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100 / the tasting panel / april 2017 DEPARTMENT HEADER Valley, where it's cool enough to grow expressive Pinot Noir and just warm enough to ripen Syrah. A pair of 2014 Syrahs and a 2010 face off against a 2010 Domaine de Thalabert Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage. The parallels between this smoky Northern Rhône and Reustle's Syrahs are astonishing. His 2010 Estate Syrah is particularly riveting with its cascading aromas of black olive, steeped black- berries, serrano ham, graphite, and violet pastille. It's a wine that conjures freshness, with pitch-perfect acidity lending balance and grace to layered black fruit, finely sueded tannins, and a cracked black pepper finish. That kind of earthy-meaty profile is rare in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is not known for Syrah—though the Rocks AVA and the Umpqua Valley will likely change that perception in time. For Stephen, the unusual profile of his Syrah hinges on two factors. "We're always told that it's all about the soil. In my opinion, the most important char- acteristic of soil is that it's well-drained. Beyond this, climate is what determines terroir. If you look at Brandborg, Reustle and Abacela, you'll find three distinct sub-regions defined by their heat units. Terry's total heat unit accumulation is equivalent to the coolest sites in the Willamette Valley. We're in between Terry and Earl, and Earl's vines receive 300 more heat units than we do. The different temperature zones are the big- gest factor." The entire Valley running from north to south varies by roughly 1,000 GDDs (growing degree days), with Roseburg, home to Reustle, averaging 2,500 GDDs annually. Beyond this, Reustle selected clones used in Hermitage. "We like clones 877, 470, and 383. They provide the base. The more clones I have, the more options I have on my painter's palette." It's clear that his research and care have paid off. His 2012 Masada Bloc Syrah took first place at the 6 Nations Competition in Sydney, Australia. Since that time, Reustle's Syrahs have won Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and Double Platinum awards in other highly competitive wine competitions. Most recently, the winery was named 2017 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year. Similarly, his Grüner Veltliners sent a ripple of excitement through our group. "We tasted a lot of inexpensive, low-quality Grüners," admitted Lauren Smith, owner of Corkscrew. "These are the first Grüners I've tasted from Southern Oregon—they weren't at all what I expected. They were really hard to spit out." Delicately perfumed with almond, melon, mandarin orange, dewy pear and granulated honey, Reustle's Grüners are slightly leaner than their Alsatian counterpart, a 2014 Pichler- Krutzler from Austria's Wachau. Fermentation in concrete eggs have endowed his wines with an extraordi- narily beautiful texture, adding a wet pomace stone backdrop to layers of fruit and bright acidity until, at last, they dwindle to a close imbued with white pepper and dried mint. We conclude the tasting with flights of Abacela's sublime Albariño and Tempranillo varietal wines. Owner Earl Jones's Albariños, which proved to be the most stunning wines of the day, are bone dry with amped-up acidity showing complexity and restraint. Lemon curd, dried pear, star fruit and white flowers give way to flavors that are taut and lean—with an arching acid spine and subtle minerality that reads as talc, wet stone, and marjoram blossom. They are every bit the equal of their Iberian counterparts, thanks to the Umpqua Valley's climate and terroir and to Jones's expertise with this varietal. Earl and Hilda Jones's aptly named HEADER "I was so pleased with how the Umpqua Valley wines showed in this tasting ; They measured up to 90-plus-point European wines." — STEPHEN REUSTLE A flight of Abacela Tempranillo paired with seared Peking duck, herbed taleggio polenta, spicy red onions marinated in balsamic and black currant relish. (right) Chef Gabriel Rucker, owner of Le Pigeon in Portland.