I met the good people of Purple Cow Vineyards last November at the NW Food and Wine Show in Portland. I actually sought them out, because with a name like Purple Cow, they are either going to be mediocre wine with a kitchy label, or a surprising gem. They were the latter (though the label is pretty fun). I left the show a wine club member carrying a case of wine!
In February, I received a bottle of their 2006 Marechal Foch, a varietal I’d never tried before. On Sunday evening, my 1st Father’s Day, I wanted to open a nice bottle, so I went for the Foch. I’ve had a few other Purple Cow wines; the ’06 Pinot Noir is truly epic, so I was excited to try something different, without having any pre-conceived notions about the varietal.
Right out of the bottle, the nose was very bright fruit, but the “hot” overpowered most other aromas. A good swirl mellowed some of the alcohol, but for the first 1/2 glass, it was still a bit hot, perhaps a testament to it’s aging ability. I personally enjoy tasting a bit of alcohol on some wine, and could still pull flavors out from the wine. Licorice was a prominent flavor, which matched well with the hot. As the wine mellowed, it became very velvety in a hurry, dramatically changing the smell and taste. What started as bright fruit on the nose became earthy & dirty (my wife’s opinion), and smelled like coffee to me. The big red spice that I noted on the first 1/2 glass mellowed into the velvety blueberry, with just a touch of lingering spice on the finish.
Sadly, Purple Cow only produced a very small amount of the Marechal Foch, and didn’t even have another bottle for me to buy, so I won’t get a follow up, 2nd chance with this wine. But, they’ve fast become my favorite Willamette Valley Winery, and I know that the next Purple Cow wine I uncork will be another win!
graham's wine reflections 