It’s turkey season!
That didn’t mean a whole lot to me before I moved to VT—but I know better now. This is serious business. For 30 days, my co-worker, John, wakes up before 4:00 am, heads into the woods, settles in, waits for dawn, makes some sexy hen noises, and draws in a big ‘ole gobbler.
Of course, it’s not that simple. Turkey hunting is an art form that requires a great deal of knowledge, patience, and a fluency in turkey talk. It took almost all season last year for John to tag his 2 birds. This year—just 2 days and 1 unimaginable shot. Quota full.
For her birthday, Carey was desperate for some mounted antlers. When I presented her with an antique set of some odd, German pygmy deer antlers fitted on a hand-carved plaque I found on Etsy, kisses rained down upon me. I had found the way to her heart—hunting trophies and/or taxidermy. So when I was offered a fresh turkey foot at work on Monday, I thought of Carey! I pictured her allowing it to dry in a standing position for display on a desk or bookcase. I snapped a few pictures excitedly and sent them off to her at work. [See below.] Needless to say, we are not currently in possession of a turkey foot*.
Dinosaur foot or not, wine was in order (see how perfectly that segued!).
From my tasting notebook:
Musty nose, hints of sweet watermelon, spruce and moss. Deep plum in color—divergently dark for an Oregon Pinot Noir, but not dense, retaining glimmers of transparency. Steady black fruit drives and traverses the nose and palate, underscored by dense earth and herbals.
Not a wine quick to award dividends. It flaunts a Bordeaux-like appetite for air and patience—a bit of a dangler at first, but 2 hours provides focus. Swells of black cherry, fennel, cola and cream soda become unmissable where vague threads of distinction appeared at first.
Not more than a few reviews prior did I tout the 2008 vintage as a departure from the introspective, nuanced, but initially apprehensive 2007 Willamette Valley wines. Pinot loyalists loved that vintage, while early numerical ratings shied. I was told many times to enjoy the effortless ’08 vintage and let the older siblings wait. This has proven true in many respects, with Jordan being a clear exception. I have one more bottle, and its calling includes a cool dark place for a few years, where, when the time is right, it will flourish upon opening and climb to great heights, no doubt.
The gift that was not meant to be:
Enjoy! The wine, not the foot.
-Rob.
*However, she has requested 3 feathers for a new headdress.
Thank you for the wonderful prose. You have such elegance in your writing, it is as appetizing as the wine itself. You are right as well that the ’08s will be better with aging and that the ’07s are aging beautifully in the bottle. The ’07 Jordan is drinking very well right now. Cheers,