Matt Berson’s Portland Wine Company works with historic Sunnyside Vineyard near Salem's Enchanted Forest for this deliciously nerdy interpretation with Gewürz. Grapes from vines planted in 1981 by Tom Owen and Luci Wisniewski are presented with a salmon rosé-ish color and unfiltered, and that helps with the enticing aromas of underlying Gewürz florals and spiciness of yellow … [Read more...] about Love & Squalor 2022 A Frayed Knot Skin Contact Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley, $25
Oregon
Argyle Winery 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $28
Minnesota-grown winemaker Nate Klostermann and his team have grown this tier — previously named on the label as “Grower Series” — by more than nearly 40% since the 2018 vintage, and yet it’s stunningly delicious at any price. Argyle’s core four vineyard sites come into play in storied Knudsen in the Dundee Hills, Lone Star and Spirit Hill in the Eola-Amity Hills and Giving Tree … [Read more...] about Argyle Winery 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $28
Paul O’Brien Winery 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $32
Dyson DeMara and Scott Kelley regularly release three expressions of Pinot Noir — one that sources from throughout Oregon, one from their home region in the Umpqua Valley and this labeled as Willamette Valley. For this bottling, they could have used the Chehalem Mountains American Viticultural Area on the bottle. That North Willamette Valley AVA was home to all of this fruit, … [Read more...] about Paul O’Brien Winery 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $32
Foris Vineyards Winery 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley, $17
Best Buy! Stephanie Pao made the decision to harvest on Oct. 9 the Dijon clone grapes off the Gerber family's Maple Ranch Vineyard, which Foris views as the best-performing vineyard of their three plantings near Cave Junction, Ore. Gerber named this site in tribute to his mother and stepfather — Bob and Marge Maple, and he's devoted 32 of its 46 acres to 12 clones of Pinot … [Read more...] about Foris Vineyards Winery 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley, $17
Battle Creek Cellars 2021 Unconditional Surrender Reserve Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, $42
Dundee winemaker Sarah Cabot uses the Battle Creek tasting room as her stage in downtown Portland's Pearl District, and this Chardonnay ranks among the most delicious and ageable to have crossed our panels in months. Her approach to her reserve Chardonnay program remains three-pronged - neutral oak barrels (70%), amphora from sandstone (20%) and stainless steel. And her touch … [Read more...] about Battle Creek Cellars 2021 Unconditional Surrender Reserve Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, $42