Our 2017 Pinot Gris has been honored with a 90 point score in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate:
“The 2017 Pinot Gris has an open nose of Bosc pears, white peach and apricot with touches of spring blossoms and wet pebbles. Light to medium-bodied with good concentration of fresh fruits in the mouth, it offers crisp, refreshing acidity, finishing long with just a touch of phenolic texture.” –Erin Brooks
This review posted in 238 issue of magazine on August 31, 2018.
“Elk Cove is an Oregon trailblazer, responsible for pushing classically-styled Pinot Noir that has rivalled Burgundy for decades. Their ‘Mount Richmond’ bottling comes from a cool-climate terroir abundant in Willakenzie soils; it’s a deep and luxurious Grand Cru equivalent.”
When we give mention to classic producers, it’s not uncommon to see “pioneer” in the writeup. The word is tossed around quite a bit, but Elk Cove Vineyards matches the definition precisely: They are truly a region-defining producer, having been one of the first 10 wineries in all of Oregon (there are currently 500+ in Willamette Valley) when the Campbell family settled here in the early 1970s.”
– IAN CAUBLE, MASTER SOMMELIER
These are just a few of the kind words Somm Select has for Elk Cove and our 2016 Mount Richmond Pinot Noir, featured in July, 2018 by the prestigious wine blog. You can read the whole review and sign up for Somm Select’s fantastic daily wine offerings at sommselect.com.
SommSelect presents daily offers of world-class wines at all price points, curated by an expert team led by Master Sommelier Ian Cauble. We draw on extensive restaurant wine-buying experience in making our selections, while supplementing our knowledge through regular travel to the world’s great wine regions. Each wine we offer comes with a detailed description of its history and crafting; expert tasting notes; serving suggestions.
We are not deep discounters or otherwise hunting for closeouts or ‘one-offs.’ Our team works closely with top vendors and winemakers, tasting constantly in search of the most memorable bottles across a wide range of styles—from bottles, you can pop and pour tonight to ‘collectibles’ destined for your cellar.
Our 2017 Pinot Blanc has received an excellent rating from Wine Enthusiast Magazine: 92 points & “Editor’s Choice!”
“This sophisticated effort is highlighted by bright, polished fruit flavors of apple, melon and white peach. It’s long and focused, fresh and immaculate, with no apparent new oak.” – Paul Gregutt
This review is in the October, 2018 issue of the magazine and at winemag.com. According to Senior Tasting Director Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast blind tastes wines for review and rates their wines according to a 100 point scale:
Classic 98-100: The pinnacle of quality.
Superb 94-97: A great achievement.
Excellent 90-93: Highly recommended.
Very Good 87-89: Often good value; well recommended.
Good 83-86: Suitable for everyday consumption; often good value.
Acceptable 80-82: Can be employed in casual, less-critical circumstances.
Wines receiving a rating below 80 are not reviewed.
Our 2017 Pinot Blanc has received a 92 point rating from Wine & Spirits Magazine:
“A brisk pinot blanc, this leads with tart lemon notes and a pronounced whiff of minerals, as if chalk dust were rising from the glass. There’s marvelous tension between the wine’s green apple crispness and rounded texture, reined in by fine acidity. Exciting stuff for something on the green side, like scallops with arugula pesto.” – Patrick J. Comiskey
This is the highest rating so far for our Pinot Blanc, an unusual varietal in the Pacific Northwest, but one that we’re really excited about. Learn more about Pinot Blanc here.
Our 2015 Brut Rosé received an excellent 91 point rating from Wine Enthusiast. This is only the third sparkling wine we’ve produced at Elk Cove, so this review is a welcome sign that we are heading the right direction with our sparkling wines!
91 Elk Cove 2015 La Boheme Estate Grown Brut Rose (Yamhill-Carlton). “Sourced from the oldest vines of the estate’s La Boheme vineyard, this lush sparkler is made from 100% Pinot Noir. Its pretty strawberry shade matches the scents and flavors. With exceptional concentration and elegance, it seemingly gathers strength through its long, flavorful finish.” -Paul Gregutt
This review posted in the June 2018 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine and at winemag.com. According to Senior Tasting Director Joe Czerwinski, Wine Enthusiast blind tastes wines for review and rates their wines according to a 100 point scale:
Classic 98-100: The pinnacle of quality.
Superb 94-97: A great achievement.
Excellent 90-93: Highly recommended.
Very Good 87-89: Often good value; well recommended.
Good 83-86: Suitable for everyday consumption; often good value.
Acceptable 80-82: Can be employed in casual, less-critical circumstances.
Wines receiving a rating below 80 are not reviewed.
Harvey Steiman of the Wine Spectator takes a look back at the Willamette Valley’s 2008 vintage 10 years on and gives our 2008 Mount Richmond Pinot Noir a classic 95 point score:
ELK COVE Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Mount Richmond 2008 Score: 95
“Supple, refined and generous, with layers of black cherry, plum, mineral and floral flavors wrapped in velvety tannins. The finish rolls on, picking up hints of licorice and caramel. Drink now through 2023. 894 cases made.” —H.S.
“Willamette Valley’s 2008 Pinot Noir vintage looked golden from the start. Weather that year was ideal: Cooler-than-usual temperatures for most of the season helped preserve acidity and keep alcohol levels moderate, and harvesttime saw sunny skies and moderate temperatures that prevented overripeness. A smaller-than-usual crop yielded intense flavors.
In my three decades of reviewing Oregon Pinot Noirs, the dazzling 2008 vintage produced more outstanding ratings (90 points or higher on Wine Spectator‘s 100-point scale) and more classic ratings (95-plus) than any year before it. The vintage rated 96 points, topped since only by 2012.
A decade on, it was time to revisit them, and they’re doing even better than expected. Tasted blind, 17 of the 32 bottles I reviewed scored higher this time, some by as many as six points. Ten more scored exactly the same or within one point. (An additional three wines suffered from faulty corks and were not reviewed.)
More important, nearly all the wines showed the vitality and freshness of younger wines while developing the savory nuances of age. Tannins had mostly resolved into textures that range from silky to velvety. In short, these wines have become the classics the vintage promised.” – Harvey Steiman
Read more at winespectator.com or find this article in theJune 15, 2018 issue of the magazine.
New employees Taylor and Dane (NOT Taylor Dane) recently interviewed Travis at the top of Mount Richmond Vineyard. Here’s a transcript:
How long have you been at Elk Cove?
It will be 16 years in June.It’s been fun. We’ve done a lot of development in that time. When I started we had 90 acres on 3 properties. Now we’re up to 7 vineyard sites with 360 acres planted.
How much has your team grown?
Back in 2002 we might have had 10 year round on the vineyard crew, now we have close to 40 employees in the fields.
And what’s changed in the vineyards here?
We’ve tried to bring in efficiencies in all of our practices. One point – we use auto GPS in our tractors to lay out our vineyards. Probably 99% of Vineyards in Oregon they lay cables to grid out their vineyards, we use a tractor that drives itself. That certainly wasn’t done in the past.
Tell us about Mount Richmond.
Our ideal site is an inverted bowl on one of these hilltops for various reasons: air drainage, water drainage, everything about it is that much better, even if it rolls a little bit to the north or two the west everything is better. But it’s all site specific, everything is site-specific.
Can you tell us a little bit about the soil?
It’s sedimentary marine, very little top soil. In fact in some places there’s no top soil. It’s fantastic for Pinot Noir. Adam can tell you more about what it does for the wines.
How’d you get your start?
I started as a cellar intern for Ponzi Vineyards and apparently was good enough to stick around to run the cellar for the next two years! Then I transitioned to the vineyard around 98/99 I started running their vineyards and slowly phasing out in the cellar. Ponzi went from 40 acres planted to about 110. In 2002 I guess I decided I wanted a break and left Ponzi and Adam called immediately and sucked me in! I had known Adam a couple of years and I liked the program at Elk Cove and what he was doing over here, so here I am.
Did you have a background in viticulture?
No. You know I didn’t. My dad was in construction and I remember the night Luisa (Ponzi) called me, I was having an argument with my dad over something and I had no real interest in wine. I didn’t have any interest in wine, quite frankly. I was 18 years old. But I was mad at my dad so I said heck yeah I’ll work harvest. Sounds like a great thing – I knew they had Bridgeport Brewing, I wasn’t old enough to drink but I thought “Pizza and beer at some point!” It turned out well, I took a bunch of night classes at Chemeketa and headed down to New Zealand in 1999 and helped Larry McKenna, helped Matt Dicey set up his first winery. It’s been a pretty good ride so far.
That’s a pretty great story. So you’re from Oregon?
I was born and raised in Hillsboro. I have a family member who has a farm in Southern Oregon and I would go down and spend a few weeks with him every summer. So I liked the idea of getting into ag, I just didn’t really have an avenue to do that so I seized the moment I guess.
What about sustainability?
You know, Pat and Adam were really farming things sustainably when I started. Windhill was farmed 100% organically, and we still use Organic Materials Research Institute materials. We use a lot of cover crops to build nutrients and organic material. This crimson clover you see growing will build about 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre. If we incorporate that into the soil it will free up not only nitrogen but also carbon, the building blocks of life. So that’s what we use to feed our plants. We might use a small amount of synthetic if we really have to, but that only happens every 7 years or so.
So what’s happening in the vineyard today?
We have two crews in the vineyard today. What they’re doing now is tipping and tying, making sure we have enough buds to wrap on the fruiting wire. When they do the primary cuts they leave 2 or 3 canes on the plants and then they go through at another pass to tip and tie each vine.
Tell us about your own vineyard:
At Bishop Scott Ranch we’ve got 6 acres of Pinot Noir and another 6 acres of Pinot Gris. So the plan is maybe our kids one day will want to take it over. My son starts at OSU next fall and his goal is to get into an enology program. My daughter is 13 and for her science project last year she made some pinot gris. She got a great grade on it (laughs). The teachers wanted to bring in the finished product but the superintendent said no for some reason. So my son thinks he wants to be a viticulturist and my daughter wants to be a winemaker. But if they don’t choose to go that route, I’m going to retire early in Mexico.
Our 2015 Goodrich Chardonnay was awarded 91 points by Josh Raynolds of Vinous:
“Pale gold. Subtly oak-tinged tangerine, pear and honeydew aromas are complemented by gentle floral and ginger nuances. Smooth and focused in the mouth, offering juicy citrus and orchard fruit flavors that put on weight and pick up a spicy quality with air. Gently sweet and seamless in texture, showing bright closing cut and very good persistence.”
These reviews are available to subscribers of Vinous.com
Our 2014 Goodrich Chardonnay was given an “Excellent” rating by Great Northwest Wine:
“It’s about time. One of the Pacific Northwest’s top producers of Pinot Gris and Riesling has joined the Chardonnay renaissance in Oregon. Adam Campbell and his family’s 2014 investment in Goodrich Vineyard near Yamhill pays dividends here with Elk Cove Vineyards’ first Chardonnay since 1998. The care taken during the winemaking includes a barrel program over 12 months with some lees stirring beyond malolactic fermentation. After that, came six months in stainless steel. That combination creates for beautiful aromatics of rosewater, Asian pear and green banana. On the palate, the integration of the oak leads to flavors of Golden Delicious apple and baked pineapple, backed by pear skin and dried apricot.”
Our 2015 Clay Court Pinot Noir was recommended by Great Northwest Wine.
“When this young 15-acre Pinot Noir project devoted to Pommard, Dijon 115 and 777 clones became available in 2009, the Campbell family jumped at it. And it’s become a smashing success – not only for winemaking son, Adam, but also for his tennis-loving parents. A product of a record-hot vintage makes for enticing aromas of black cherry jam, dark strawberry, ripe red currant and smoky oak. Inside, there are rich and rounded flavors of cherry and plum. Light tannins and raspberry acidity lead to a finishing flourish of plump blueberry.”
“One of Campbell family’s earliest-ripening sites, Mount Richmond became apart of the Elk Cove portfolio in 1996 when founding vintners Pat and Joe Campbell purchased the land as a partnership with second-generation winemaker Adam Campbell and his wife, Carrie. They’ve used cuttings from their venerable Roosevelt Vineyard to grow it into Elk Cove’s largest planting at 105 acres. This selection of top Pinot Noir lots of Dijon clone 115 and 777 as well as those Roosevelt-birthed Pommard spends 10 months in 50% new French oak barrels. All that work helps produce an immediately approachable, regal and ripe Pinot Noir with aromas and flavors of Marionberry, plum and cherry pie juice presented in a pleasing structure with a finish of Craisin.”
View the whole review in the article “Oregon Retains Focus On Pinot Noir” at greatnorthwestwine.com
Our 2016 Pinot Gris was given an “Outstanding!” rating by Great Northwest Wine:
“The winemaking team of Adam Campbell and Heather Perkin combined to produce the top two Pinot Gris in the 2017 Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition, including the Elk Cove Vineyards 2016 Pinot Gris. Much of the hand-harvested clusters were taken from the Campbell family’s original planting, which they populated with Pinot Gris starting in 1985. It resulted in a bounty of citrus notes, showing off lemon, lime and tangerine aromas with a floral influence of sweet freesia. On the palate, a delightful balance of basil and mint complements the tangerine bitters and Meyer lemon juice flavors. The interest in Oregon Pinot Gris prompted the Campbells to increase production over the prior vintage by 10%. And starting this fall, every wine that carries the Elk Cove brand will be 100% estate.”
Our 2016 Estate Riesling was recommended by Great Northwest Wine.
“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 International Riesling Foundation ’s Tasting Profile. Mouthwatering aromas of Lemonhead and sour apple candy and spearmint with some minerality. There’s baked orchard fruit with honey on the palate with notes of jasmine, lavender and nectarine in the finish.”
“Deep red. Lively, highly perfumed raspberry, Asian spice and rose scents are complicated by hints of woodsmoke and cola. Silky and penetrating on the palate, where juicy acidity provides spine and lift to sweet red fruit liqueur, spicecake and floral pastille flavors. This nicely concentrated but lively Pinot finishes smooth and sweet, displaying excellent focus and persistent floral character.” – Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
“At the intersection of media and technology, Vinous is Antonio Galloni’s vision of a modern-day wine publication. Vinous’s team of renowned critics and writers offers in depth coverage of new releases, retrospectives and verticals of older wines, videos with winemakers, interactive maps, restaurant recommendations and more, all published in a continual, daily stream of articles. With the acquisition of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar in December 2014 and the addition of the IWC editorial team, Vinous expanded coverage to all major wine regions. Today Vinous has subscribers in over 80 countries and is one of the most respected wine publications in the world.”
Read the article on Oregon’s 2015 Vintage here. Full wine reviews for all Oregon wineries are available to members of vinous, more information at vinous.com.
“Light vivid red. Suave, spice- and mineral-accented red berry and potpourri aromas, accompanied by a hint of succulent herbs and a smoky nuance that emerges with air. Sweet and precise on the palate, offering energetic raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors along with muskier rhubarb and floral pastille notes. The penetrating, red-fruit-driven finish shows excellent clarity, smooth tannins and strong persistence.” – Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
“At the intersection of media and technology, Vinous is Antonio Galloni’s vision of a modern-day wine publication. Vinous’s team of renowned critics and writers offers in depth coverage of new releases, retrospectives and verticals of older wines, videos with winemakers, interactive maps, restaurant recommendations and more, all published in a continual, daily stream of articles. With the acquisition of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar in December 2014 and the addition of the IWC editorial team, Vinous expanded coverage to all major wine regions. Today Vinous has subscribers in over 80 countries and is one of the most respected wine publications in the world.”
Read the article on Oregon’s 2015 Vintage here. Full wine reviews for all Oregon wineries are available to members of vinous, more information at vinous.com.
“Limpid red. Fresh strawberry, blood orange and succulent herb flavors are sharpened by a chalky mineral quality that builds as the wine opens up. Vibrant red berry and bitter cherry flavors show very good clarity, silky, seamless texture and a sweetening touch of mocha on the back half. Offers strong tension and subtle smokiness on the finish, which features firming tannins and a lingering suggestion of candied rose.” – Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
“At the intersection of media and technology, Vinous is Antonio Galloni’s vision of a modern-day wine publication. Vinous’s team of renowned critics and writers offers in depth coverage of new releases, retrospectives and verticals of older wines, videos with winemakers, interactive maps, restaurant recommendations and more, all published in a continual, daily stream of articles. With the acquisition of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar in December 2014 and the addition of the IWC editorial team, Vinous expanded coverage to all major wine regions. Today Vinous has subscribers in over 80 countries and is one of the most respected wine publications in the world.”
Read the article on Oregon’s 2015 Vintage here. Full wine reviews for all Oregon wineries are available to members of vinous, more information at vinous.com.
“Bright red. Highly perfumed red berry, cherry cola and floral scents, along with a smoky mineral flourish that builds in the glass. Sweet and energetic on the palate, offering raspberry, spicecake and smoky mineral flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Finishes long, smooth and floral; slow-building tannins add framework and gentle grip.” – Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
“At the intersection of media and technology, Vinous is Antonio Galloni’s vision of a modern-day wine publication. Vinous’s team of renowned critics and writers offers in depth coverage of new releases, retrospectives and verticals of older wines, videos with winemakers, interactive maps, restaurant recommendations and more, all published in a continual, daily stream of articles. With the acquisition of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar in December 2014 and the addition of the IWC editorial team, Vinous expanded coverage to all major wine regions. Today Vinous has subscribers in over 80 countries and is one of the most respected wine publications in the world.”
Read the article on Oregon’s 2015 Vintage here. Full wine reviews for all Oregon wineries are available to members of vinous, more information at vinous.com.
“Dark bright-rimmed red. Ripe blackberry, cherry, licorice and pungent floral scents show very good lift and clarity. Supple, open-knit and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated dark berry and violet pastille flavors that are given spicy bite by a white pepper nuance. Displays very good clarity and solid thrust on the long, smooth finish, which features rounded tannins and repeating spiciness.” – Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
“At the intersection of media and technology, Vinous is Antonio Galloni’s vision of a modern-day wine publication. Vinous’s team of renowned critics and writers offers in depth coverage of new releases, retrospectives and verticals of older wines, videos with winemakers, interactive maps, restaurant recommendations and more, all published in a continual, daily stream of articles. With the acquisition of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar in December 2014 and the addition of the IWC editorial team, Vinous expanded coverage to all major wine regions. Today Vinous has subscribers in over 80 countries and is one of the most respected wine publications in the world.”
Read the article on Oregon’s 2015 Vintage here. Full wine reviews for all Oregon wineries are available to members of vinous, more information at vinous.com.
Brilliant red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, candied flowers and incense, along with hints of cola, vanilla and smoked meat in the background. Seamless and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated black raspberry, boysenberry and lavender pastille flavors that are braced by a hint of blood orange. Shows outstanding clarity and solid thrust on the impressively long, seamless, floral- and vanilla-tinged finish, which is framed by smooth, harmonious tannins.
“At the intersection of media and technology, Vinous is Antonio Galloni’s vision of a modern-day wine publication. Vinous’s team of renowned critics and writers offers in depth coverage of new releases, retrospectives and verticals of older wines, videos with winemakers, interactive maps, restaurant recommendations and more, all published in a continual, daily stream of articles. With the acquisition of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar in December 2014 and the addition of the IWC editorial team, Vinous expanded coverage to all major wine regions. Today Vinous has subscribers in over 80 countries and is one of the most respected wine publications in the world.”
Read the article on Oregon’s 2015 Vintage here. Full wine reviews for all Oregon wineries are available to members of vinous, more information at vinous.com.
Josh Raynolds of Vinous gives a thorough analysis of the 2015 Vintage for Oregon, reporting that “Oregon Pushes the Quality Needle for Pinot”
“Recent vintages have mostly been an embarrassment of riches for Oregon’s winegrowers—in quantity as well as quality. One could also add that “richness” applies to the style of wines made in 2015, 2014 and 2012 as well. The ‘15 vintage, the main focus of this year’s report, is already commanding intense demand in the market and what ‘14s are still out there, including many of the late releases covered here, are also hot commodities…” – Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com
We are very pleased that Josh gave our Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs top marks:
2015 ROOSEVELT PINOT NOIR – 93 POINTS
Brilliant red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, candied flowers and incense, along with hints of cola, vanilla and smoked meat in the background. Seamless and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated black raspberry, boysenberry and lavender pastille flavors that are braced by a hint of blood orange. Shows outstanding clarity and solid thrust on the impressively long, seamless, floral- and vanilla-tinged finish, which is framed by smooth, harmonious tannins.
2015 LA BOHEME PINOT NOIR – 93 POINTS
Dark bright-rimmed red. Ripe blackberry, cherry, licorice and pungent floral scents show very good lift and clarity. Supple, open-knit and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated dark berry and violet pastille flavors that are given spicy bite by a white pepper nuance. Displays very good clarity and solid thrust on the long, smooth finish, which features rounded tannins and repeating spiciness.
2015 CLAY COURT PINOT NOIR – 92 POINTS
Bright red. Highly perfumed red berry, cherry cola and floral scents, along with a smoky mineral flourish that builds in the glass. Sweet and energetic on the palate, offering raspberry, spicecake and smoky mineral flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Finishes long, smooth and floral; slow-building tannins add framework and gentle grip.
2015 FIVE MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR – 92 POINTS
Limpid red. Fresh strawberry, blood orange and succulent herb flavors are sharpened by a chalky mineral quality that builds as the wine opens up. Vibrant red berry and bitter cherry flavors show very good clarity, silky, seamless texture and a sweetening touch of mocha on the back half. Offers strong tension and subtle smokiness on the finish, which features firming tannins and a lingering suggestion of candied rose.
2015 GOODRICH PINOT NOIR – 93 POINTS
Light vivid red. Suave, spice- and mineral-accented red berry and potpourri aromas, accompanied by a hint of succulent herbs and a smoky nuance that emerges with air. Sweet and precise on the palate, offering energetic raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors along with muskier rhubarb and floral pastille notes. The penetrating, red-fruit-driven finish shows excellent clarity, smooth tannins and strong persistence.
2015 MOUNT RICHMOND PINOT NOIR – 92 POINTS
Deep red. Lively, highly perfumed raspberry, Asian spice and rose scents are complicated by hints of woodsmoke and cola. Silky and penetrating on the palate, where juicy acidity provides spine and lift to sweet red fruit liqueur, spicecake and floral pastille flavors. This nicely concentrated but lively Pinot finishes smooth and sweet, displaying excellent focus and persistent floral character.
“At the intersection of media and technology, Vinous is Antonio Galloni’s vision of a modern-day wine publication. Vinous’s team of renowned critics and writers offers in depth coverage of new releases, retrospectives and verticals of older wines, videos with winemakers, interactive maps, restaurant recommendations and more, all published in a continual, daily stream of articles. With the acquisition of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar in December 2014 and the addition of the IWC editorial team, Vinous expanded coverage to all major wine regions. Today Vinous has subscribers in over 80 countries and is one of the most respected wine publications in the world.”
Read the article on Oregon’s 2015 Vintage here. Full wine reviews for all Oregon wineries are available to members of vinous, more information at vinous.com.
