2018 Pinot Blanc

Very fresh with a bouquet of honeysuckle, grapefruit, lemon balm and fennel fronds. Juicy flavors of lemon, lime, and green pear bring forth a weighty palate that finishes with a grip of Earl Grey tea and chalky minerality.

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Our Pinot Blanc is #57 on the Top 100! Curated from over 24000 different wines tested this year, The Enthusiast 100 is the best-of-the-best list for wine in 2019.

– Wine Enthusiast Magazine (November, 2019)

Our 2018 Pinot Blanc was awarded a Trophy in the Six Nations Wine Challenge! This is the top award for the aromatic whites category in a blind competition that includes top-rated wines from the US, Canada, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
– Six Nations Wine Challenge (2019)

“scented of dried hay, hazelnut, cheese rind and yellow apple with notes of lemon peel, chamomile and baker’s yeast. It’s light to medium-bodied with fresh fruits and good energy, finishing long with refreshing acidity….”
– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (Aug 31, 2018)

“Intense in juicy, succulent fruit, this opens with lovely botanical aromas and flavors of ripe lime, grapefruit and fresh apple. The flavors are layered and deep, lifted by refreshing minerality.”
– Wine Enthusiast (October 2019)

Vintage

VINTAGE 2018’s growing season started hot and dry through spring and summer, but relief was just around the corner. A hearty rain weeks before harvest and cool temperatures in September and October slowed ripening and gave the fruit additional hang-time. Harvest came late with small, intensely flavored berries with a high skin-to-juice ratio. After a slow start, the second half of harvest saw the simultaneous ripening of multiple blocks and a veritable “crush” in the fermentation hall. Once again, we were thankful for the added capacity of our 2013 cellar expansion and a crew of seasoned pros in the vineyard and the cellar. These are wines of ample flavors and high maturity levels. The Pinot Noirs are bold and fruit-forward with higher than average tannins. In the white wines, expect more tropical fruit aromas in addition to the classic stone-fruit aromas. This is a great vintage for those who appreciate boldness in cool-climate varietals. 2018 wines are highly intriguing, their intense richness balanced by lifted tones, coming from a warm growing season that thankfully concluded in a cool autumn.

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 7-25 Years
Harvest Sugars 23
pH 3.15
Vatting Whole-cluster pressed and cold fermented in small stainless steel tanks.

Adam’s Crab Cakes

It’s our post-harvest tradition to rent a boat and go crabbing at Kelly’s Marina. While we don’t always make it to the coast to go crabbing ourselves, sitting around the table shelling cooked crab from the fishmonger is also a great way to catch up while anticipating the great meal ahead, usually while savoring a glass of what we in the Campbell family call “cooking wine” (wine poured for the cooks). Dungeness crab season in Oregon runs from December to August.

These crab cakes pair beautifully with our Pinot Blanc. Cheers and bon appétit!

Adam holding Dungeness crab

RECIPE

For the cakes:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
3 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
4 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
ground black pepper to taste
1 pound cooked blue or Dungeness crabmeat
2 cups panko bread crumbs (divided)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Skillet:
2 tablespoons (or more) butter
2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil or grapeseed oil

For the salad:
salad greens of your choice
3tbs olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

serve with crusty bread & hot sauce

In a large bowl, whisk ingredients the first 10 ingredients together. Mix in crabmeat, and break it up into a rough, chunky texture while feeling with your hands for any remaining pieces of shell. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup panko with the cayenne then fold into crab mixture. Let stand while panko soaks up the liquid from the crab mixture. Place the remaining panko in a flat bottomed bowl or tray. Form crab into patties about 2.5 inches in diameter (about 12) then press both sides of patties into the panko. Chill the formed patties for 1 to 4 hours in the fridge.

To fry, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook crab cakes on both sides for about 4-5 minutes until they are browned, adding oil as needed to the skillet.

Make a vinaigrette with any remaining herbs, tossing lightly into your greens and serving alongside your favorite crusty bread. Season if desired with lemon wedges and Louisiana-style hot sauce – Crystal is our favorite but Tabasco or Texas Pete work equally well. Cheers!

Pinot Blanc

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