WTN: 2009 Arbor Brook Heritage Cuvee Pinot Noir, Willamette

I had this Oregon Pinot Noir at Zely & Ritz last night paired with pork loin stuffed with bleu cheese in a dried cherry (and red wine reduction?) sauce and with risotto with baby shrimp. I looked up on the web and this is a family-owned winery in Newberg, Oregon that also produces Pinot Gris and Semillon. The wine was very aromatic and expressive of red cherries. It had some limited transparency. I found a little cranberry on the nose also. Medium body with a long finish. I liked it. I also see on the web that this wine was rated 91 pts. in "Wine Spectator." The 2010 version sells for $25 from the winery and the web notes sound similar to the 2009 so I am including them:

"Our 2010 Heritage Cuvee Pinot Noir is a lively Pinot with strawberry, cranberry, and pie cherries that continue into spices, herbs, a hint of cedar and a wonderful mineral nuance that brings to mind wet slate. The nose carries into the palate with soft red fruits and grows and transitions into soft sweetness for an approachable, easy drinking wine. The finish is soft and easy on the palate with a touch of elegance that Oregon shows so well in our Pinot Noirs. This wine will pair well with herb crusted salmon, port schnitzel, cranberry cornbread stuffed game hen, or roasted pork loin with a dried cherry wine sauce. If enjoying now, we suggest decanting first, best if cellared 2012 through 2018."

Note: they even suggesting pairing with pork loin with a dried cherry wine sauce--exactly the pairing I had last night (with the addition of bleu cheese.)

Zely & Ritz has a talented mixologist in Jay Earley (sp?). I enjoyed a Glenwood Manhattan before dinner (the restaurant is on Glenwood Avenue) which had Jack Daniels, Peach Schnapps and I think a bit of lime juice. Very tasty. I concluded the evening with Larry's Beans Turkish Coffee creme brulee (the taste of coffee really shone through) and a small pour of Ramos Pinto 20-Year Tawny Port. On the first Friday of the month Zely & Ritz offers a special $25 menu of appetizer, entree and dessert but I decided to order a la carte.

[Jenise]

Please tell me that the risotto was a primi course and not served with the pork loin. The blue cheese, cherry sauce and shrimp don't belong on the same plate.

Anyway, thanks for the note. This isn't a producer I've seen before.

And I have to admit--hope this doesn't sound crabby--that if I'd seen the name before my eyes might have glazed over, since somehow "Arbor Brook" sounds very ordinary in a corporate cheap-brand kind of way. No personal offense intended to these people--there are wineries in Washington and California called Arbor Crest and Alder Brook that I've said exactly the same thing about. To the extent that we're attracted to winery names regardless of contents, I'm put off by names that sound like they came from a marketing department (an 'A' positions you well alphabetically) or a focus group for being "impressive" (crest) or "pleasing" (who doesn't like brooks). Am I alone in my bias?

The risotto with baby shrimp was in a separate bowl from the plate with the pork loin. Both dishes were a good pairing with a fruity Pinot Noir. I am also skeptical of such names (Arbor Brook) but liked the wine and was pleased to see that it is from a family winery, not a corporate venture. So many Oregon Pinots that I like (and also many from Sonoma Coast or Russian River Valley) cost $40 and up so a pleasant one for $25 seems like a good value.