Adam Campbell benefits from his wise parents, who planted Riesling on their Gaston, Ore., estate back in 1978, and he began taking these wines toward dry starting with the 2009 vintage. One wouldn’t guess that from the nose, which is full of apricot marmalade, baked pineapple and poached apple with clove and cinnamon. The palate turns into Bosc pear and Gala apple flavors with a big burst of lemony acidity that provides length. The residual sugar settled out at 0.8% — down a full percent compared with the 2008 vintage — but Elk Cove customers won’t need to guess in the future because the Campbells will feature the International Riesling Foundation sweetness scale on Elk Cove bottles with the 2012 vintage.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 800 cases
Alcohol: 12%
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