#divisionwinemakingco

THURSDAY NIGHT TASTING 6-8 PM:  KATE NORRIS IN THE HOUSE!!!!

We are always so excited to have a visit from Kate and/or Tom from Portland-based Division Winemaking Company! And even better, Kate is here with brand new wine hot off the press... or should I say truck? Either way, you don't want to miss tasting the 2017 vintage of some our very favorite wines in the world! Plus cheese and bread, cuz DANDY LOVES YOU!!!!

L'ISLE VERTE 2017 CHENIN BLANC, COLUMBIA VALLEY

CHENIN CHENIN CHENIN! WE LOVE CHENIN. LET'S MAKE THIS SUMMER 'THE SUMMER OF CHENIN'! Can we please? Let's start tonight with this one...

L'Isle Verte (The Green Island) is made from old-vine Chenin farmed in the Yakima Valley where the wild mix of soil types make for complex flavors.  Tom and Kate learned how to make wine in France, so this isn't a fatty flabby Chenin we're talking about. Remarkable freshness, snappy acidity, and an elegance that makes you wonder where that last glass went. You may want to stock-pile this wine, as one of these is never enough. A beautiful collage of yellow fruit (peach, white plum, lemon, quince) and a subtle beeswax-y finish keeps the balance in check. Drink with a rampy spring pasta dish with piles of parmesan or chicken and broccoli take-out. Don't matter what it is, L'Isle Verte will make your meal better. $27

LES PETITS FERS 2017 GAMAY, OREGON

GAMAY ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. That's what we say, anyway. Ha!

Kate & Tom studied winemaking in Beaujolais, where Gamay is KING and their deep understanding of these wines are on full display here.  Sourced from several different growing regions scattered around Western Oregon, this gorgeous Gamay is created using a mixture of carbonic and traditional fermentation techniques to create a rare and beautiful balance. A real winemaker's wine.  That BBQ pork sandwich wants to go on a Tinder date with this beauty.  

Division tasting notes: "This wine demonstrates classic Gamay sensibilities, with intense strawberries and raspberries, black pepper, and dark earthy warm earth tones. The palate is mineral rich and intense in mixed berries, with funky exotic spices tea notes and a lighter and ethereal texture. Designed to be a drink earlier wine, the 2017 “Les Petits Fers” is roaring out of the gate and ready for quaffing. $28

And then what we've all been waiting for... the second-ever vintage of Dandelion Wine's very own rosé made for us by Division Winemaking Company. ROLLING SUMMER 2017 GAMAY ROSÉ was a result of Lily wanting to make a rosé (or at least collaborate with an awesome winemaker or 2, enter Tom and Kate) for Dandelion Wine exclusively. When coming up with a name for it, it was pretty simple. The previous year she found herself at a Rolling Stones bar in Paris ('Some Girls Bar' on Rue du Lappe) with Dandelion's beloved Tom and Meg... they brainstormed an idea of opening a wine bar in Greenpoint that ONLY played the Rolling Stones or Donna Summer. Silly idea maybe, but the bar's name was decided on Rolling Summer! That bar never happened, and neither Tom nor Meg work at Dandelion anymore, but that memory of us together in the city of lights will live forever. And this wine is a symbol of that moment. That said, this Gamay Rosé is lip-smacking love juice with wonderful lively acidity and gobs of strawberry and rhubarb fruit. Come taste the love. $25

DANDELION WINE HAS A BIG FAT CRUSH ON DIVISION WINE MAKING COMPANY So much so that we collaborated this summer on our very first rosé together; Rolling Summer was such a hit, that there will of course be Rolling Summer Vol 2 released in the spring of 2018. And later this year, we'll be getting their "Nouveau Nouveau"; a young juicy Gamay to guzzle down pre and post our holiday feasts. In the meantime, it's time to drink Division's flagship reds, and tonight we'll be cracking 2 of our favorites...

Division Winemaking Company is Kate Norris and Thomas Monroe. Both named to Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 tastemakers list in 2016 along with dozens of other accolades over the years... but mostly, Kate and Tom are awesomely fun people who make great wine.

"Norris and Monroe arrived in Oregon in early 2010 with youthful energy and armed with the wealth of experience and knowledge that they learned in France. Not being taught the more traditional New World winemaking methodologies most commonly seen on the West Coast, provided the opportunity to start their own winery uninfluenced by the New World norms. The wine company has become an ambassador for the new generation of Oregon and Portland produced wines, and serves as a guide to the hottest upcoming varietals and wines such as Gamay Noir, Chenin Blanc, and old world style rosés. Determined to make approachable and balanced wines though minimal manipulation, they have a passion to work with sustainably farmed terroir expressive vineyards, many of which are organic and/or Biodynamic®, celebrating the varietals they as winemakers love to drink. Now in their sixth vintage release, Norris and Monroe represent a new generation of winemakers that are looking beyond the status quo to create unique styles of wine, with a purpose, a story and without traditional barriers." --WineBusiness.com

We're not the only ones who love Division the way we do... our MFW Wine Company rep, Sophie Barret (pictured above squashing grapes for Tom and Kate last month) is leaving NYC to work full-time for Division Winemaking Co... "I'll be cleaning tanks, holding hoses, reading brix, and being brand ambassador nationally so that Tom and Kate can expand production, and continue to populate our shelves with righteous Oregon juice", says Sophie. But before she goes, she's coming to Dandelion to pour wine for us from 6-8Pm tonight... how lucky are we??? Come taste!!!

2015 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir "Un" - This wine is made with whole cluster fermentation and expresses itself as fresh, with great texture, and balanced, with minerality and dense fruit (red berries). There's also some savory-ness of mushrooms and herbs. I hate to say it, but maybe it's the perfect Thanksgiving Wine.

2016 Mae's Vineyard Applegate Valley Cabernet Franc "Granit" - Always a favorite, and not always available. We just got ours delivered today! I haven't had the pleasure of tasting this release yet, but I'm looking forward to doing just that with all of you... in the past, we've noticed a heavy Loire influence on this wine; dark fruit and earthy minerals. Once, at a dinner, we were blinded on this wine and everyone thought Chinon, except one of Division's biggest fans, Kirk Sutherland (now wine director at Marlow & Sons) who nailed it by calling it for what it was; Division's Cabernet Franc "Granit". Can't wait to taste the 2016tonight!

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