The Not-So-Guilty Pleasures of Old Songs and Old Wines
Revisiting the music of Paul Simon and three outstanding 2015 Oregon Pinots
My love of wine is only surpassed by my love of playing guitar. As a lifelong guitar player/songwriter myself, one of my greatest influences has been Paul Simon. He’s recently popped up all over the digi-verse with a new album, some revelations about his hearing loss, and thoughts on how he first learned to play the guitar.
In this clip taken from a recent interview with Howard Stern, Simon explains the intricacies of Travis picking among other things. It’s a hallmark of the folkie songwriter songs of the sixties, and a style that I believe is due for a resurgence.
"The guitar is like a universe, you can never come to the end of what you can learn from it" Simon confides, adding “if I don't play I am uncomfortable. I play every day. It's not like I play every day and I practice – I'm not practicing, I'm just fooling around with stuff."
Boy can I relate to that! If a day goes by that I don’t have a guitar in my hands for at least an hour or two it tugs at my soul. I imagine it’s like a gym rat skipping their exercise routine. And one of the recurring things that I love to do when I’m “just fooling around with stuff” is to revisit an old song. Whether it’s a song I’ve written or a song I learned long ago, it’s always fun to pick it up again after a significant lapse of time to see how it will sound. It will always sound different from the last time I may have played it, which I’ve verified by listening to old recordings of myself. Once sufficient time has elapsed, I will always find new ways to hear and interpret an old song, often improving my take on it, or at least putting a new wrinkle on it.
Revisiting old wines offers comparable pleasures. It’s why having a wine cellar has been a part of my life since I first became interested in learning about wine many decades ago. A well-maintained, well-organized wine cellar – not a random collection of long forgotten bottles – can be explored like an old song. You pick a theme, pull out a few bottles, and see what the passage of time has done. How have the intervening years impacted not just the wines, but your own impressions of the wines?
Last night, after harvesting a few gallons of grapes from my home ‘vineyard’ – two Cab Franc vines now about 15 years old – we sat down for a hearty supper with good friends, and rewarded ourselves with a tasting of three 2015 Pinots from three of my favorite producers. This was a casual tasting, but over the course of the meal we all agreed that the wines were in fine shape, and were each uniquely distinctive. Though I asked everyone to pick a favorite, it became more and more difficult as the evening wore on and the wines evolved with exposure to air. Here are my comments on the three wines, along with my original reviews which I did not look up until this morning. (Note that the prices quoted reflect the original full retail upon release.)
Bethel Heights 2015 Southeast Block Pinot Noir
266 cases; 13.3%; $56 (Eola-Amity Hills)
Right off the bat this wine stood out for all the tasters. It needed no time at all to open up, revealing spicy black fruits and an ultra-smooth, fresh palate. A single block, single clone wine, the years had not worn on it, but had added polish without taking away the immediately delicious fruit. My original review reads “all own-rooted Pommard planted in 1979, this offers compelling aromas of tea leaves, citrus oil, bark and other botanicals. Black cherry fruit mixes with flavors of dried cherries and cranberries, creating a lush complexity all through the palate.” I named it an Editors’ Choice and scored it 94/100.
Big Table Farm 2015 Earth Pinot Noir
107 cases; 13.9%; $105 (Willamette Valley)
Having just tasted and written up the 2021 Pinots from Big Table Farm, I grabbed this bottle to serve as a good metric for their ageability. The Earth cuvée is a blend rather than a single vineyard wine, and often the most expensive offering from the winery. This wine did not surprise, but rather validated my previous impressions. Quite different from the Bethel Heights, it offered more subtle, somewhat hidden pleasures. It required much more time in the glass to begin to unpack itself. In fact it is the only wine of the three that left a few ounces remaining in the bottle overnight. My original review reads “this complex and powerful wine is loaded with gravitas; big and tannic, yet also offering elegance and detail. The mix of fruit, spice, barrel and tannin components is beautifully orchestrated, a riot of boysenberry, black cherry, toasted nuts, pepper and chocolate. The proof is in the finish, which never seems to quit. Drink now through 2028.” I named it a Cellar Selection (good call) and scored it 93/100.
Dion 2015 Old Vines Pinot Noir
96 cases; 14.6%; $50 (Chehalem Mountains)
It’s no secret that I love old vine wines, and I grabbed this bottle because of that and because I’d recently had the pleasure of visiting the winery and vineyard for the first time. This was my absolute favorite during the first round of tasting, and picked up accolades from our guests as the evening wore on. It showed a lushness, textural depth, elegance and detail. The fruit component was barely hinting at developing secondary flavors, but had moved past the primary ‘just-out-of-the-barrel’ characteristics that are often found in new releases. At eight years of age it was for my palate just entering its prime drinking window. Had I to pick a favorite at evening’s end, I’d stick with this by a nose. My original review reads “the old vines indicated on the label are 100% Pommard planted in 1976. Compelling aromatics gracefully combine scents of flower, fruit, earth and barrel. The wine is drinking more as a mature, well-aged wine than a fresh newcomer, all to the benefit of consumers with twitchy cork-pulling fingers. Despite generous (50%) new oak, the wine remains subtly detailed, with beautifully integrated components.” I named it an Editors’ Choice and scored it 94/100.
Conclusions? Well, I’m pretty consistent in my reviews. All these wines scored 93/94 and were given an extra accolade (Editors’ Choice, Cellar Selection). I really like old vines and especially Pommard. All three provided us with enormous pleasure throughout the evening, yet required no fussing to appreciate. While I bask in the glow of the memories I’ll excuse myself and go practice “The Boxer” – a song I’ve loved (and played) for decades.
Nice crowd of pinot noirs....love Paul Simon, who doesn't!?
Guitars, music, wine. Nothing better - unless you add in reading books😍