Day 5

River’s Edge Winery 2019 Cascade Pétillant Naturel Rose of Pinot Noir

This is a Pétillant Naturel wine, made from Pinot Noir.  Pét Nats (as they are known) are sparkling wines (the term in French means “naturally sparkling”).  A Pét Nat is made in the Ancestrale Method (so yes, like the Troon Frizzante we started our 12 days celebration with).

Because it is fermented and left on the lees, you get some of those biscuity notes like you often detect in champagne.  This wine is unfiltered and should be served chilled.

The label is also beautiful. The Artwork is by Kaela Rose

What does it taste like?

I found it had a smoky nose, and notes of a wild herb garden after the rain, with notes of tall grasses as they warm up in the sun.  It has earthy notes and tart, dried red fruits. There are light floral notes that reminded me of dried hibiscus.  You also get yeasty bread notes on the nose since it was fermented on the lees.

It’s so different from the other Pét Nat, the notes of the grape (Pinot Noir) and the region making this expression, more subtle, thoughtful, and serious.  This is a wine I would love to drink fireside out in the woods, perhaps with a sunset view…

You can find it here SRP $34.

Mini Gruyère & Thyme Biscuits with jam, fresh raspberry and dried hibiscus

I wanted to play off both the fruit and yeast notes in this wine with the pairing so we made mini gruyère and thyme biscuits, served with raspberry jam, fresh raspberries, and dried hibiscus.

Gruyère is a classic pairing with Pinot Noir, so I thought this savory (and a bit serious) biscuit would pair nicely.  I used a cherry jam and topped it with a fresh raspberry, then sprinkled it with dried hibiscus to add that floral note.

When I went to cut out the biscuits I realized I didn’t have a cutter that was small enough to make a biscuit that would fit in a spoon! So, I improvised and found a tiny aperitif glasses that my parents had left me (we have a huge collection of beautiful etched glasses for more drinks and cocktails than I was aware existed!).

I used this little glass to cut out my mini biscuits.

I riffed on a recipe from food and wine, altering it to fit my needs and my biscuit style.

River’s Edge Winery

River’s Edge was the first winery in Elkton, Oregon.  Founded in 2000 by Mike and Vonny Landt, who bought the Black Oak and Elkton Vineyards that had been planted by Ken and Mary Thomason back in 1972.

Tyler Bradley, who we spoke of yesterday with Bradley Family Vineyards, joined them in 2014 as Asst. Winemaker and took over all the duties in 2017.  He brought in Colin Duddy, a friend from his days of organizing Extreme Sporting events.

We tasted with the two of them in August on our #ScenicRoute2021 trip in the Umpqua Valley.

I was a bit enamored with the River’s Edge Cascade when we did our tasting with them.  I mean, rosé Pét Nat on a patio overlooking a vineyard on a warm August day?  What’s not to love?

So on our way north out of the Umpqua, we made a stop by their winery along the river (it is named River’s Edge Winery for a reason) and we picked up a bottle so we could share it with you!

You will find more on River’s Edge and our tasting with Colin and Tyler in our post The Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua