Jazzin' it up

Last Sat. Cork Cellars was hopping with people listening to Sisters' own J3 Trio. Actually, there were 4 guys - and if you closed your eyes, you could have sworn you were at a San Francisco Jazz Club. These guys were good!

We had the leader, Jody, on the trumpet. His son, Jared, on the stand up bass. And, Jared's good friends, Steven on guitar, and Tanner on the drum.

J3 Trio will be back at Cork Cellars Dec. 20th for the famed Christmas Carol event. It will be fun jazz music with a holiday twist...and a few glasses of wine the crowd starts to sing!

Getting Ready for the Winter

What a beautiful fall we're having in Central Oregon. Bright, sunny days with cool, clear nights. It's the time of year most folks transition into drinking red wines in the evening.

It's also why our Holiday Wine Tasting Series "Hearty Wines for the Winter" is always a popular event. It's a chance to try new vintages of great, bold red wines perfect to share this winter.

This year, Earl from C&G Wines, stopped in to present an array of red wines from Washington and California.

We started off with "Big Nose" - a red blend (mainly Cabernet and Merlot) from Washington that retails for $14. The wine proved a big hit for the big nose - full bodied with dark raspberries and a hint of vanilla, and a big finish.

From there we moved on to 2 Fall Line wines from Washington. First the Horse Heaven Hills Red Blend (Merlot, Cab, & Cab Franc). With just a 430 case production, this 2005 vintage was smokin'! It received 92 Pts. from Wine & Spirits that was well justified. Pretty on the nose without over-explosive notes of lavender and black cherry. With hints of mocha and tobacco on the finish, this complex wine was one of my favorites on the list. It retails for $32 and this vintage won't last long before we have to move on to the 2006.

The new vintage of Fall Line Cab was next in your glass. Just released, this wine is showing excellent now, but will hold for several years as well. It's 100% Cabernet, and 100% fantastic! Another 92 Pt. score from Wine Advocate, these guys are on the radar for producing some serious wine. The nose offers up notes of vanilla bean, coconut, black currants, and blackberry liqueur. Complex in the mouth with a long finish. Retails for $32.

We travelled south to California for the next wine - Bucklin Cabernet. If you were lucky enough to make our Buckin wine tasting over the summer, you met Will Bucklin. He's the co-owner and winemaker for this California Winery. They sell a majority of their fruit to famous wineries, and keep some for a small production lot of wine. The 2006 Cab had just been bottled when Will visited last time, so we didn't showcase the wine then. It's amazing what 6 months in the bottle will do for a cab - this wine was dynamite! With just over 450 cases produced, this wine is deep and complex (the vines are over 25 years old), with aromas of cedar, licorice, and anise with a fruit component of cherry, blackberry and currants. At $25, this is a great wine to have on hand this winter.

The final taste goes to the O'Shea Scarborough Syrah called "the black cask". These guys produce wine from their garage - but don't be fooled, it's definitely a syrah from Washington that will be making it's mark on the wine industry. Dark, juicy fruits fill your nose and your mouth - with hints of dark vanilla bean, boysenberry jam, and chocolate. At just 75 cases produced, this won't last long if you want to give it a swirl.

If you missed this event - don't fret. We've got another 1.5 months of great wine tasting events lined up every Thursday evening from 5-8pm. Check out the events on our event website.

Another Rockin' Night of Music

Willie Carmichael is one of the nicest, coolest, and greatest musicians I've ever met! His partner in crime, Ed, is equally as fun to hang out with. And, if you missed the music event at Cork Cellars Saturday, Nov. 1st - you missed one of the most fun, most rockin' night in Sisters!
Willie and Ed rocked non-stop for 2 hours to a full house, playing original tunes that ranged from fun, to slow, lamenting on love, and other great tunes. Bill and I enjoyed the music while serving up glasses of wine and great food from our menu.

Several regulars showed up for this event, including Sisters' favorites, the Newports. They arrived a little late, so didn't get the best seats in the house, but they got first row! Debbie works in the Redmond School District, and recently started the "Americana Project" at her school (modeled off the successful program at the Sisters High School). Willie is a major volunteer for the Americana Project, and is working with Debbie out in Redmond on the program! What a great combo!

We've got more live music scheduled the remainder of November, and an event in December. Check it out and come visit us for these great events. And, if all goes well, we'll plan some more of Willie in the winter months. We look forward to seeing you:) Cheers!

An Evening in Burgundy with Scott Wright

On Wednesday, Oct. 29th, 20 wine enthusiasts gathered at Jen's Garden for an exclusive Cork Cellars Event, "An Evening in Burgundy" with Scott Wright of Scott Paul Cellars.

About once a year Cork Cellars will host an exclusive wine dinner, offering 20 people a rare opportunity to sample extraordinary wines carefully paired with exquisite food. This year our featured guest was Scott Wright, of Scott Paul Cellars.

Scott hails from the music industry, but has always had a passion for wine, growing up with a father who enjoyed fabulous Burgundy and other French wine. Scott's passion for wine began early, and when he (his wife and daughter) decided to finally leave the music industry - he knew exactly where he was headed - to Oregon, to start a winery and produce classic Burgundian style Pinot Noir's. He did just that, his winery, Scott Paul Cellars, is now in it's 10th vintage, producing beautiful, elegant, and passionate Pinot Noir (some of my absolute favorites). While continuing his knowledge of producing fine wine, Scott has travelled extensively in the Burgundy and Champagne regions of France. A few years ago, he brought back some of his favorite wines, and is now offereing a small portfolio of rare, small production Burgundy and Champagne to Oenophiles around the US.

I met Scott several years ago. Scott, his wife, Martha, and his daughter, Martha Pierre, visit Central Oregon each summer to vacation - and had stopped by the shop to see what we were all about. Of course, at the time, I didn't know who he was...I recall the first time he walked through the door, I was helping some other customers and had turned to say hello. As I turned, I noticed this gentleman had a Scott Paul Cellars ballcap on, I said "hi, welcome to Cork Cellars. Gosh, Scott Paul Cellars is the best Oregon Pinot Noir I've ever had, you must like it too!" An enduring friendship was quickly established:) On his last visit through Sisters, we concocted an evening to showcase some of his favorite imported Burgundy's to share with a handful of customers, and our event was born.

Of course, Burgundy and Champagne of that stature require excellent food - and what better person to prepare that than TR and Carol of Jen's Garden. The event was held there, with family style seating in an elegant, but casual and warm atmosphere. Our 20 guests were seated and enjoyed meeting Scott who spoke about his passion for wine and his history with the Burgundy region, as we served the first pairing:

Smoked Salmon Timable with Roasted Tomatoes, Herbed Cream Cheese over Swirl Montana Rye Toast - served with a 2006 Philippe Chavy Puligny-Montrechet. This 100% Chardonnay was the most elegant Chardonnay I've ever tasted. So floral in the nose with rich notes of almonds, a full & rich mouth-feel, but so well balanced with nice acidity to compliment the smoked salmon. This wine retails for $60.

The second course featured the 2006 Rene Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin (Pinot Noir) served with a puffed pastry filled with seafood and wild mushrooms and lemon-chive buerre-blanc. This style of Pinot Noir was so elegant and feminine. The body and color were light, but loaded with fresh raspberry and spice notes. An elegant mouth-feel led to a complex and rewarding finish. This is a very lovely Pinot Noir that retails for $60.

The main course featured Scott's own Scott Paul Le Paulee Pinot Noir. TR paired this wine with Tranches de Boeuf: marinated natural cascade beef over oven-roasted fingerling potatoes and a undescribeable demi-glaze with hints of cherry, balsamic, and red wine. Scott's Pinot Noir paired beautifully with this dish - the hints of cherry spice, and earth rounded out in this complex wine. This wine retails for $40.

The salad course: mixed greens with roasted kimberly red pears, candied almonds, french brie cheese, and champagne vinaigrette was paired with the 2006 Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanee Premier-Cru. This larger than life Burgundy is showing incredible right now, but will show even better in a few years. Red berry fruit and rose petal combine nicely with spicy and pure flavors. This wine retails for $120.

By this point, our guests have received exceptional service and an abundance of information on Burgundy and Scott's experience. The food and wine outstanding, conversation flowing, laughing, and anticipation for the last course has filled the air. Besides a love for Burgundy, Scott also shares a passion of mine, Champagne! What better way to end the evening, but to pair a fabulous dessert with a classic grower Champagne.

For the dessert, Jen (of Jen's Garden) prepared a chocolate slice of heaven, with hints of hazelnuts, topped with cream and pomegranate compote. Each savory bite was equally savory paired with the 1999 Marc Chauvet Special Club, an exquisite full bodied Champagne with toasted amonds, honey, and small bubbles. Very few bottles of this wine get imported into the US, and we can see why they want to keep it all! This bottle retails for $60.

We can't thank Scott enough for his expertise and fine wines. We all had such a wonderful time, enjoying food, wine, and good friends. If you missed the dinner, don't fret, I have the wine available at the shop for purchase - but get yours now before they're gone. If you'd like to attend one of our exclusive wine dinners, please let me know and I'll put you on our waiting list. Cheers!