Teutonic Wine Company: I Can't Believe How Long It's Been...
February 2nd, 2020
Since the early days of the existence of MCF, Barnaby Tuttle's wines from his Teutonic Wine Co have been some of my hands-down favorites.
And for some reason (well, there are a few, but whatever...I blame myself), it's been an unforgivably long time since I've written up an offer for them.
Like, seriously...as I type this, sitting with a glass of his Wahlstrom Pinot Noir 2014, I'm getting progressively angrier at myself with each passing whiff and sip.
I love the wines, period. And I love Barnaby, too. Everything about what he does is so perfectly awesome. There are few winemakers out there whose personality pervades everything he does so completely, and that includes the wines.
It takes a special kind of enthusiasm to set out to do what he and his wife Olga did...that being to craft German and Alsatian-styled wines from high-altitude, cool-climate vineyards in Oregon...with no real experience or knowledge to go on, to boot.
I mean, now it might not sound so crazy, but in 2005, when he and Olga first planted the Alsea vineyard, the ultra-lean reds and flowery/racy whites of Germany and Alsace were still largely on the fringes of the American palate, even within the hard core wine geek crowd.
Nonetheless, they dove in head first, and the rest is history. The Laurel Vineyard Pinot Noir 'Battle' was the first red I bought of theirs and, a fact I just realized in looking back at some very old POs, the first three whites from Oregon I ever sold at MCF were their Maresh Pinot Gris, Crow Valley Riesling and, always my favorite, the 'Pig & Swords' White.
On top of how awesome the wines are, Barnaby's also into old race cars, enjoys drinking cheap beer as much as wine, and also plays the Tuba (which most of you probably don't know, but I studied Orchestral Tuba Performance in college...), so, even from afar, we have oddly similar tastes in things.
So, while I continue to get even more annoyed with myself, you can read the below list of delicious Teutonic wines that I'm offering out today.
TEUTONIC WINE CO.
Willamette Valley Red Blend 2017 $24
Lately, Barnaby's taken to blending Gewurztraminer with red grapes - in this case, with Pinot Noir - and it's brilliant, if you ask me. The 'Red Blend', as it's known, is light, ethereal and insanely aromatic, perfectly balancing the glorious 'Oregon Pinot' thing with the bright, flowery Gewurz character. It kind of reminds me of one of those perfectly orchestrated phrases from Richard Strauss, where the beginning starts in the lower reeds and continues all the way up through the flutes and into a soaring violin/viola ending. On both the nose and the Palate, you first notice the Pinot, but then as they progress, the airy, lifted elements of the Gewurtz take over. For such a dainty wine (and it is super-light and dainty), at such a fair price, there's an awful lot going on here.
Willamette Valley White Jazz Odyssey 2017 $19
The Jazz Odyssey is a blend of Riesling, Gewurz and Chardonnay, and is a perfectly lively, fragrant and engaging glass of white wine. There's so much energy underneath the textured, flowery profile, and it's got just a touch of RS that makes it so perfectly Alsatian in style. For me, this is begging for a cheese board, some type of spicy Asian fare or, if you want to keep it traditional, a Choucroute Garnie. Lovely!
Willamette Valley Pinot Meunier Borgo Pass 2017 $35
Yes, you read that correctly, a still red from Oregon made of 100% Pinot Meunier...and yes, it's positively delicious. Again, we're dealing with a dainty, highly aromatic, barely-red/borderline-rosé wine, but it's soooo cool and delicious. By cool I mean both 'Alpine zippy and invigorating' and 'man, that's really cool'. It's definitely lighter on all fronts than one of his Pinot Noirs, but the Meunier add an extra bit of tangy/savory to the whole thing.
Pinot Noir Traubenwerkzeug Wahlstrom Vineyard 2014 $51
When push comes to shove, the Traubenwerkzeug Pinot will always be closest to my heart. This is what used to be known as the 'Quarryview', because of the fact that the Wahlstrom vineyard was planted over an old gravel quarry. It always yields a fantastically fresh, bright-red, finely delineated Pinot Noir that, for me, best encapsulates the Teutonic style. It's still light in the grand scheme of Pinot Noir, but among Teutonic's lineup of reds, it's actually the most substantial. Everything about this, from the fresh berries and herbs, to the perfectly balanced texture, to the chiseled, stony core...right down to the totally awesome label with robots and lightning emerging from what I guess is a trans-dimensional Cornucopia...is everything I love about Barnaby's wines.
All wines discount 10% by the case of 12, mixed or solid.
You may order by emailing info@mcf-rarewine.com or calling 212.255.8870.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.