{"id":23093,"date":"2021-09-06T13:06:40","date_gmt":"2021-09-06T20:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyovation.com\/?p=23093"},"modified":"2021-09-20T13:42:59","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T20:42:59","slug":"battle-creek-sarah-cabot-portland-pinot-noir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyovation.com\/2021\/09\/06\/battle-creek-sarah-cabot-portland-pinot-noir\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing a bold voice to her Portland Pinot, Meet Battle Creek Cellar\u2019s Winemaker Sarah Cabot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bringing a bold voice to her Portland Pinot Noir, meet Battle Creek Cellar\u2019s Winemaker Sarah Cabot<\/strong> who’s refreshing wine country one bottle at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah during a quick lunch on my last day in town before heading to the airport.\u00a0 Although it was a fast \u201cmeet and taste\u201d it was great to connect with the winemaker that so many people are buzzing about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitting across from Sarah is an intense (and intensely fun) conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brilliantly smart, quick-thinking, sharp-tongued, strong opinions on everything from wine to sports to her neighborhood and constantly three steps ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Advertisement<\/em><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

She\u2019s quotable the way Joe Pesci\u2019s characters are quotable in every Scorsese movie.\u00a0 Loud, brash, charming; you\u2019re rooting for her to win; and also to kick somebody\u2019s butt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Cabot loved Pinot Noir before she even understood its poetry.\u00a0 One of her first tastes of wine was a Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara\u2019s Hitching Post Winery.\u00a0 Even back then she knew it was something special.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sarah-Cabot-portland-winemaker\"<\/p>\n

Sarah\u2019s career has had her share of twists and turns, veering and skyrocketing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with music.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sarah studied jazz composition at Boston\u2019s Berklee College of Music.\u00a0 If you\u2019re already lost and looking for the context to wine, hold on tight – let\u2019s remember professional performing arts is incredibly competitive.\u00a0 Music is also a blend of art and science. \u00a0 If you\u2019ve seen Black Swan (the intense Natalie Portman ballet movie) you\u2019ll understand the strains artists put themselves through to achieve their dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Related:<\/span><\/p>\n

This Portland wine legend<\/a> reveals his process and inspiration<\/p>\n

\n

In comparison, being a winemaker might be a dream walk through the vineyard.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was getting her hands-on education in the form of an upscale Mediterranean restaurant where she worked at the time as a server and sommelier.\u00a0 She started tasting and appreciating wine, based on their cuisine it was mostly French.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sarah-Cabot-portland-winemaker\"<\/p>\n

From dealing with clientele, to day-to-day operations, she discovered the world of upscale restaurants wasn\u2019t for her, at least not as a sommelier.<\/span><\/p>\n

So she went back to school at South Seattle Community College where they offered a major in enology and viticulture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew from Day One, this is what I want to do\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The school was in Seattle,\u00a0 so they were learning with Washington fruit: Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot, Grenache, Cab Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Savignon Blanc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah has found her Perfect Pairing<\/span><\/p>\n

Wine production can be tough and dirty, long hours, big stress, all or nothing.\u00a0 It can also be elegant, romantic, passionate, and it caters to the most subtle nuances of a taster\u2019s palette.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Sarah puts it:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWine production appeals to all sides of me.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The rougher side: she likes to build things, play contact sports, likes intense, rough challenges and won\u2019t stop doing something until it\u2019s done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sarah-Cabot-portland-winemaker\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI get a thrill from Harvest.\u00a0 The long hours, the intensity.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The other side of it, the artistic side: the connection with the vineyard, how to express the fruit, discovering the most pure way to deliver.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Does Sobriety Affect Wine?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sarah has been sober since February 24, 2016 and she promises her wine is even better now.\u00a0 She claims the decision has sharpened her palette.\u00a0 The respect she has won since then seems to agree.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does that work?\u00a0 Simple.\u00a0 She carries a cup with her, tastes and spits.\u00a0 For those of us who have loved a long day at a wine festival and have suffered from palette fatigue, you can understand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Related:<\/p>\n

Meet the Portland winemaking couple<\/a> who are following their dreams.<\/p>\n

\n

Her Magic Ingredient Is Improv<\/span><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s no such thing as a standard year in wine.\u00a0 Always drama.\u00a0 Always things going wrong.\u00a0 Needs to adjust for.\u00a0 Especially in a climate as turbulent as Portland.\u00a0 As a result, most local winemakers are here because they\u2019re attracted to that extra layer of uncertainty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think back to Sarah\u2019s jazz musical training.\u00a0 Some of the best jazz is\u2026 improvisational.\u00a0 Simply knowing the instruments, what results they can produce and then playing to discover the best end result and all the surprising, wonderful sounds (and tastes) along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"sarah-Cabot-portland-winemaker\"<\/p>\n

Sarah\u2019s move from indie to corporate<\/span><\/p>\n

Is 2014, Sarah made a big and surprising move from being an indie Oregon winemaker who produced about 5,000 cases a year to a commercial winemaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

She laughs about the twist in her fate (and the apparently shock and surprise of herself and her friends).\u00a0 Her response is simple:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI get more tools and grapes to play with.\u00a0 They trust me.\u00a0 I fulfill the order and get plenty to experiment with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sarah Cabot is Memorable and so is Her Wine<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the wine world, no one is unsure if they\u2019ve met Sarah Cabot.\u00a0 She leaves a very distinct impression.\u00a0 Luckily, so does her wine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more about Sarah Cabot and Battle Creek Cellars<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bringing a bold voice to her Portland Pinot Noir, meet Battle Creek Cellar\u2019s Winemaker Sarah Cabot who’s refreshing wine country one bottle at a time. I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah during a quick lunch on my last day in town before heading to the airport.\u00a0 Although it was a fast \u201cmeet and taste\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8251,2015,8235,8234,8239],"tags":[8586,225,868,8457,8578,8588,8587,1897,5248],"class_list":{"0":"post-23093","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-more-stories","8":"category-most-popular","9":"category-travel","10":"category-west-coast","11":"category-wine-county","12":"tag-battle-creek-cellars","13":"tag-chardonnay","14":"tag-pinot-noir","15":"tag-portland","16":"tag-portland-oregon","17":"tag-portland-wine-country","18":"tag-sarah-cabot","19":"tag-wine-country","20":"tag-winemaker"},"yoast_head":"\nBringing a bold voice to her Portland Pinot, Meet Battle Creek Cellar\u2019s Winemaker Sarah Cabot - 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