A Beautiful, Delicate Rose of Pinot Noir

One of Oregon's most renowned wineries is the hilltop, state-of-the-art, operation of Lynn Penner-Ash.

The incredible winery and tasting room sit atop a hill with beautiful views of the Willamette Valley. You must travel a long road up the side of a hill to get to the incredible facility.

Lynn Penner-Ash had worked for long time Oregon icon Rex Hill before opening her own operation. I visited the tasting room in early April and was blown away by the beautiful facility and the incredible wines.

Her wines have a feature I can only describe as delicate. I brought home a bottle of her Pinot Noir which I'll open in the future. But tonight I opened her Roseo - a dry Rose' from Pinot Noir grapes.

This is a very light, "delicate" wine. Some wine drinkers might find it 'thin' but I didn't at all. It's very light but structured and satisfying. I got a little light strawberry on the nose but on the palate this wine is satisfying. Just know going in its a light glass of wine.

Penner-Ash is distributed in Ohio and Illinois. (Note below, a reader has found Penner Ash in Indiana. I usually check such things! Thanks for the heads up!)

P-A is a premium Pinot Noir producer. If you find her wines at all, buy a bottle.


I love Rose during the summer and this was the lightest I've ever tasted. Still, there was a structure and balance that made it very enjoyable.

Penner-Ash Pinot Noir falls into the same $30-$65 range as most Oregon premium Pinot Noir. So I was shocked to learn the Rose sells for ten bucks! The 2008 has jumped to $15, but still an incredible bargain.

This is a fine glass of Rose for those who like a lighter touch.

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It's Hard to Beat those Oregon Pinot Gris Wines

Every time I open a really great bottle of wine I am like a kid at Christmas.

Saturday night I wanted some shrimp and a crisp white wine to go with it. I went to the rack and searched for one of my "better bottles" of white.

I grabbed a 2007 Willakenzie Estate Pinot Gris I had purchased during a 2008 visit to the Willamette Valley. While not usually a big white fan, as I've noted on many occasions, this white is spectacular.

This wine has a pedigree too! Since 1997 its never scored lower with Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast than an 87. Nearly half of those ratings of the past decade were 90 or higher. It's easy to see why with this fruity and crisp white wine.

It has a beautiful nose of pineapple and melon and even some floral that so many wine geeks will rave about. It had a rounded mouthful of fruit on the front of the palate and a nice acid on the finish.

I took those shrimp and drizzled some olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, some garlic powder and one full fresh lime and grilled them. It was to die for with this well-made Pinot Gris.

If you find the wine it can range anywhere from $15-$20. It seems like I've seen the wine in Indiana, but I'm uncertain. They can't ship direct here, but may have a distributor. If you see it on a restaurant menu or in a wine shop - pick some up. This is great juice!

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A Pretty Good Dry Rose from Virginia!

A good friend recently spent a week's vacation in the state of Virginia and visited one of its state's wineries - Valhalla Vineyards.

They have an interesting lineup of wines and he tasted several which he enjoyed. Once again this proves, there are states outside of the west coast producing good wine!

He brought me a bottle of their Dry Rose, made from 100 percent Sangiovese. I've had Sangiovese-based Rose from Old World countries before and liked it - not as much as the grenache-based rose, but good wine nonetheless.

This Rose didn't have a lot of the strawberry nose and flavor of most. It was dry and it was a very dark red, not the usual blush or strawberry red color. Without any offense, it was much like Chianti Light. Think of light beer and you'll get the reference.

I should quickly add that I'm not being negative about the wine. I had it with some guyere cheese and crackers and it was quite good. It is different from most of the Rose I've tasted, but I'd drink it again. It's very true the varietal which is the mark of any good wine.

I should add that it did not hold up well over 24 hours, but was fine the night I opened it. That's not unusual. I find most wines change substantially over 24 hours even when stored correctly. There is a great blog on that topic. Take a look at 2 Days Per Bottle, written by another Hoosier!

I've long said don't be afraid of trying new things. I guess I should amend that to don't be afraid to try new things and familiar things from new places!

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Huber Cleans Up at Indy Wine Competition

Two newspaper columns ago I wrote about my favorite 'day trip' to Huber Winery at Starlight, in the Southern Indiana Hills abover Jeffersonville and Floyds Knob, Indiana.

My last column was about my tasting experience at the Indy International Wine Competition.

The two have collided in a positive way for Ted Huber and his staff at the sprawling farm and winery.

Huber just cleaned up in the prestigious competition.Huber was named the Indiana Winery of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Indiana Wine of the Year, Indiana Grown Vinifera of the Year, Indiana Grown Fruit Wine of the Year, and had six Best of Class winners in the commercial division.

Here is a complete list of their winners: Apple, Raspberry, Razzy Apple, NV, GOLD
Aurore, Lakeside White, 2008, SILVER
Blaufrankisch, , 2007, BRONZE
Blueberry, , 2008, GOLD
Cabernet Franc, , 2007, GOLD
Cabernet Sauvignon, , 2007, SILVER
Catawba, , 2008, BRONZE
Chambourcin, , 2007, DOUBLE GOLD
Chambourcin Port Style, Knobstone, 2003, SILVER
Chambourcin, Blauframisch, Cabernet Franc, Generation, 2007, GOLD
Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Heritage, 2006, GOLD
Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Heritage, 2007, SILVER
Chardonel, , 2008, GOLD
Chardonel, Seyval, Vidal, Sparkling Starlight, NV, DOUBLE GOLD
Grappa, , NV, DOUBLE GOLD
Niagara, , 2008, SILVER
Peach, , 2008, BRONZE
Pinot Gris, , 2008, BRONZE
Raspberry, , 2008, DOUBLE GOLD
Seyval, Vidal, Villard, Starlight White, 2008, SILVER
Traminette, , 2008, SILVER
Vignoles, , 2008, DOUBLE GOLD

You can click here to see all the winners in various categories at the competition.

That's impressive folks. Now are you ready for that one tank trip?

Congrats to Ted and the folks at Hubers! This was domination!


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