Cameron Hughes 2017 Lot 631 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $12

Best Buy! On his home page, Cameron Hughes rolls out a decent imitation of the cult Paso Wine Man video series, and the Hopland, Calif., negoçiant offers a solid expression of Oregon Pinot Gris. This bright approach is all stainless with four months of lees contact, and while the bottle doesn’t indicate the fruit was farmed Biodynamically, Hughes’s hint that his partners on this project “built the category” sends minds racing toward the southern end of the Willamette Valley. There’s a sense of the wine’s briskness from the first whiff as dusty gooseberry, Bartlett pear, fresh-cut celery and slate funnel into an entry of Bartlett pear and Gala apple. A pleasing midpalate gathers up some apple skin tannin before the juicy tangerine finish, and suggested pairings fit the profile. “For shellfish dishes incorporating oils, garlic, onions, and herbs, Pinot Gris is the perfect pairing to cut through the rich fats and intermingle with those deliciously ocean-y crustacean flavors.” And the price fits the “Wineocracy” approach by Hughes, who lines a sharp single up the middle with this bottling.

Rating: Excellent

Production: 1,500 cases

Alcohol: 13.2%

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