The more Oregon Gamay noir I experience, the bigger fan I become for this wonderful variety. The Evening Land Celebration 2008 Gamay Noir Eola-Amity Hills (13.2%) has raised my level of appreciation further. In the glass, the Celebration '08 Gamay noir was a deep, purple and garnet color, offering nice floral notes of red fruit along with earth and spice, specifically hints of pepper and curry. This wine delivered terrific acidity, with a lot of tannins, which tended to dampen the fruit flavors a bit. We paired this organic/biodynamic wine (uncertified) with an Italian lasagna-like dish. It was a...

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Posted by Thad W. at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wow, this blend of 60% gamay noir and 40% pinot noir is a wonderfully intriguing wine for $26. And it is one of my favorites thus far amongst 2008 Oregon wines tasted. In the glass, the Evening Land Celebration 2008 "Les Gamines" Eola-Amity Hills (13.4%) was a clear, garnet red, delivering perfumed notes of red fruit with a dusty earthiness. There were layers of scents to this wine from the strawberry and cherry fruit to an intriguing, earthy minerality. The bright acidity and predominant tannins in the mouth suggest this uncertified organic/biodynamic wine will age well, yet it still...

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Posted by Thad W. at 01:30 PM | Permalink

The Celebration 2007 Gamay Noir Eola-Amity Hills (12.8%) was a clear, light ruby red in the glass with muted red fruit on the nose (plum?) along with hints of licorice and fennel. In the mouth, this Oregon gamay noir offered decent fruit but threw a bit of a curve ball on the finish. It was hard to put my finger on it, but it took a funky, slightly herbaceous detour with every sip. We paired the Celebration gamay noir with grilled Korean sesame chicken thighs, baby bok choy, and steamed rice. The acidity in this wine matched well with...

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Posted by Thad W. at 07:59 PM | Permalink