Best Buy! Despite the scale of this production, the Campbell family and Heather Perkin — their winemaker for Pike Road — rely on hand-harvesting across the dozen or so vineyards they source this Pinot Gris from. Those include Dr. Robert Matteri’s plantings in Yamhill-Carlton near Campbell-owned Mount Richmond. There’s no oak involved, allowing for Intense aromas of sweet … [Read more...] about Pike Road Wines 2022 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $17
Wine of the Week
Argyle Winery 2018 Spirit Hill Vineyard Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine, Eola-Amity Hills, $60
Those wanting to know if a restaurant is serious about their wine list can quickly figure that out by seeing if Argyle’s storied sparkling wine program is represented. The team surrounding Nate Klostermann, in his second decade as head winemaker at the Dundee, Ore., landmark, playfully refers to this sparkling Chardonnay as a “Baby Extended Tirage” because it is aged on the … [Read more...] about Argyle Winery 2018 Spirit Hill Vineyard Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine, Eola-Amity Hills, $60
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2019 Reserve Zinfandel, Columbia Valley $59
A number of the Italian red grapes that thrive in hot and arid conditions have earned a spot in the portfolio of wineries along the Columbia Gorge, and Zinfandel is a focus of the Bell family, whose team at Cathedral Ridge devotes about 800 cases of craftsmanship to the variety. Moody Vineyard near The Dalles has been a key. So has Sonoma-based winemaker Michael Sebastiani, a … [Read more...] about Cathedral Ridge Winery 2019 Reserve Zinfandel, Columbia Valley $59
Cooper Mountain Vineyards 2021 Biodynamic Tocai Friulano, Willamette Valley $30
By his standards, these 20-year-old vines of Tocai Friulano planted by Dr. Robert Gross at his Johnson School site are middle-aged. (His original vineyard west of Portland — he now owns seven — was established in 1978.) In Italy, the variety is labeled simply as Friulano because of European Union restrictions. Elsewhere, it might be referred to as a Sauvignon Vert, even though … [Read more...] about Cooper Mountain Vineyards 2021 Biodynamic Tocai Friulano, Willamette Valley $30
Liquid Light Wines 2022 Chardonnay, Washington State $16
Best Buy! Ste. Michelle Wine Estates had scheduled to launch an innovative, nationwide marketing campaign for its young Liquid Light brand back in New York on March 12, 2020 — so many of those efforts woven into the ēlicit Wine Project subscription service didn’t play out as once hoped. However, Liquid Light has grown into a force with four bottlings: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, … [Read more...] about Liquid Light Wines 2022 Chardonnay, Washington State $16