Dave Jepson and his partners pursue bold fruit and full structure for their Founder's Choice Pinot Noir, so they start by cropping their estate Pinot Noir near Monmouth, Ore., down to 1 ton per acre. A French oak program of Allier and Vosges barrels allows for bay rum spice with orange oil, cherry candy and wet straw. The real payoff is the silky structure that comes with … [Read more...] about Treos 2013 Estate Pinot Noir Founder’s Choice, Willamette Valley, $35
Oregon
Rain Dance Vineyards 2016 Nicholas Vineyard Estate Rosé, Chehalem Mountains, $22
The Austins acquired Nicholas Vineyard near Newberg, Ore., in the fall of 2015, and this Pinot Noir rosé by winemaker Bryan Weil of Alexana acclaim serves as a delicious template for Rain Dance Vineyards going forward. Clone 114 harvested particularly for the making of rosé, they picked the grapes on Sept. 7 at 22 Brix, and the absence of skin contact is reflected in the salmon … [Read more...] about Rain Dance Vineyards 2016 Nicholas Vineyard Estate Rosé, Chehalem Mountains, $22
Elk Cove Vineyards 2016 Estate Riesling, Willamette Valley, $19
Adam Campbell has the privilege of working with three estate sites for his Riesling program, including a pair of old vines plantings — Elk Cove Estate and Windhill - that were established in 1975. That makes them among the oldest in Oregon. The younger Five Mountain Vineyard is the outlier, but combined they make for an approachable style that sits in the middle of “dry” on the … [Read more...] about Elk Cove Vineyards 2016 Estate Riesling, Willamette Valley, $19
Winter’s Hill Winery 2014 Block 8 Estate Single Block Series Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, $49
All of the Pinot Noir that Russell Gladhart produces under his family’s Winter’s Hill Estate label hails from the vineyard they established in 1990, and they began to come into their own in 2006. That’s when they launched their two-barrel Single Block Series. The beautifully balanced 2014 vintage allowed Gladhart, in the first vintage taking over the winemaking from his … [Read more...] about Winter’s Hill Winery 2014 Block 8 Estate Single Block Series Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, $49
Le Cadeau Vineyard 2011 Blanc de Noir, Oregon, $50
A cool vintage in Oregon set into motion this remarkable first effort with sparkling wine by Le Cadeau Vineyard, and the joint effort by consulting winemaker Steve Ryan and growers Deb and Tom Mortimer is offered as a Willamette Valley version of “grower’s style” bubbles. Pressed with minimal skin contact, the Pinot Noir was barrel-fermented with native yeast for 56 months. … [Read more...] about Le Cadeau Vineyard 2011 Blanc de Noir, Oregon, $50