As part of Oregon Wine Month we bring you another exciting feature. For the past few years I have been gushing about one of the top wineries in the Willamette Valley, Big Table Farm. Their head winemaker, Brian Marcy, is incredibly talented as literally anything he gets in his hands turns into a beautiful wine. Brian crafts not only some outstanding single vineyard bottlings, but some of the best entry level bottling in Oregon. His Pinot Noir wines are rich, elegant and have a wonderful, Burgundian feel. Brian has previously worked for some highly esteemed properties like Marcassan and Neyers in the past. Having interviewed him last year, I have found him to be not only an incredibly talented winemaker but a super cool, down to earth guy.
For the second year in a row, the top Rose wine that I have sampled in the past year from the Pacific Northwest is the 2016 Big Table Farm ‘The Laughing Pig’ Rose (WWB, 93). This wine is dense and intense and shows insane range, as well as sterling structure. Look for the 2015 Big Table Farm ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 93) which shows wonderful length and delivers a ton of structure and ripe fruit for an excellent price. The standout wine once again, was the 2015 Big Table Farm ‘Earth’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 95) which is one of the best Pinot Noir wines from Oregon that I have reviewed in the past year. This massive wine really needs another year in the bottle to fully show off its massive layers of black fruits and earthy tones. Learn more about Big Table Farm at http://www.bigtablefarm.com/ Here are the fantastic new release wines by Big Table Farm.
2016 Big Table Farm 'Laughing Pig' Rose- Showing off its deep pink hue that borders magenta, this wine is the follow up to the scintillating 2015 'Laughing Pig' Rose release. The wine opens with a highly perfumed bouquet of rose petals, strawberry, guava purée, and citrus blossom. Showcasing a plush palate and luscious mouthfeel this has deep flavors of watermelon, cherry starburst candy, ripe guava and suggestions of kumquat, as the light citrus elements are displayed towards the back end. This is just gorgeous one of a kind Rose wine. Drink 2017-2023- 93
2015 Big Table Farm 'The Elusive Queen' Chardonnay- Needing more than a one hour decant, this wine arises with aromatics of toasted hazelnuts, creme brulee, bananas foster and ripe pineapple. The texture is simply gorgeous as this stunning wine glides through the mid-palate. The fruit weight is intense, as the wine currently displays a dazzling array of flavors including kumquat, lemon oil, brioche, and suggestions of Granny Smith apple pie. Dense and decadent, this will be a long ager. Drink 2017-2030- 94
2015 Big Table Farm ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay- This impressive Chardonnay wine was sourced from six different Willamette Valley sited and saw only 10% new French oak (for 11 months) prior to bottling. Initially aromatically retiscent and needing roughly a one hour decant, this delicious Chardonnay wine opens with an aromatic profile of marzipan, honeysuckle, wild mushroom risotto, brioche and lemon oil. Showing some marvelous mid-palate texture, this wine has ripe flavors of roasted pineapple, Pazzaz apple, Bartlett pear tart and suggestions of baking spices and lemon curd. The light cream finish is lovely. While delicious now, this will cellar well for another decade or more. Drink 2017-2027- 92
2015 Big Table Farm ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir- This translucent colored Pinot Noir features one of the Big Table Farm pigs, ‘Kirby’ and ‘Pickle.’ Sourced from eight different sites for Pinot and needing roughly an hour in the decanter to show full aromatics expression, the wine is awakened with aromatics of ripe guava, strawberry, red cherry, pomegranate seed and fennel with loganberry accents. The intoxicating aromatics bring you back to the glass for more. The wine is currently showing flavors of red cherry, loganberry, pomegranate seed, Mandarin orange rind and suggestions of baking spices. As far as entry level bottlings go, this is one of the best that you will find out of Oregon. A gorgeous effort by superstar winemaker Brian Marcy. Drink 2017-2027- 93
2015 Big Table Farm ‘Pelos Sandberg Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Following up their absolutely spectacular 2014 'Pelos Sandberg' Pinot Noir, the 2015 'Pelos Sandberg' by Big Table Farm is another spectacular wine made by superstar winemaker Brian Marcy. The Pelos Sandberg Vineyard is an Eola-Amity Hills site which is farmed by Don Sandberg. Showing a similar translucence to their '14 bottling, the wine begins with aromas of guava puree, ripe strawberry, cherry pie, Satsuma orange zest and suggestions of mulling spices. Seductive and silky on the mid-palate, the wine yields flavors reminiscent of black cherry, black raspberry liquor, sandalwood, black truffle crudo, kumquat, crushed wet gravel, peat moss and pomegranate seed. The flavor range and sterling minerality translate to another stunner by Big Table Farm. Drink 2017-2028- 94
2015 Big Table Farm 'Earth' Pinot Noir-This massive Pinot Noir is in need of a two plus hour decant at this juncture. Showing a deep core, this wine begins with an aromatic profile of rose petals, forest floor, cigar box, black truffle oil and suggestions of loganberry cobbler. Silky, burly, yet light on its feet, this wine impresses with rich flavors of wild blackberry preserves, black truffle oil, black cherry and peat moss. The texture is absolutely gorgeous, as this is another heavyhitter crafted by superstar winemaker Brian Marcy. Try to put off enjoying this incredible wine for at least one more year. Drink 2018-2032- 95