Hood River Valley native Rich Cushman crafts the wine along Van Horn Drive for the Bickford family, and the fifth-generation orchardists replaced some of their pears with cool-climate varieties in this block in 2007. Among the many gold medals earned at the Cascadia by Cushman was this methode Champenoise from Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, which went onto sweepstakes as the judging’s top sparkling wine. Offering a light straw color with tight bubbles, these bubbles are fresh and lightly floral on the nose and reminiscent of an apple orchard in bloom, honeybees and a lake in early morning. Crisp and bone-dry, it’s redolent of nectarine and white peach, backed by a lingering citrus zing to easily check the residual sugar that’s less than 1%.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 96 cases
Alcohol: 12.1%
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