I’m doing a mini-Burgundy seminar this Friday night, April 3rd at the Alliance Française in Portland - I understand it is already sold-out, but if you’re interested there may be a waiting list in case there are cancellations. This will be a fun, abbreviated version of the full-on Burgundy 101 seminars I teach here at the winery. I would love to get out and do more of these as time allows - so watch this space for any and all developments.

Or watch for us on Twitter - I signed up for an account a while back, but have never used it. I recently discovered that we have some people “following” us on Twitter now, so I guess I’d better start posting! We are “scottpaulpn” on Twitter. I will try to post anything interesting or relevant, but don’t expect a lot of Facebook-like “Scott is hungry” or “Scott is taking a shower” posts. I will try to use it a lot when I’m traveling, and especially in France (next trip coming up in early June - can’t wait!) So, we’ll see how it goes…

In the meantime, here’s a shot of Anne & Hervé Sigaut in their cellar in Chambolle-Musigny - they’ll be here in July for IPNC - details soon!

When was the last time that a breakfast out was so exceptional that everyone in the party was swapping bites, speaking in superlatives and discussing the ingredients?! This must be my month for exploring neighborhood treasures that should not be taken for granted. Last week it was the rolls at St. Honoré Bakery, and this week, it’s breakfast at Meriwether’s in NW Portland! My brother and sister-in-law were in Oregon for an entire week, and this was the dining highlight of the trip (no offense to either my sister-in-law’s or my cooking, because we ate really well all week). Given how quickly and comfortably we were seated and how attractive both the space and the menu offerings are (my brother pronounced that he’d like to try everything on the menu), it seems absurd that Meriwether’s wasn’t our first thought. We had arranged to meet at Besaw’s but our party of eight, including 4 children under the age of 8, abandoned it when told the wait would be 25 minutes. If you haven’t been to Meriwether’s for breakfast, or if it’s been a while, get there soon. In savoring her Duck Confit Omelet with Caramelized Onions and Gruyère, my sister-in-law felt certain that a memory was being made. The label “crazy good” was used for both my brother’s Corned Beef Hash with Potatoes, Seared Greens, Poached Eggs and Hollandaise, and for my Coconut Fried Chicken and Waffle. The kid’s plates of scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes ($6) were delicious and enormous. I’d like to try the Chilaquiles and the Wild Salmon Lox Omelet with fresh herbs. The eggs and produce are fresh from the farm belonging to the restaurant’s owners, Renee and John Orlando. While the kids learned about produce and then drew their own vegetables in rows in a garden plot on the children’s activity sheet supplied by the restaurant staff, we savored our last meal together before their flight back to Washington DC. One more “crazy good” meal together.

Make your plans now to join us in Portland on Thursday, April 9th from 5-8pm - for a special tasting at Oregon Wines on Broadway. We’re joining up with the team from my old stomping grounds at Domaine Drouhin Oregon for a joint tasting - you’ll taste all of the new releases from DDO as well as our ‘06 La Paulée, a sneak pre-release taste of the 2007 Audrey, the 2006 Chambolle-Musigny from Taupenot-Merme, and of course some bubbles - the Brut Selection from Champagne Marc Chauvet. (Kate, the owner of Oregon Wines on Broadway is a major Champagne fan - which automatically makes her a hero in my book!)

I look forward to seeing you there - hope you can join us! In the meantime, here’s a shot over the vineyards of Marc Chauvet in the vilage of Rilly-la-Montagne…

As I was falling asleep in my cabin at the Steamboat Inn Saturday night, I found myself mentally making a list of the things that make me happy. Snuggling with Pirrie, sharing a great meal with my wife, spending time with my kids, a magical bottle of very old Burgundy, being in Burgundy, and being alongside a wild and roaring river. Those would all be the top of my list.  It occurs to me now as I write this that it is possible to accomplish all of those things at the same time (except the being in Burgundy part) - I need to arrange for that to happen soon. I don’t know if I could stand all the happiness, having all of my kids and my wife together, having a fabulous meal and a great bottle of old Musigny in a cozy cabin while a magnificent river rushes by outside the window - but I’m willing to give it a shot!

Our winemaker dinner at the Steamboat Inn was great fun on Saturday night. Our friends Gabe Rucker and Andy Fortgang from Le Pigeon prepared an amazing meal, and the wines were an excellent match. Gabe’s Pork belly with carrot cake, paired with the 2005 Chambolle les Fueés from Sigaut was one of those magical matches that was truly transcendental. Yum!!! It was great to see so many familiar faces - thanks for coming out to join us for a really great night. If you’ve never been to the Steamboat Inn, you really should try to check it out. Besides their great series of winemaker dinners, the restaurant is excellent, and the setting cannot be beat. Did I mention I like being alongside rivers?

Watch your email for news of the upcoming release of the 2007 Audrey in early April - their are a scant few cases available, as it mostly sold-out as futures last fall. We popped one with dinner last night - it is a classic Audrey - pure silk and bright red fruits, very long and lovely, and delicious now - but surely would be at it’s best a few years down the line. I will certainly hang on to some for the library. If you’ve got a 6-pack coming your way, try to stash at least one away for a few years. It’s not until the wines get older and move into their secondary phase that they get their most interesting. Patience will be rewarded!

The Audrey release party is coming up April 18th at our tasting room - details soon! In the meantime, a shot of another of my favorite rivers, the Metolius in central Oregon. Ahhh, bliss…

By the banks of one of America’s most beautiful wild & scenic rivers - miracle of miracles there is now WiFi in the main lodge at Steamboat Inn! I got up this morning, ran and hiked for 5 miles along the river, came into the lodge for a great breakfast of Orange-Cinnamon French Toast, and have now discovered that I can post a blog entry from here - so here we go!

Tonight is our winemaker dinner at Steamboat with guest chef Gabe Rucker from Portland’s Le Pigeon, and I am really looking forward to it. We have a good crowd - 55 people for dinner tonight, so it should be good energy all around. Last night here was another winemaker dinner, featuring Capitello Wines and Marché restaurant from Eugene - the food and wines were excellent - I especially enjoyed the line-caught Steelhead from the Quinalt river, and Capitello’s sparkler -a fun night to be sure. Really nice to see some familiar faces from our Burgundy classes and regular visitors to the Scott Paul tasting room. I wish Martha and Pirrie were here, but alas I am on my own. (Martha’s bro and sister-in-law from DC, and their three kids are arriving today for a week of skiing on Mt. Hood, and we can’t all be in two places at once!)

We’re pouring some nice stuff tonight - starting with the 2007 Chablis from Gueguen, and then Chavy’s 2006 Puligny-Montrachet. On the red side we’ll do the 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fueés from Hervé Sigaut, and then our 2006 La Paulée - all paired with the hedonistically decadent and delicious dishes from Gabe (and our friend Andy Fortgang, Le Pigeon GM and wine director, who is sharpening his knives and working in the kitchen tonight with Gabe.)

I’ve just learned that Arsenal trounced Newcastle 3-1 today - and United lost again! It could be an intersting race in England after all, though Chelsea lost today too. Maybe it’ll come down to United and Liverpool - in which case I’d vastly prefer United.

The Champions League draw for the quarter-finals was yesterday - it looks like some great match-ups. Arsenal drew Villareal, and they should have a good shot of going through. Chelsea-Liverpool should be the hottest tie, with Barcelona-Bayern also sure to produce a lot of goals, and United-Porto probably a cake-walk for the defending champs. Action to come - first legs are on April 7

After dinner tonight I’ve got to crash and get up early, it’s about a four-hour drive to Carlton, and I need to be there to open the tasting room at 1 tomorrow. See you there (maybe with some stories from dinner tonight!)  Cheers!

My version of Twitter would ask, “What are you eating right now?” Just so no one feels sorry for me that I work from home and generally eat the leftovers, I’m eating a delicious salad. I topped baby spinach leaves with some smoked trout that is mashed with chopped shallot, lemon and a little Dijon mustard/yogurt mixture. I’ve topped that with chopped apple, marcona almonds and crispy fried onions (an imported, step up from the canned grocery store variety). And finally, a squeeze of lemon. I get the smoked trout from Newman’s Seafood at City Market. A little goes a long way so it’s an economical protein to make a salad a main dish.

In Twitter-speak, what am I doing right now? I’m rolling with it, literally. I’m on a roll kick this week. (My crock-pot cooking phase was so last month, and I promise to get back to you with a recipe for slow-cooker chipotle chicken). I’ve been a customer, neighbor and friend of St. Honoré Bakery for years but am only recently getting acquainted with their delicious rolls. I made myself a brie and cucumber sandwich on a fresh, soft walnut roll yesterday. A scrambled egg with cheese on half of a bacon roll was heavenly this morning. How about with tomatoes and spicy mayo, late this summer?!? Turkey and avocado would be great on their cranberry and hazelnut roll.

Another recently rekindled crush is a tuna melt. Top the olive roll or the Miche-Banal bread from St. Honoré or a slice of Pearl Bakery ciabatta with Oregon line-caught tuna fish (I buy cans at City Market on NW 21^st or Food Front on NW Thurman), sprinkle with a great cheddar cheese and broil until bubbly. (High-quality, canned or jarred albacore tuna is one of Oregon’s food treasures – the difference is amazing). We drank a Buisson-Charles Meursault with a tuna melt this week because that is what we had on hand, but a Gueguen Chablis ($22) or Thibert Père et Fils Macon-Prissé ($20) would be great too.

A bakery fresh roll might be a little thing in the scheme of things, but it makes for some living large.

Just back from a quick 2 1/2 days in San Francisco, where we had a great turnout for our distributor’s (Martine’s Wines) annual tasting. The entire wine community was out in force to taste the latest from their lineup of Burgundy superstars (including LeRoy), and our humble but delicious Oregon pinots. Thanks to all who came by our table to taste and for the kind words.

I kicked off the trip with a great evening at the home of author Jordan Mackay and wife Christie Dufault - he of “Passion for Pinot” fame and she one of SF’s longtime finest sommeliers (including a long stint at legendary resto Gary Danko.) They so kindly invited me to dinner along with some of the crème of the SF wine world, including Larry Stone (longtime somm at Rubicon in SF and now GM of Coppola’s Rubicon Estate winery in Rutherford), Eugenio Jardim from Jardinière, Andrew Green from Spruce, Debbie Zachareas from Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants, and special guest Mark from Domaine Pegau in Chateauneuf du Pape. What a great night!

Jordan and Christie cooked up a storm - with a great carrot soup to start, followed by a perfectly roasted leg of lamb, white beans and a mushroom/olive salad, a perfectly dressed green salad, and a great array of cheeses - all mopped up with unbelievably great bread from THE hot bakery in SF - Tartine. I would fly back down just for the bread - it was really that good!

Oh, and we had some wine. Everybody brought a bottle or two. There were a couple of bottles of a 1994 German Reisling that I forgot to note, but were quite excellent. There was the 2000 Pegau Cuvée de Capo (a 100-point Parker wine) - that was absolutely gorgeous - it had balance and elegance, and a truly endless finish.  The 2001 Romanée St. Vivant from J-J Confuron was stunning,  as was the mag of ‘99 Clos des Lambrays, not to mention Larry’s Surita Cab and our ‘05 Audrey, which was all silk and lace and fairly yummy. Then Christie poured a series of three whites with the cheeses, blind, and asked three winemakers and a bunch of sommeliers to divine what they might be. They all turned out to be 1999 Meursaults - the first a villages bottling from Lafon, then a Perrières 1er Cru from Morey, and finally the lieu-dit les Lurets from Roulot. I am happy to report that no one in the group got any of the wines right - in fact we were all quite sure that the Roulot was a Puligny-Montrachet, and some (myself included) didn’t think the Lafon was even a Burgundy! Other than that, we were dead-on.

The next night I had the chance to get together with my friend Craig Williams (winemaking legend formerly of Jos. Phelps) and a great group of friends (including Ken & Akiko Freeman of Freeman Winery in Sonoma) for dinner at the much-lauded SF Basque restaurant Piperade. These were people with amazingly deep and woinderful cellars, and the array of wines on the table was staggering. Mostly Spanish, some great Rhones (a 1998 Beaucastel was superb), and the pièce de résistance was an impeccable bottle of 1981 Vega Sicilia Unico - a knee-buckling spectacular wine that I can still smell and taste two days later. Mega-thanks to everyone for sharing these wonderful wines. (The food was also excellent - the lamb shank special rocked my world.)

In all, not a bad couple of days in the CIty by the Bay! On the soccer front,  here’s the fabulously talented Andrei Arshavin, who’s brought excitement back to the Arsenal just in time for a late season run -

Tremendous Wines at Tremendous Prices!

We are offering a 25% discount on all the Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines from three of our most exciting producers: Domaine Lucien Le Moine, Domaine JJ Confuron and Domaine Francois Lamarche now through March 14th. (Case purchase not required).

We invite you to the winery to sample three of

Domaine Lucien Le Moine 2006 Gevrey Chambertin, Lavaut St. Jacques 1er

You’ve heard us rave about this superstar before. If you like big, rich, succulent pinot noirs, these are for you. Only one barrel made, but we were able to import one case! More information here… “Good medium red. Expressive nose offers blackberry, smoked ham and a note of game. Ripe and pliant on entry, then broad, dry and classic, with a silky, seamless texture and lovely length.” 92 points - Stephen Tanzer - International Wine Cellar     25 cases produced

Domaine JJ Confuron 2006 Chambolle-Musigny 1er

If you prefer silky, delicate and sophisticated pinots, you’ll become a Chambolle Musigny fan like all of us at Scott Paul! “(a blend of Les Feusselottes and Les Chatelots). Here there is a small step up in aromatic elegance with a lovely blend of notably ripe yet airy red berry fruit and violet nuances trimmed in a discreet touch of wood spice that precede round, sweet, supple and finer flavors that possess good depth and richness plus notable concentration on the delicious and admirably long finish. This is very Chambolle in character and I like the subtle minerality.” 91 pts - Allen Meadows - Burghound

75 cases produced

Domaine Francois Lamarche 2006 Vosne-Romanée, La Croix Rameau 1er

La Croix Rameau is not often seen - it is a mere one and a half acres in its entirety, and is an enclave within the Grand Cru Romanée St. Vivant. Only five cases imported. “Classic ruby. The most expressive of the Vosne 1ers at present with a spicy mix of mostly red berry fruit with a lovely floral note of rose petal that continues onto the equally spicy, pure and impeccably well balanced flavors that also evidence excellent precision on the intense, long and serious finish. 92 pts - Allen Meadows - Burghound

100 cases produced

I’m looking forward to a busy and exciting few days ahead. First on Saturday, it’s your chance to taste some major 1er Cru Burgs that are never open for tasting - the J-J Confuron Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, the Lucien Le Moine Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaut St. Jacques 1er Cru and the Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanee Croix Rameau 1er Cru - we’re open from 1-5 on Saturday and Sunday, so please come on by. In addition to the tasting (which of course includes our current Scott Paul releases and other goodies) - we’re offering 25% off on any of the amazing Grand Crus or 1er Crus in stock from Confuron, Lucien Le Moine and Lamarche thru Sunday.

Saturday night I’m teaching a class on touring and tasting in Burgundy - it’ll be kind of a cross between a travelogue and a practical guide to visiting the region (and we’ll have to sample a nice burg or six over the course of the evening!) We may still have a seat or two open for the class - call Kelly Karr at 503-319-5827 if you’d like to join us. Our friend Kim Gagne - who organizes and conducts tours in Burgundy, will also be on hand. Visit Kim here.

I have finally stopped hyperventilating from the finish of the Arsenal-Roma game in the Champions League yesterday. I HATE it when big games come down to penalty kicks to decide the winner. While I’m happy to have been on the winning end this time, it really is an awful way to win or lose the match. In the meantime, Barcelona looked like the only team that can realistically challenge ManU for the whole enchilada - unless somebody gets lucky along the way (or unless Barca and United are drawn together in the quarters or semis) - that should be the final two this year. No more Champions League games for four weeks - I’m already going through withdrawal…

And here are my Arsenal boys, celebrating their victory in Roma last night -

Pizza and movie night is a favorite tradition in our household.  This recipe for dough is wonderful and freezes well so we always make an extra batch while the ingredients and food processor are out on the counter. 

Rosemary Pizza Dough

Makes four 8-in pizzas

1 cup warm water (105-115 F)
1 T sugar
1 envelope dry yeast
3 T olive oil
3 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
1 T chopped fresh rosemary

Combine water and sugar in food processor. Sprinkle yeast over and allow to sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add oil, flour and salt. Process until dough comes together, about 1 minute. On a floured work surface, turn out dough and sprinkle with rosemary. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil large bowl. Add dough; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic, then towel. Let stand in warm spot until dough doubles, about 1 hour.  Punch down dough. Knead dough in bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Using pastry cutter, divide dough into 4 pieces.  On lightly floured surface roll dough, place on baking sheet and top each with desired toppings - pizza sauce, duck salami, sautéed greens, mushrooms and mozzarella are faves here.  Bake (425° F) until bubbly and golden brown on the underside.