New Release! Our most popular white wine is rich and vibrant, with great texture and mouthfeel.
An expressive nose of nectarine, white flower and candied orange peel introduces this expansive, crisp wine with fresh flavors of fig, white cherry, and cantaloupe alongside an orange peel pithiness, ginger and lemon thyme.
Love our Pinot Gris? Try our Riesling
“With some of the oldest Pinot Gris vines in the Willamette Valley, Elk Cove’s date back to 1985. Whole-cluster-pressed and cool fermented in stainless steel tanks, the aromatics sing with apricot and tangerine. There seems to be a charge of electricity in the wine, pizazz from lime zest, floral notes of honeysuckle and greener notes of basil and thyme”
– The Tasting Panel Magazine (Sept/Oct 2022)
Vintage 2021 was an outstanding year at Elk Cove. Cool weather during bloom and moderate temperatures during most of the growing season brought forth an ample harvest of intensely concentrated fruit.
The timing of weather events was key to our success in 2021. Rainfall during bloom raised expectations for a small, high-quality crop. Then a once-in-a-millennium heat dome event brought worrying temperatures to the Pacific Northwest. This was thankfully during the most resilient stage of the growing season and our old vines survived without sign of serious stress or sunburn. Growth resumed normally once temperatures cooled with average heat from July through September bringing even ripening to the plentiful small, loose clusters. Our vines made it through the rain and the heat in fine condition with lots of variable-sized berries, known as hens and chicks.
Harvest 2021 was not only of high quality but also surprisingly bountiful. Low levels of dehydration combined with the numerous small clusters and several acres of young vines coming into maturity meant a record tonnage for Elk Cove. For red Pinot Noirs, expect intense color and flavors bursting out of the glass, while white wines and rosés are fruit-forward with great acidity and balance.
Our Pinot Gris is hand-harvested from select hillside vineyards in the northern Willamete Valley. Pinot Gris has long been a focus at Elk Cove – our Estate Vineyard boasts some of the oldest Pinot Gris vines in Oregon, dating back to 1985. Three of our other estate vineyard sites are also planted with Pinot Gris, including 50 acres on steep sloped Mount Richmond Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Planted in a high-density format, all our Pinot Gris undergoes shoot and crop thinning for low yields to maximize quality and concentration.
The Willamette Valley has the perfect climate for this delicate cool weather white wine. We have enough sunlight and warmth for ripening, but our cool evenings help retain varietal character and prevent over-ripening. We whole-cluster press our Pinot Gris grapes, then ferment the juice at very cool temperatures in small stainless steel tanks. This gentle treatment protects the aromatic qualities and enhances the natural richness of the Pinot Gris grapes, creating our most popular white wine.
I had this wonderful wine in Cody Wyoming and had to go to the liquor store to buy it. We to Steamboat Springs Colorado and bought more as I have researched where to get it in Minnesota – where I live and I can’t get it there. Please expand to Minnesota. This is my favorite wine by far.
Amazing. The second you open the bottle and pour some into your lucky glass, you know you’ve discovered something exceptional. It’s a rare feeling. Savor it.
This wine has been my favorite for years, after a highly respected wine steward recommend this to me at our country club about 10-12 years ago. The taste is always clean and consistently good, and I pretty much drink this and the Elk Cove Pinot Blanc exclusively! I highly recommend both to anyone that enjoys white wine that is never too sweet and consistently delicious!! I just ordered 5 cases for the holidays and guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. Thanks!
Review Pinot Gris Willamette Valley.