A varietal Pinot Gris from Walnut City Wineworks, grown in the Confluence, Yamhill Springs, and River Heights vineyards of the Willamette Valley. The fruit was hand harvested and whole-cluster pressed, then fermented in stainless steel with commercial yeast. The wine rested on lees to add body prior to release.
It’s soft, yielding, a mouthful of ripe pome fruits: pear, especially, but also quince and apple. The mélange feels baked, not fresh, and there’s a distinct note of marzipan. It reads like an un-sweet pear tart: pastry, fruit, nut, with a lightly caramelized edge. The acidity is barely enough.
Serve it with a mixed cheese course accompanied by roasted almonds, quince paste, a scattering of dried fruits. Try especially cow’s milk blues (Maytag, Bayley Hazen), aged sheep’s milk (Vermont Shepherd, Manchego), bloomy-rind cow’s milk (Brie, Camembert), or ash-coated goat’s milk (Valençay, Bonne Bouche, Lazy Lady Farm Bonaparte or Thin Red Line).
12.9% abv | $15 (sample) 550 cases made
