Sokol Blosser Wine Blog

On my recent weekend getaway to Las Vegas, I was overwhelmed with the many delicious dining opportunities. I realized I would have to base my final decision on atmosphere, location, aromas (of course), menu options and pricing. After going to one of the Cirque Du Soleil shows, my friends and I decided to check out the luxurious Mandalay Bay Casino. We decided to try one of their many restaurants, “China Grill�, due to its dim lighting, romantic atmosphere and the endless menu choices. This is a gourmet Chinese cuisine restaurant with entrees ranging from $25-$35. Once we were seated, I was pleasantly surprised to see Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir and Evolution on the wine list. I quickly ordered a bottle of Evolution for everyone to share. What better wine to pair with spicy food? Our group of four chose several entrees to enjoy family style. My favorite dishes were the “drunken chicken� and the “flank steak�. These two dishes were perfect paired with Evolution!

Posted by Patty Meuchel, Tasting Room Manager at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don’t know what it is about shellfish, but I love it all – oysters, clams, mussels, you name it and I’ll eat it. I must have inherited that from my father because my brothers don’t share that same love as me. So, when my dad called me early Sunday evening, casually mentioning that he had just returned from a weekend trip to the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington, with five dozen "Willapa Bay" oysters that he had foraged himself, my husband and I were in the car heading to my dad’s about two seconds after I hung up the phone.

I have to admit that we did start out eating oysters on the half shell, freshly shucked by my father, with homemade mojitos. But after we finished the first round of mojitos, we popped the cork on a bottle of our 2001 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris. The oysters lasted longer than the Pinot Gris. I don’t often have the opportunity to drink past vintages except on the most special of occasions, so this was a real treat! An older Sokol Blosser Pinot Gris and fresh Willapa Bay oysters! It doesn’t get better than that (well, it probably could have been a little bit better if we had remembered to bring a bottle of our White Riesling “ice wine� for dessert…)!

Posted by Alison Sokol Blosser at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At Sokol Blosser, we have just lived through one of the driest winters in Oregon recorded history. We have had more sun than anyone can remember and we are worried about what this means. Is this just an unusual year or is this part of a climate change popularly referred to as global warming? Will the dry weather continue or will we make up for it with a wet spring and/or summer?

The vines are doing fine now but if we don't get rain, our unirrigated vineyard will suffer this summer. In order to preserve moisture, we are mulching under the vines in part of the vineyard with 8-10 inches of straw. We don't have enough straw to do the whole vineyard this year but we're doing as much as possible. Stay tuned.

Posted by Susan Sokol Blosser at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mark Moffatt at Reds in Toronto organized a fabulous Sokol Blosser dinner, showing five Sokol Blosser wines. Alex and I were there, doing the mother-son thing, and enjoying the chance to meet some of Reds's good customers and Pinot Noir fans. The food-wine pairings were awesome, especially the Grilled Bison Striploin paired with Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir. Here’s the menu we enjoyed:

Reception
Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Rosé 2001
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Amuse Bouche
Evolution, 8th Edition
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John Dory Filets baked in Sea Salt served with Pinot Noir glazed Shallots and Green Beans
Sokol Blosser Pinot Gris 2003
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Grilled Bison Striploin served with Dauphine Potatoes, Chanterelle and King Oyster Mushrooms
Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir 2001
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Cheese Course
Meditrina
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Pear Melba
Poached Pear in Red Currant Jelly served with Vanilla Gelato, Chantilly Cream, Roasted Almonds
Offley Boa Vista Port 2000
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Kona Coffee and Mighty Leaf Tea

Posted by Susan Sokol Blosser at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

40 plus friends of Sokol Blosser came out to the legendary Friar’s Club in Beverly Hills to meet us and enjoy my family’s newly released Pinot Noirs. Scott joined me, and we were able to sit and talk to everyone who came and even pulled off telling a few jokes, which seemed very fitting for the Friar’s Club. Even though we were funny and entertaining in our own way, our 2002 Pinot Noirs were the true headliners. Showing very well so young, they had the crowd saying yum on more than one occasion.

Anthony Vallone and the Friar’s Club staff poured 2002 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, the first Pinot Noir with the new Dundee Hills AVA on the label. 2002 Estate Pinot Noir, a blend of our oldest blocks and our promising new blocks. The Estate Cuvee is only available to Cellar Club members and in our Tasting Room (a little hint-go buy some, it will not last!). 2002 Watershed Pinot Noir, Sokol Blosser’s most elegant expression of Pinot Noir. Watershed is a favorite Pinot of a lot of the staff at the winery and it was a favorite at the Friar’s as well. Finally, 2002 Old Vineyard Block Pinot Noir, our oldest vines (30 years old) and a Pinot that has nice spice and wonderful truffle flavors. This is always a favorite of my mother’s, and it is the site where Sokol Blosser began 30 years ago.

Thank you to all who came out to the Friar’s Club. Thank you to Anthony’s staff for making this event feel more like a cocktail party at a friend’s home than a typical tasting. Laughs, fun and Pinot! I hope you all had as much fun as Scott and I did.

Posted by Alison Sokol Blosser at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember the movie? That was what it was like at our lunch at this wonderful Italian eatery. Scott Nagle, Frederic Hemon of Ortolan, Kevin Riggs of Fireside Cellars and Mark Stepanek of Paterno Wines and I did not even order off the menu. We left our lunch up to Norberto Zandi of Piccolo Paradiso. We were there to taste through Sokol Blosser wines with food – it’s the best way to enjoy Sokol Blosser wines by the way. We told Norberto generally what works with the wines and he did the rest. My advice for anyone who wants to go for lunch: cancel your afternoon appointments, leave your watch in your pocket and simply enjoy one of life’s true pleasures - a long relaxing lunch in the middle of the work week!

Norberto paired our 2002 Pinot Gris with mussels and calamari. He paired a radicchio salad with our 2001 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Then fresh pasta with wild mushroom gravy with our 2002 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir followed by veal Saltimbocca with truffle mashed potatoes with our 1999 Watershed Pinot Noir. To top it all off, just for fun, two kinds of incredibly fresh sorbet to finish this incredible lunch. Sokol Blosser and talented foodies are always a winning combination. Piccolo Paradiso also had a section on their wine list that was dedicated to wines made from organically grown grapes. That was the first that I have seen and applaud Piccolo Paradiso for taking this bold step in the right direction. Since 2002, Sokol Blosser estate wines are made from organically grown grapes. Next time you’re in the area, stop by Piccolo Paradiso and let Norberto serve you an incredible meal paired with Sokol Blosser wines. Ciao!

Posted by Alison Sokol Blosser at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)