aloha oregon (no, not that aloha)

Okay, I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii a few months ago after in Portland for 13 years straight.  I needed to put northwest winters behind me once and for all.  Don’t hate me.  Right now, after way too many shitty light beers and overly sweet tropical drinks, I’m missing Oregon wine.  Here are some reviews I somehow forgot to put up from a visit to the lovely east-side urban Enso Winery.  More review to come soon . . . promise. 

Enso, Resonate #2

This is a nice clean if a little unassuming white wine for the summer.  It a blend Oregon Gevurtraminer and Washington Riesling.  It’s got heaps of peach and sugar cane on both the nose and flavors.  It’s got a slight syrupy sweet edge but still ends quick and clean.  I would have liked more spice from the Gevurtz or mineral notes from the Riesling.  Still not bad at all.  Also, it’s a nice treat to be able to scoop up a wine with such a tiny production (52 cases!) at under 15 dollars. 

Enso, Pinot Gris, 2010, Wheatland Vineyard

A much brighter and drier wine compared to the resonate.  Lemon, golden raisin, and pear dominate the nose with a touch of wet rock.  This gris has some real unique qualities compared to a lot of others I have tasted lately.  It’s fruit forward but loaded with lemon candy and dried apricot as opposed to a lot of the day old puckery lime flavors I get from a lot of other Oregon Pinot Gris.  The fruit from this wine comes from Arcane Cellars Wheatland Vineyard, where the winemakers at Enso used to work.  You can tell that this fruit is in good hands.

Enso, Rose, Alder Ridge, 2011

This bottle was tasted about 3 weeks after being bottled.  It’s a southern French style blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mouvedre.  The fun factor on the nose (strawberry, watermelon, and bubble gum) is balanced out by some nice background herbal notes.  The strawberry carries through on the flavor profile with the addition of vanilla bean and tar.  The tannins are a bit bitter on the end.  This wine is definitely still young even for a Rose.  The 2010 Enso Rose was made up of different varietals.  It wasn’t as focused or clean as the 2011 but I do think it was a little more interesting.

Enso, Resonate #2, Washington, 2009

This 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Counoise has super enticing nose with lots of clean earthy notes,  musk, and shoe leather polish.  Considering the strength of the nose, the resonate #2 is light on its feet on the flavor profile.  It’s a medium bodied wine dominated by plum, cinnamon, and cocoa powder flavors.  There is a nice acidity running throughout as well.  The winemakers call the resonate #2  “dominate yet strong” and I couldn’t agree more.  This wine would pair really well with lots of food and I think is a real value at $16 a bottle!

Enso, Resonate #3, Washington, 2009

The #3 is a blend of 50% Mouvdre, 25% Grenache, and 25% Syrah from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.  This wine is also a brand new release for Enso.  It’s got a much darker color than the #2.  The nose is not as open ended and much darker.  There is a hefty dose of creamy oak rounded out by rose, violet, and crushed blueberry.  The #3 is closer to full bodied with a milky mouthfeel.  I found this wine to have lots of awesome sweet notes but still not dominated by fruit.  Think caramel, coffee, and fudge!  There is also a nice dose of black pepper and currant.  This is quite a rich wine that I couldn’t find much acidity in.  Still it’s far from flabby.  Good stuff to drink on its own once the weather cools down a little.