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Pinot Gris rules Oregon’s white wine landscape

By Andy Perdue on October 29, 2017

Elk Cove Vineyards 2015 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $19

Year after year, one of Oregon’s largest productions of Pinot Gris also ranks among the best in the Pacific Northwest – thanks to the long-range devotion of the Campbell family and second-generation winemaker Adam Campbell. Some of their vines stem back to 1985, and the 50 acres established within Mount Richmond Vineyard stand among the largest in the North Willamette Valley. Their precise work presents this in a classic Oregon style by featuring orchard and citrus fruits rather than a tropical tone. Aromas of lemon and lime include dusty Bosc pear, honeydew melon and kiwi with clove. Its clean and crisp flavor profile brings flavors of starfruit and Gala apple, backed by melon, and finished with a nibble of pear skin.

Rating: Excellent

Production: 15,336 cases

Alcohol: 13%

Winery website

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About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is founding partner of Great Northwest Wine LLC and a longtime wine columnist. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books.