent and Danielle of Soléna Estate and Guillaume Nudant of Domaine Jean-René Nudant join us...Guillaume is the namesake of an ancestor who made wine in 1453...now those are some family roots that reach beyond the limestone layer.

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The menu speaks for itself...with each new course comes new wines and new conversation...the essence of IPNC is in the gatherings that take place around each table...not just to taste, but to celebrate a long, slow meal eating amazing food, drinking intriguing wines, and engaging wonderful people...the pork sausage dish was my favorite...the desert was true artistry...lest we forget the amazing service...the presentation of each dish, the serving of each course, the pouring of many wines...the overall execution is incredible.

It's at these meals where one experiences a connection unlike that ever experienced before...my glass is randomly filled with an '02 Brick House and then a '96...two pivotal years representing the birth of my first daughter and my move to the Pac NW...with dinner finished, I get up to find Doug Tunnell, Brick House founder/winemaker, standing behind me...after trading emails over the last year trying to connect we unexpectedly meet up...one of many examples of the magical connections that occur at IPNC...and to think it's only been the first day.

Continue reading about IPNC 2010: Day Two.

Full Disclosure: I attended IPNC 2010 as a Media Guest, therefore was given special access to this event.

Related Links
More Photos from Vineyard Tour and Winery Luncheon
Pre-IPNC Dinner on Thursday, July 22
External Links to Other Coverage of IPNC