Le Caveau - Featured Wines - 01/21/12

Le Caveau - Featured Wines - 01/21/12
Dan Crawford was pouring for us today.
Le Caveau was not having an official tasting this week, but we were there to discuss the upcoming wine club meeting for TWITs and Dan graciously let us taste some of their featured wines for the month.
I was particularly tickled to see "EWC=b2" (well it was B squared, but I couldn't find a way to do that in this blog). Read below to figure out why.
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Eugene Wine Cellars (EWC)
Bruce & Brad Biehl (brothers or b2) were introduced to the wine industry in the late 1970s after working in agriculture during their youth. Bruce leased his first vineyard in 1978 and began developing independent vineyards in Williamette Valley, while earning his degree from Oregon State University in Agriculture Resource and Economics.
Since Graduating school, Bruce has developed over 140 vineyard operations in 13 counties within Oregon through his additional company A.R.E.A. Inc.
Meanwhile, Brad Biehl graduated from UC Davis with a Viticulture and Oenology degree, then moved to Provence in Southern France to co-manage Chateau Revelette. Brad returned to Oregon in 1990 to work with Bruce developing vineyard sites. In 1991 Brad was recruited by Ed King to build one of Oregon's premiere wineries, King Estate.
In 2000 Bruce opened the doors of Eugene Wine Cellars. Bruce continues his management of independent vineyards, while providing custom wine development services, private label wines, and bulk wine products.
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1) 2008 Eugene Wine Cellars 100% Pinot Gris - $14.99
A blend of Dion, Wotruba, and Cook vineyard, in the Northern Williamette Valley. This wine was fermented in separate small lots at cool temperatures of around 50 degrees to preserve fruity aromas and characters. The fermentations were stopped at approximately .9 residual sugar for an element of sweet and fruity flavors. Then Lees stirring for 4 months to improve mouth feel and texture. Finally the lots were blended and made bottle ready.
Aromas of apple, earth, and spice. Crisp yet good viscosity and mouth feel with nice fruity character through the front, middle, and finish.
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2) 2009 Eugene Wine Cellars 100% Pinot Noir - $18.99
"A blend of four vineyards: Fox Arbor in the Southern Williamette outside Eugene 10% added nice color and complexity and great aromas, Dion is the backbone of our blend, 70%, just south of Hillsboro, nice fruit flavors with good structure all through the mouth and nice raspberry and earthy aromas. Wotruba Vineyard in McMinnville, 10% of this blend, adds nice delicate fruity flavors and complexity. Pendarvise Vineyards located in Boring, Oregon [seriously that's the name of the city], in the Northern Williamette makes up the remaning 10% of our blend. It is with this fruit that we get our color and tannin structure. Together these vineyards have produced what we think is a very balanced and drinkable wine with good complexity."