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Wine Spectator Loves Van
Duzer Pinot noirs
And Avalon Has'em
Twelve
years into a lengthy, exhausting grind of
vineyard replanting, dealing with the previous
regimes' wines, and general hard work, Van
Duzer's Jim Kalacek and his
band of Cellar Rats, Vineyard Workers, and
German Shepherds have broken through to national
attention.
Wine Spectator has singled
out the Van Duzer wines in the last three
vintages, with high scores and lengthy mention
in their Oregon articles.
Affordable,
unusually high value for the price,
Van Duzer's Reserve Pinots are still priced
as much as $30 below similar wines. Tiny
amounts are made, and the few weeks each
year that these wines are available are usually
quite busy for us - our customer know a great
deal when they see it. Jim's wines are consistent,
age quite well, and just, well, I'll say
it again, offer great value.
Jim has divided Van Duzer's 58 acres of Pinot
noir into over 50 "lots", each managed separately.
The best two are released
as Block Designates. The best of the Dijon Clone Pinot
noir is released as a reserve wine as well.
Van Duzer 2004
Reserve Pinot Pack $222.30
(5% DISCOUNT from $234 retail)
Contains two bottles each of Van Duzer's three top
wines:
2 bottles -- Van Duzer Homestead Block Pinot noir
04
2 bottles -- Van Duzer Dijon Clone Pinot noir 04
2 bottles -- Van Duzer Flagpole Block Pinot noir
04
An Avalon exclusive,
The Van Duzer Homestead Block '04 is
only available as part of this special six pack.Order
two packs and double the quantities of each. The Homestead
Block will be released separately in a few months.
Van
Duzer Pinot Noir
Homestead Block 04 $35.05/$38.95
(only
available now as part of the 2004 Van Duzer Reserve
Pack)
RECOMMENDED. An
Avalon exclusive,
not even available yet from the winery. Always
a big wine, made from juicy, silky lush old vine
(24 year) Pommard vines, less than 300 cases
of this big wine were made.The original farm
house was built on this plot, thus the "Homestead"
designation.
Note that 12.6% alcohol, quite low for an Oregon
Pinot noir, and makes this wine about flavor,
not
"kick".
Big, weighty, (last year's
was called "bawdy")
this wine takes its time opening
up but rewards with big flavors. Scents of rose,
hibiscus and violet mingle with hints of black
cherry, cedar, barrel toast and mint. Flavors
restate the scents, and add off-the-charts intense
juicy dark cherry, with cedar, sweet oak and
creamy pie spices adding to a classic Pinot "meaty" quality.
The meaty, savory, massive quality steps into
the background with age and aeration, opening
up to those rich red and black cherry flavors
we love in a Pommard.
As last
year, this is a big, weighty wine. It's tight
and young, needs cellaring or, if you must,
lengthy decanting to show itself at its best
right now. There are very finegrained, silky
tannins in the creamy finish. Wine
Spectator 92 for 2002 vintage,
89 for 2003 vintage.
The balance and
layered flavors make this
wine our favorite of the last three vintages,
especially for cellaring. Drink from 2008-2014
- comparable to much more expensive Pinots
with aging.
Van Duzer Pinot
noir Dijon Blocks 2004 $35.05/$38.95
Available for case orders as well as
part of the Pinot Pack
Wine Spectator 92 points for
2003, the 2003 was an Avalon Reserve
Pinot noir Club selection in 2005. Made from a blend
of three Dijon clones of Pinot noir, Clone
777 (50%), Clone 115 (30%), and Clone 113 (20%).
On the 2004: "Perfumed
with floral and cherry notes, this wine draws
you in from the start. . . . An elegant Pinot
lover's Pinot." -PinotFile, August 2006.
The Dijon Clones of Pinot noir
ripen earlier and serve up a rich, sweet melange
of berry driven blackberry, cherry, and cassis
notes layered with hints of chocolate, exotic
spices, and smoke.
Van Duzer's 2004 Dijon adds
distinct notes of huckleberry to the usual
berries in the nose, with hints of vanilla,
sandalwood incense, and dried rose petals.
Flavors add rich red and black cherry to the
berry mix with pie spices, creamy vanilla,
sweet smoky toast and silky, well integrated
tannins in the long, complex finish. Juicy
and appealing already, drink 2006-2012. Cellar
a year at least for complete integration of
flavors or decant for at least an hour. Classy
and an Avalon favorite, another of Jim's wines
that offers as much as many $60+ Pinots.
Van Duzer Flagpole
Block Pinot noir 04 $35.05/$38.95
Available for case orders as well as
part of the Pinot Pack
Wine Spectator 90 points for 2003 vintage. If you've
been to the winery, you know this tiny plot next to
the flagpole at the turn on the drivveway to the winery.
Less than 1/3 of an acre, so unique it's bottled separately.
About 100 cases made.
On the 2004: "The
enticing aromas feature spice, raisin and licorice.
There is some prominent cranberry notes on
the palate. Finely-tuned and well balanced,
the wine is still a bit closed at this early
stage." -PinotFile, August 2006.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Made from older vine Pinot
noir, all Wadenswil clone, and the wine clearly
shows the characteristic blueberry note in
both scent and flavor. A signature bouquet
of ripe blueberries, cedar, fresh earth, cinnamon
and cocoa is followed by flavors of blackberry
pie & dried blueberries. All lead to
a rich mid-palate and chocolate truffle finish.
"A swirl of the
glass suggests blackberry pie, followed moments
later by a bouquet of fresh earthiness, cedar,
cinnamon and clove, cocoa, fresh truffle and
mushroom that is typical of the Wädenswil
vines planted in the Flagpole Block. On the
palate, ripe blackberry and dried blueberry
are accompanied by graham, spice and dark chocolate.
The very ripe flavors assume weight in the
mid-palate and finish with an impression of
chocolate-raspberry truffle." - the winery
If you enjoy the
memorable Shea
Wadenswil Pinot, you'll find
lots to compare to with this wine. There's
that distinct blueberry flavor, and the rewards
that cellaring bring to long-lived Wadenswil
Pinot noir. Another cellarworthy selection,
with complexity, depth, and sophistication
that make it a distinct good value. Kudos to
Van Duzer.
Another Real Deal
in Quality and Price
Broadley
Willamette Valley Pinot noir 05 $17.95/$19.95
Lasts about a week, this is your one chance
to grab this very affordable Oregon Pinot noir.
Broadley's "value" bottling,
a blend of grapes from the Willamette Valley.
Grapes are from younger vines of the Broadley
Estate Vineyard, from a young vineyard called
Whybra, and from High Pass Vineyard. The
grapes are mostly Dijon clones. This vintage
is ready to drink, with aromas of black cherries
and spice. It's a mouthful of broad, lush,
black cherry flavors, one of those easy drinking
darkly colored Pinots that are hard to find
at this price. GOES FAST!
If we may help
with an order , please let us know. We're available
by phone at 541-752-7418 from 8AM Pacific time
until 6PM Pacific time.
Thanks for your support -we appreciate your
orders and your suggestions. Our customers always give us our best ideas!
Jean, Marcus, Chris, Kevin, and Wendy
541-752-7418
Avalon Wine
201 SW 2nd Street
Corvallis OR 97333
541-752-7418
www.avalonwine.com
store@avalonwine.com
Marcus Looze
Manager
marcus@avalonwine.com
541-752-7418
Chris Haggerty
Customer Service
store@avalonwine.com
541-752-7418
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