September 2017

WINE WATCH
by Bennet Bodenstein
SECOND TO
NONE
Second labels, have you ever heard of them? Second labels are often a winery’s way of selling wines
that have not come up to the wineries standards. Even the lofty Chateau Lafite Rothschild has its
well know second label, Carruades de Lafite. These are often sound wines but they do not meet the
parameters set by the winery for wines that will carry their label or, they could also be the opposite,
wines that exceed their parameters and rightfully deserve their own and individual label recognition.
The latter is the case with the “Next” wines from King Vintners of Oregon. Going one step further,
these wines will be sold only on Amazon.com, making them less costly than they would be if they were
sold through the usual distribution methods, while opening the wines to a larger customer base.
If I may digress for a moment and reflect
on the possibilities of the future. Do you
remember Eastman Kodak, a giant among
giants in the photographic film industry, which
was driven out of business by the digital
camera and the cell phone camera? The
“Next” wines represent not only the abilities of
the King Vintners to produce truly outstanding
wines from Oregon grown grapes, but also
illustrates their business acumen by exploring
new methods of getting high quality wines out
to the pubic while bypassing the unnecessary
price increases involved with the antiquated
and restrictive three-tier system (producer to
distributor to retailer), which is currently the
law of the land. Could King Vintners choosing
of Amazon be heralding the future of the brick
and mortar wine stores? Only time and the
buying habits of the American people will tell.
Next 2015 Pinot Noir ($40). The Next
2015 Pinot Noir is one of the finest
example of any American Pinot Noir I
have tasted in a long time. This wine
displays a deep dark ruby color, a trait
that is not often seen in a Pinot Noir and
definitely announcing that something
special is in that bottle. When the wine
is poured, an aroma of cranberry,
blueberry, raspberry, cherry, plum, and
currants, with suggestions of chocolate
and black tea, seems to fill the room.
The flavor incorporates all the elements
of the aroma where they merge with
blackberries, blueberries, vanilla, and oak,
then ends with a finish that is as fruity
and full as is the flavor, and as long. If you
have never tried an Oregon Pinot Noir,
this one will make you a sure convert.
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Next 2016 Pinot Gris ($20). Pinot
Gris, or as it is known in Italy, Pinot
Grigio, is a white wine that is finding
great popularity in the United States.
This purely Oregonian wine displays a
very pale golden color and a rich aroma
of citrus, honeysuckle, apple, pear, and
a hint of nectarine. The flavor abounds
with trend of pear and melon that carry
over to the finish, which is long, fruity, and
complex. A very noticeable feature of this
wine is its effective, although restrained,
acid level. All too often an American Pinot
Gris will drown all of its attributes in an
overabundance of fruit acid, which is not
the case with the Next 2016 Pinot Gris.
This delightful wine can go with most of
our summer foods and is a stand out with
seafood and shell-fish as well as serving
as a great apéritif.
SEPTEMBER 2017
Next 2014 Red Blend ($30). This is a
rather novel and interesting wine as it is
a blend of almost equal parts of Syrah,
Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. As one
might expect, the color is incredibly dark
and the aroma profound, featuring very
noticeable notes of blueberry, cranberry.
and a fascinating earthy element. The
flavor goes in its own direction by
stressing plum and blackberry, with
the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
contributing their signature tobacco and
fragrant spice. The finish is also long and
delightful. This red wine is in a class by
itself and definitely worth your attention. P