http://ignoregon.com/rss/Carlton Aggregated Blog Posts From Carlton Thu, 17 May 2012 18:27:28 +0000 en http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/16/carlson-fading-away/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/16/carlson-fading-away/ Wed, 16 May 2012 17:15:00 +0000 Chris CarlsonCarlson Chronicles The late former Idaho Senator, Frank Forrester Church III, is rapidly fading from public memory not only in Idaho, but nationally. Church served Idaho honorably for 24 years (1957-1981), the only Democrat senator ever re-elected (three times) in Idaho history. Except for those that love to recreate in “The Frank,” the vast [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/id-challenges-coming-up-short/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/id-challenges-coming-up-short/ Wed, 16 May 2012 00:52:00 +0000 The new closed primary in Idaho seems to have had one of the effects a lot of people expected: Turnout is down. People professional expected to be neutral, like journalists and judges, are voting in smaller numbers. And a lot of other people, disgusted at having to declare a party identification, took a pass too. [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-rugged-times-for-the-timber-counties/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-rugged-times-for-the-timber-counties/ Wed, 16 May 2012 00:30:00 +0000 Early results are showing results sure to make a lot of local government people – and a lot of business people, civic leaders and others too – cringe: The public safety levy in Josephine County is failing, decisively, with 57% of the vote. We wrote about this one in a post on May 11, and [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-ag-rosenblum/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-ag-rosenblum/ Tue, 15 May 2012 23:53:00 +0000 The weight of indicators seemed to be pointing toward a win for Attorney General in the Democratic primary – which may be determinative – for Ellen Rosenblum over Dwight Holton, and so it seems: She has 63.3% of the vote as this is written. A lot of the discussion, as efforts ran to find distinctions [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-primary-hales-and-smith-for-the-fall/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-primary-hales-and-smith-for-the-fall/ Tue, 15 May 2012 23:38:00 +0000 Well, now we have a little better idea which polls not to watch. Tonight’s Portland mayoral race, which technically features about two dozen candidates, really comes down to a matter of two out of three, the three being former Council member Charlie Hales, legislator Jefferson Smith and business executive Eileen Brady. Since none have been [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-primary-reardon-knocks-off-schaufler/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/15/or-primary-reardon-knocks-off-schaufler/ Tue, 15 May 2012 23:25:00 +0000 We begin sifting through this evening’s numbers with our first-check among the Oregon races: state House 48 (eastern Multnomah), in which Democratic Representative Mike Schaufler, who has cast some key votes with Republicans and otherwise has irritated a number of other Democrats, lost to challenger Jeff Reardon. To go by the early numbers, it isn’t [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/13/id-primary-dead-ahead/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/13/id-primary-dead-ahead/ Sun, 13 May 2012 20:30:00 +0000 Tuesday will mark Idaho’s first try at a partially-closed primary election. That means Republicans will allow only people declaring themselves to be Republicans to vote in that party’s primary. Democrats will allow anybody. We’ve talked with a number of people who, disgusted at the idea of publicly declaring a party affiliation, said they won’t participate [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/13/or-primary-dead-ahead/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/13/or-primary-dead-ahead/ Sun, 13 May 2012 18:15:00 +0000 Tuesday night, the last of the ballots are scooped up, and the results (most of them anyway) are announced. Except for very close races, the results will be known soon after the 8 p.m. deadline passes. So what to watch for? Here’s where our attention will be focused on Tuesday night. 1 – House 48 [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/AhKOHuoycaY/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/AhKOHuoycaY/ Thu, 10 May 2012 20:08:00 +0000 craig.camp posted a photo: The picking crew waits for enough light to start the day's work. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/fr8mIQXp2B8/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/fr8mIQXp2B8/ Thu, 10 May 2012 20:08:00 +0000 craig.camp posted a photo: Night pick as dawn breaks. Garvey Home Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/50NkmGGOcSY/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/50NkmGGOcSY/ Thu, 10 May 2012 20:08:00 +0000 craig.camp posted a photo: Harvesting our Davis Block Cabernet Franc in Oakville http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/10/perils-of-prediction/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/10/perils-of-prediction/ Thu, 10 May 2012 19:29:00 +0000 In working on next week’s Washington Weekly Briefing, we ran across this from the “1 year ago” file … The Washington State Republican Party, meeting at Bellevue, for an annual dinner on May 6, ran a straw poll to assess the support there for the various presidential contenders. 357 ballots came in, and split deeply [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/10/a-tax-levy-and-much-more/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/10/a-tax-levy-and-much-more/ Thu, 10 May 2012 18:49:00 +0000 Could be that the most significant event in Oregon on Tuesday passes clear outside the view of most Oregonians, partly because it will be happening in Josephine County, far from the big population centers, off in the southwest corner of the state, around Grants Pass. It will be not a hot race for high office, [...] http://www.scottpaul.com/scott/2010-burgs-in-bottle http://www.scottpaul.com/scott/2010-burgs-in-bottle Thu, 10 May 2012 18:34:00 +0000 The 2010 Burgundies in bottle are surpassing what they showed in barrel last fall! (At least the ones that are in bottle so far.) All of the rave critical reviews we’ve been seeing (Burghound, Wine Advocate, Tanzer) are from barrel tastings last October & November �" that’s also when I tasted over 400 examples of [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/09/internal-slaughter/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/09/internal-slaughter/ Wed, 9 May 2012 18:32:00 +0000 Whatever else this season’s Idaho Republican civil war may be, it is not about “conservatism” – whatever that word may mean. It is not about “philosophy.” Just about all of the Republicans on the ballot this year for legislative office or higher in Idaho are small-budget, low-tax, strict Christian-oriented, business-backing candidates. In the scheme of [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/09/carlson-hubris-at-epa/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/09/carlson-hubris-at-epa/ Wed, 9 May 2012 11:33:00 +0000 Chris CarlsonCarlson Chronicles Ed Moreen, a project manger for EPA, working on the clean-up of the Silver Valley, is a nice guy. So is Terry Harwood, an employee of the Idaho Department of Ecology. Sincerity oozes as they explain what government is doing to protect human health within a mammoth basin-wide Superfund site. Both men, [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/08/whos-first-out/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/08/whos-first-out/ Tue, 8 May 2012 20:07:00 +0000 The rule in Portland mayoral races is that to be elected mayor, you have to win an outright majority, in one election or another. It can happen, and has happened, in primary elections – it did four years ago, when San Adams won outright in May. But it is not likely to happen this year: [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/iUIm_rO0Reo/hard-chard.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/iUIm_rO0Reo/hard-chard.html Mon, 7 May 2012 01:05:00 +0000 Firsts are always hard and hard this one certainly was, which always makes the experience even more delicious. In this case it also makes the wine more delicious. This September we’ll be able to share this experience with you. It was with a surprising sense of satisfaction that I picked up the first bottle off the bottling line. It was, of all things a chardonnay. I confess I have little affection for most renditions of this variety in the New World. However, winemaker Tony Rynders changed my mind and I am sure this chardonnay will change yours. The hard part I was referring to in this wine was a backbone. A concentrated minerality and racy acidity that will hurt the teeth of those that love oaky, sweet chardonnay. That is way I decided to make it. I would never dream of making a spineless chardonnay. Cornerstone has never been about spineless wines and I have no place for them at my table. So this September I will be extremely proud to introduce you to the 2010 Cornerstone Oregon, Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Less than two hundred cases were produced. It’s a lean, mean machine and I wish I could wait another year to release it as it certainly needs a few years in the bottle to show all has to give. I can only hope that some of you will lay some bottles away in your cellar. How did it get here? Well, first of all there was a challenging vintage to deal with, but that’s something winegrowers in places like Oregon and Burgundy deal with seven vintages out of ten. There was a lot of mold when the fruit came in, but we hand-sorted like madmen and delivered only the clean bunches to the fermenter. Starting the fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine was racked into mature French Oak barrels to continue and finish fermentation. Those barrels were home to our chardonnay for the next fourteen months where it mellowed and broadened its flavors and, most of all, its complexity. Only 80% of the wine went through malolatic to preserve its perfect tightrope of acidity. In fact, nothing in the cellar was allowed to pilfer anything from the wine. In a strange twist of conventional wisdom, our Cornerstone Oregon, Willamette Valley Chardonnay is a better oyster wine than our Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which finds its soul mates in crab and lobster. What these two white wines have in common is they will both age beautifully. This is our goal. To let each wine express its true spirit and find the match at your table that nature intended. That nature is something you’ll find subtly expressed in all our vintages after 2008. This is just a start as we will push ourselves each vintage to ever higher expressions of vineyard, variety and vintage. I believe that the Napa Valley is a perfect place to grow sauvignon blanc and that the Willamette Valley is a perfect place to grow chardonnay. Our vision is to go where the variety loves to be, not to force the variety to love where we put down roots. After all, nothing is more important to a wine than the soil that gave life to the vines. That essence flows from the soil through the roots to be mixed with sunshine to create wine. To understand my hesitance to make a chardonnay you have to understand my background. In the early eighties I was importing the wines of Domaine Comtes Lafon through Becky Wasserman, who I represented in the mid-west. At that time Dominque Lafon had yet to take over the estate from his father and was working for Becky. Over a two year period, on his many visits to Chicago and mine to Burgundy, I was privileged to drink a lot of great chardonnay (and a lot of other things) with Dominque. It is on this foundation my viewpoint on chardonnay is based. As a side note, just to highlight how different the wine world is today, in those days we had winemaker dinners promoting the wines of Comtes Lafon, which actually included their Le Montrachet. Times have changed, now you’re lucky and a lot poorer if you can get an allocation of Lafon. The point is, if your early reference point is Lafon Le Montrachet your future enjoyment of chardonnay may be impaired. Certainly I am not trying to compare our Cornerstone Oregon, Willamette Valley Chardonnay to Lafon Le Montrachet, but I will say that if you love Premier Cru Chablis you will pleased by our 2010 Cornerstone Oregon, Willamette Valley Chardonnay. The reason I can say that with confidence is that I am pleased, which is something not easy to do. I’m pleased to introduce you to something new from Cornerstone: Cornerstone Oregon, Willamette Valley Chardonnay. See you in September. http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/06/in-the-briefings-this-week-3/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/06/in-the-briefings-this-week-3/ Sun, 6 May 2012 23:45:00 +0000 Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner visits Portland. (Photo/Office of Mayor Sam Adams) Last week, the economic news was a mixed bag (not unusual in the Northwest) – Washington’s taxable sales were up, Oregon’s economic indicators remained mixed in the monthly University of Oregon indicators report. Boise State University released a book showing economic trends and conditions [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/06/idaho-needs-poets-more-than-judges/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/06/idaho-needs-poets-more-than-judges/ Sun, 6 May 2012 20:08:00 +0000 Originally, Byron Johnson’s Poetic Justice was going to be just a private memoir, intended to consumption for family and friends. (We still have a spiral-bound copy of that version, not drastically different in content from the new one.) A good thing for the state that he decided otherwise, and the title of this post – [...] http://www.scottpaul.com/events/in-carlton-2009-la-paulee-release-saturday-may-5th-12n-5p http://www.scottpaul.com/events/in-carlton-2009-la-paulee-release-saturday-may-5th-12n-5p Sat, 5 May 2012 17:31:00 +0000 It’s been a year since we launched the ’08 La Paulée – time flies when you’re having fun, and making & drinking great wine 2009 was a warm vintage that gave us lush, ripe fruit and lovely richness – it’s a vintage that’s built for pleasure. The 2009 La Paulée was sourced entirely from our [...] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/0DAvvz7WGL0/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/0DAvvz7WGL0/ Sat, 5 May 2012 16:26:00 +0000 craig.camp posted a photo: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/7uGDBcSzK5U/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/7uGDBcSzK5U/ Sat, 5 May 2012 11:55:00 +0000 craig.camp posted a photo: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/c4F-od0ePj4/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/squarespace/CpLt/~3/c4F-od0ePj4/ Sat, 5 May 2012 11:53:00 +0000 craig.camp posted a photo: http://www.scottpaul.com/events/in-pdx-first-friday-happy-hour-may-4th-5-7pm http://www.scottpaul.com/events/in-pdx-first-friday-happy-hour-may-4th-5-7pm Fri, 4 May 2012 17:17:00 +0000 Our series of First Friday Happy Hours continues on May 4th from 5-7p, kicking off the weekend with another great flight of Burgundies and Pinots in our new event space in NW Portland (2537 NW UPSHUR). Note – FREE PARKING is available nearby at the Selco Community Credit Union lot, at the corner of 25th [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/02/campaigning-on-the-states-dime/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/02/campaigning-on-the-states-dime/ Wed, 2 May 2012 18:58:00 +0000 There’s often a fine line between legitimate mailings from office holders to constituents, and campaigning. Or maybe more of a gray area. We’ve received over the years glossy and costly cards and booklets from officials (more often, members of Congress, but sometimes others too), which clearly were more persuasive than informative in approach. Incumbents often [...] http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/02/carlson-the-dangling-conversation/ http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2012/05/02/carlson-the-dangling-conversation/ Wed, 2 May 2012 09:47:00 +0000 Chris CarlsonCarlson Chronicles Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Byron Johnson has written a wonderful, colorful, interesting and entertaining personal memoir, entitled Poetic Justice, that is a welcome addition to all those interested in Idaho history. He tells a good, though incomplete, story about his youth, his years at Harvard and Harvard Law, his practicing law [...]