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Cana's Feast Winery 2015 Arneis
Old world wine with Oregon flair.
Believe it or not, it's possible to draw a straight line from the culinary wasteland that is TGI Fridays to the exquisite old world wines found at Cana's Feast.
Here's the story: For winemaker Patrick Taylor, it all started when he was an uninspired history major. He quit school and took a job at TGI Fridays to pay the rent. Alongside the lineup of bland American pilsners were a handful of microbrews that made his tastebuds sing. Before long, he decided to head home to Oregon and try his hand at brewing beer.
At Oregon State, studying fermentation science, his passion for beer turned into a passion for wine, and a winemaker was born. Working on big red wines with famed winemaker Andrew Rich, and later with Cana's Feast founder Gino Cuneo, Patrick fell in love with big Italian reds. He experiments and tinkers, tweaking his barrel strategy. his aging strategy, and more.
Over the last decade, as head winemaker at Cana's Feast, Patrick has led the way toward their "decidedly uncommon" style, producing Pacific Northwest wines inspired by old world wines from Italy, Bordeaux, the Rhone, and Burgundy.
Just don't serve his wines with the endless mozzarella sticks.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Cana's Feast Winery, Carlton, Oregon
2015 Arneis
Arneis is a crisp and aromatic white wine that's traditional in the Piedmont area of Northern Italy.
There's not much grown in Oregon - and most of what's here comes from the Redman Vineyards in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, northwest of Newberg. We featured a 2014 Helioterra Arneis from the same vineyard, and it's always fascinating to compare what different winemakers do with the same juice.
The Cana's Feast Arneis is a barrel-fermented white wine which is a rather significant departure from the traditional Italian approach. But when Patrick brought his wine to a conference of Italian winemakers, they surprised him with a strongly positive reaction!
You'll surely find the traditional Arneis aromas and flavors of toasted almonds, honey, ripe pear and nutmeg. But you'll also find a wonderful creamy and soft texture resulting from the barrel aging and the aging on the lees.
A Cellar 503 selection in December 2016, Happy Holidays Ribbon Ridge | Arneis
