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Anne Amie's Müller-Thurgau, From Oregon, May Change Your Mind About The Oft-Maligned Grape 

4/10/2015

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by Patrick Ogle

Anne Amie Vineyards might make you take a second, or a first, look at the oft-maligned müller-thurgau grape and the wine that comes from it. The Oregon winery does a great job with the Swiss creation that is the second most grown grape in Germany.

Müller-thurgau is a grape purposely created by crossing riesling with another less known grape, madeline royale. Hermann Müller, a Swiss doctor, was the man behind the cross back in 1882. He apparently wanted a grape that ripened earlier but kept many of the other qualities of riesling. In the former he was rewarded and in the latter he was not.

This is a grape that has often inspired disdain from wine snobs, in part, because it has often been used to make bad wine. I would point out the same is true of numerous other grapes but in a general sense  I would tend to agree with the disdain because, up until now, I haven’t liked the wines made müller-thurgau —except in blends . A nice example of a blend, also out of Oregon, is Montinore Estate’s Borealis. Sometimes blending wines just do not make good varietals.

Up until now I’d only found müller-thurgau as a varietal to be, at best, tolerable. This wine from Anne Amie Vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton district of Oregon has made me rethink MY snobbery.

The first fruit flavor you taste is reminiscent of pear. Literally every review--to say nothing of the winery notes--lists a different fruit from apricots to key lime to citrus pith; when is the last time you tasted citrus pith?  I think the gist here is that the wine is crisp and reminiscent of lighter fruits. It is smooth with minimal acidity. It is a crowd pleasing, easy-drinking, wine.   There is no hint of oakiness which isn’t surprising since this grape isn’t usually oaked. This wine is, in fact, ages in stainless steel.

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If you are a fan of sauvignon blanc this wine totally lacks the grassiness of the ones from down under (Australia/ New Zealand). It has a little more body than many mid priced American sauvignon blanc. I often think the American and Aussie/New Zealand sauvignon blanc wines benefit from being served very cold. You can serve this wine quite cold but it has a little more to it and opens up at a slightly higher temp. By that I mean you can taste MORE in this wine at a higher temp (generally true).

Fans of un-oaked chardonnay will appreciate this while those who like big oak or butteriness may or may not be fans. I like variety in my wine so I will go big oak and no oak on a whim, a mood or depending on what I am eating. This has some analogs with dry riesling except it lacks the acid. It is a less “simple” wine than most pinot grigio/pinot gris.

Again, if you grab a DIFFERENT, müller-thurgau do not expect the above to hold up. Even a different year from the Anne Amie Vineyards may well be different. I would expect subsequent things (weather being favorable) to improve.

Anne Amie is also a wine maker well worth more examination. Oregon produces some truly great wine.

$14-18

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    WINE!

    There are thousands of wine grapes and many places that grow great wines. Why not find out about some surprising wines from surprising places?

    NOTE-Until recently I did not capitalize the names of varietal grapes (as a matter of style) but for a variety of reasons as of February, 2018 we will capitalize but I am not going back and altering the previous style!!!


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