2013 - Elk Cove Vineyards

Other Vintages

2013 Pinot Blanc Willamette Valley

A pale straw-colored wine with honeysuckle, lily and jasmine tea on the nose. Intense strawberry flavors blend with fresch green apple and honeydew, which fade into a clean slate finish in this beautifully balanced white wine.

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“Melon and white peach fruit flavors anchor a snappy, fresh, all-stainless style…”
– Wine Enthusiast (October, 2014)

“The nose is filled with juicy peach, ripe pear, dried pineapple and quince, along with touches of cardamom and honey…”
– Great Northwest Wine (July 25, 2014)

“Pinot blanc is a great refresher too, like the 2013 produced by Oregon’s Elk Cove Vineyards ($19). For us, the hotter the weather, the colder we like our white wine.”
– Sunset Magazine (July, 2014)

Vintage

Vintage 2013 had both the merits and the challenges of our cool climate. Wet weather during bloom led to low yields, requiring minimal thinning. A warm, dry summer followed, with a long season ideal for developing delicate flavors and concentration.

Adam’s mantra of great winemaking “starting in the vineyard” rang true – each day he checked multiple weather reports and walked the vineyards, tasting and testing juice for flavor development and brix. The goal: carefully time picking to avoid dilution, splitting and rot, while achieving optimum physiological ripeness. Although Tropical Storm Pabuk broke 100-year rainfall records in late September, it had a minimal effect on fruit quality with less than 1/3 of our fruit coming in that week.

We don’t grow grapes here because it’s easy, but because of the beautiful, complex flavors we get from our Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and other cool-climate varietals. 2013 will likely be a year that gets mixed reviews, with comparisons to 2010 and 2011. Those in the know rely on these vintages for beautiful elegance, great freshness and amazing longevity.

Vineyard

The fruit for this Pinot Blanc is all hand-harvested from our own hillside vineyards, including our Five Mountain, Mount Richmond and Estate Vineyards.

Winemaking

The Willamette Valley has an ideal climate for Pinot Blanc, a delicate grape variety – enough sunlight and warmth for ripening, with cooler night temperatures that help retain varietal character. To preserve the freshness, our Pinot Blanc is whole-cluster pressed then fermented at very cool temperatures in small stainless steel tanks, all of which accentuates aromatics and enhances the richness and viscosity of the wine.

Viticultural & Enological Data

Vine Age 3-20 years
Yield 2.3 tons/acre
Harvest Sugars 22.5 brix
pH 3.06
Vatting Whole-cluster pressed and cold fermented in small stainless steel tanks.
Cases Produced 1,250

2013 Pinot Blanc Willamette Valley

Accolades

90 Points in Wine Enthusiast

2013 Pinot Blanc: Outstanding rating from Great Northwest Wine

2013 Pinot Blanc: Crisp Wine for a Hot Day

Vintage

Vineyard

Winemaking

Viticultural & Enological Data

Reviews

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