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Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris
Brandborg Vineyard
Brandborg Vineyard and Winery is one of Oregon's newest boutique
wineries. Located on Highway 38 in the Umpqua Valley hamlet of Elkton,
the winery offers tasting in their new tasting room and picnicking on
their patio. Winemakers Terry and Sue Brandborg are making their wines
from selected Umpqua Valley vineyards while their estate vineyard
matures. Their Pinot Gris offers tropical fruit aromas with hints of
pear and citrus. The palate is crisp with green apple flavors mingling
with tropical fruits. It's a great food wine!
Bridgeview Vineyard
Bridgeview was among the first wineries in the USA to put their wine in cobalt blue glass. The Blue Moon label has been fabulously successful, but there is more to the brand than just the bottle and label! The wine is deliciously off dry with aromas and flavors of melon, pear and citrus. The packaging is a great conversation starter, and the wine will keep your guests smiling. (9/06 CH)
Cathedral Ridge Winery
Chehalem Harry Peterson-Nedry makes his regular bottling of Pinot Gris as close to an Alsatian style as he can. This vintage is nearly perfect in every respect: aromas of pear, citrus and mineral with floral notes and hints of ginger; a palate almost hard with acidity yet offering flavors of white peach and apricot. While delicious now, this wine demands further bottle age. It has the structure to last a decade or more for those with patience. (9/06 CH)
Cherry Hill Winery This wine was a favorite with our tasters last year, and this new vintage is even better! It is a delicate wine that demands you pay attention - serve it as an aperitif to sip lightly on the veranda before your meal. Complex aromas of pear, mango, pineapple, spice and almond lead to a palate rich with tropical fruit flavors and a finish of citrus. (9/06 CH)
Henry Estate
Hogue Cellars This wine has become my go-to guy for a never-fail oyster wine choice, and also as a best-value NW white wine. Crisp and clean, it offers bright aromas of pear, apple and mineral. The palate is light but flavorful with citrus and pear complementing melon and mineral. It offers a screw cap for picnic convenience. It's not a thinking wine, just fun and reliable. (9/06 CH)
Iris Hill Proprietors Richard Boyles and Pamela Frye established Iris Hill winery and their Chalice Vineyard in the early 1990s on their property near the rural community of Lorane, Oregon. All wines are made from estate-grown grapes that are farmed organically. Their 2005 Pinot Gris offers classic aromas and flavors with the added complexity of mineral, stone fruit and citrus notes. The palate has excellent structure with medium body and ample acidity. This a truly spectacular Pinot Gris deserving a place on your summer dinner table. (9/06 CH)
Powers Winery Yes, Washington State can make Pinot Gris too! Powers Winery in Kennewick offers this elegant sipper featuring aromas of pear, citrus and spice. The palate offers medium body and flavors of pear, apricot and vanilla. A good food wine for lighter dinner fare. (9/06 CH)
R. Stuart and Co. Rob Stuart has been making wine in the Pacific Northwest for more than two decades and really knows how to craft a superb Pinot Gris. The nose offers complex floral, spice and herb notes with hints of pear and vanilla. Pear comes through again on the palate with crisp apple and vanilla on the finish. The wine is perfectly structured with crisp acidity to pair with your favorite summer dishes. (9/06 CH)
Valley View Winery
Willakenzie Estate
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Winery founder Jim Bernau shared his thoughts on WVV wines with me at a
dinner in Seattle a few months ago. With a smile, he described the
planting of the estate vineyard in 1983, though it required much
research and planning and was hard work. With nearly 20 Pinot Gris
vintages behind him, he has developed a love for the wine and the
evolution of the WVV style. Blended with 7% Pinot Blanc, 2%
Auxerrois
and 1% Early Muscat, this Pinot Gris offers complexity and a crisp firm
palate. Pears, melon and mineral lead to a refreshing palate with hints
of citrus and "a kiss of toast from the barrel-fermented portion of the
Auxerrois." This is also a great winery visit if you are out touring the
Willamette Valley.
Columbia Winery
This wine is a hallmark of Northwest Riesling and has been for over a dozen years at Columbia. David Lake, M.W. has retired from Columbia but among other wines, the delightful Cellarmaster's Riesling will provide a legacy for his name. Honey and apricot aromas mingling with floral notes and spice lead to a crisp and balanced palate featuring flavors of stone fruits, apple and mineral. I have enjoyed this wine with everything from turkey to pork tenderloin to pumpkin pie. Highly recommended.
Pavin and Riley Look for this popular brand in wide distribution throughout the Northwest and beyond. Aromas of peaches, apple blossoms and spice entice a taste, showing flavors of baked apple, pear and spicy mineral. This superb food wine deserves a place on your holiday table for those eschewing "big reds." (1/07 CH) Dessert Wine & Port
(No recent reviews. Learn about sparking wines in the Pacific Northwest)
Other Whites and Blends
Abacela Vineyard This crisp and fragrant wine stands out on its own for its complex aromas and flavors not found in other Northwest varietals. Notes of citrus and tropical fruits in the nose lead to a refreshing palate of lemon and mineral flavors with hints of mango. A delightful addition to any oyster wine tasting. (7/06 CH)
Hedges Family Estate This blend of Chardonnay, Marsanne and Sauvignon Blanc (formerly known as Hedges Fume-Chardonnay) offers complex aromas and flavors of citrus, gooseberry, tropical fruits and mineral. This particular vintage is a stunner with enough body to complement both half shell oysters and steamed mussels. If there is a competitor to challenge New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, this is it! (7/06 CH)
Panther Creek Cellars The potential for this Melon to be an outstanding oyster wine was lost when it was racked into French oak (20% new) for aging - but the oyster's loss is the mussel's gain! A nose of peach, pear and citrus is wrapped in nuances of toasty oak. The palate features similar flavors of stone fruits with spicy edges of oak, vanilla and mineral. The bold flavors and body complement the rich flavors and textures of steamed mussels to perfection. (7/06 CH)
Zefina This rich and flavorful white wine is just too powerful for oysters on the half shell. However, the blend of 50% Viognier with 50% Roussanne is outstanding with steamed mussels. It should be said that even the mussels take a back seat to the intense aromas of honeysuckle, tropical fruits and pear, followed by flavors of apple, spice, mango and citrus. A lingering finish complements the bold flavors of garlic and mussel to perfection. (7/06 CH)
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