Over the past several weeks, I posted the results from the 10th Annual World’s Largest Blind Tasting of American True Rosé (if you have no idea what that means click HERE to get started). In the ten years that I have conducted the tasting in my home, I have never done what I am about to do (at least I don’t think I have?). One of the wines we tasted was, well, not good and since they sent me an additional bottle, I decided to re-taste it. Then there was another wine that arrived late (it landed on my porch the week after the tasting), and I decided to taste it, too.
The process has pretty much been the same since the beginning. We chill, we open, we bag, we number, we taste, we spit, we go through all of the wines, we reveal. Pretty simple, at least conceptually. On a very rare occasion, we get an off bottle (usually corked), and if they had sent a second bottle, we ice it down quickly and taste again (but by this point, obviously, the wine has been revealed so the “blind” part is out the window).
Well, this year, we had a couple of wines that were, well, not very good, even on the verge of bad. They were not flawed per se since none of us was getting any faults (corked, VA, etc.), but they were, well, bad. Only one of the two had sent an additional bottle, but by this time in the tasting, the “judges” were ready to move on and go home (close to four hours of tasting really tart rosés can do that to you). Thus, I mentally moved on, until…
…I started editing my notes and found out that one of the wines (the one who had sent an extra bottle), was pretty much loved by everyone and was distributed by Michael Skurnik. While that is not a household name, those in the know, they know that Skurnik does not take on “bad” wines. In fact, if I see “Skurnik” on the back label, I will likely buy it regardless of what is on the front. Thus, I decided to give this wine another shot. Glad I did.
2025 Big Table Farm Laughing Pig Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $36. Very Responsible Bottle (444g; 15.7oz). 100%(?) Pinot Noir. I am fairly certain this is a saignée. Over the course of the 10 years that I have conducted the World’s Largest Blind Tasting of American True Rosé, I don’t think I have ever gone back and tasted the second bottle of a wine that I was sent (unless, of course, the first bottle was corked or otherwise flawed). As I mentioned in the note, the first bottle of this wine was not good. It was not flawed, as far as I could tell, but what we tasted in the glass just wasn’t appealing. Once we revealed the wines, I was shocked to find that the “not good” wine was from Big Table Farm, a winery with which I had zero experience, but I knew had received plenty of accolades from many people whom I know and respect. Add that it is distributed by Michael Skurnik Wines? I had to be mistaken. So at the end of the tasting, I purposely sought out this wine to re-taste it. Yeah. No. So, I did what (I think) I never do: I opened this second bottle at a later date (tonight). Whoa. What a difference. Quite dark in the glass for a rosé, a dark watermelon or even raspberry color, with wild strawberry, an intense red flower, and a citric note on the nose. The palate is rich, big even, with plenty of fruit initially and a quick blast of an intense, zingy tartness that remains through the lengthy finish. I am really not sure what was going on with the first bottle, as this is Outstanding. 94 Points.
Then there was this wine. It showed up late. As in nearly a week late. Ask my wife. Ask my kids. Ask any of the players on any of the teams I have coached. Ask any of my former students. I do not like being late, and I do not like it when others are late. Period.
But.
It was Brooks.
I can count on one hand the wineries for which I would not just make an exception, but also bend over backward to accommodate. Brooks is definitely one.
2025 Brooks Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $32. Heavy Bottle (). Under agglomerated stopper. These bottles arrived the week after my 10th Annual World’s Largest Blind Tasting of American True Rosé, so while it was not there to be tasted blind with the others, I am here to offer up my thoughts now (being the all-around-wanna-be-considered-magnanimous-kinda-guy). A light bubblegum pink color in the glass with fantastic fruit on the nose, mostly fresh peach and wild strawberry. The palate is fruity, bright, and fun, but also carries a level of sophistication with a flinty, savory note on the mid-palate. The zingy tartness is what really stands out, however, as it should with a high-quality rosé. I have been sampling Brooks wines for over a decade now, and they continue to set the standard in the Eola-Amity Hills. and this rosé is among the best in the Valley. Outstanding. 94 Points.
the drunken cyclist 