Wine of the Month January 2007
Belles Soeurs (by Beaux Freres) Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2004
First, a French lesson. Beaux Freres means brothers in law in French. Belles Soeurs means sisters in law. The relevancy of these names will be clear later.
It has been quite some time since an Oregonian wine made wine of the month, but I can not think of a more deserving wine than the Belles Soeurs Pinot Noir. Although most people can not pronounce the name of this wine, it is wonderful, and is priced about the same as most of the better central coast and Santa Lucia Pinots from California. For those unfamiliar with Belles Soeurs, it is produced by Beaux Freres Winery, who also produce two more expensive Pinot's under the "Beaux Freres Upper Terrace Vineyard" and Beaux Freres-Beaux Freres Vineyard" labels. The latter 2 wines are roughly 50% more expensive than the Belles Soeurs by Beaux Freres. The Belles Soeurs is made up from a lot of grapes sourced from neighboring vineyards, as opposed to the more expensive Beaux Freres wines which are made from 100% single vineyard fruit. For whatever it's worth, 2004 is, I believe, the last year this wine will be produced under this name, as they will be changing the label starting with the 2005 vintage to simply read "Beaux Freres Wilamette Valley". The more prestigous wine from the estate fruit will be labeled "Beaux Freres- The Vineyard". Confused yet?
Beaux Freres is a relatively new winery. The motivation for the winery began in 1986 when Michael Etzel, brother-in-law of famous wine critic Robert Parker discovered the land for sale. He convinced Mr. Parker to enter a joint venture, and they bought the 88 acre property which would become the heart of Beaux Freres vineyard and winery. The familial relationship of these brothers in law spawned the name of the winery. In 1991, they brought in a third partner/owner Robert Roy. Michael Etzel serves as winemaker. Robert Parker's involvement is limited, and to his credit, he refrains from offering reviews of his own wines. Their first vintage was 1991, and they have been on a roll ever since.
The 2004 Belles Soeurs (unfined and unfiltered) is a medium ruby color. It has a baked cherry pie and campfire smoke bouquet. It has vibrant raspberry and wild cherry on the palate, and enough crisp acidity to perk up the tongue just a bit. The wine is delicate and elegant. The wine ends with a lush but leisurely finish.
This is an outstanding representation of Oregon Pinot Noir. It is delicate than the Santa Lucia Pinots.
I give the 2004 Belles Soeurs a solid 4 stars. The wine was purchased for $42.99 at the Wine Sellar and Brasserie in Sorrento Valley. If you would like to leave any comments about this wine, click here to go to the blog. Visit the winery on line by clicking here.
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