Current Description Sheet 2006

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MEDIA REVIEWS

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 12, 2007
Wine Pick Of The Week
Oregon's northern Willamette Valley is so famous for its pinot noirs that many consumers are surprised to learn that other wines are made there. It's true the northern Willamette is a special growing area ideal for growing the finicky cool-climate pinot noir -- and many of the best vineyard sites have been reserved for this grape -- but the Willamette is by no means a one-grape wonder.

Pinot gris is related to the pinot noir and is believed to be a mutation of the dark-skinned version. Pinot gris gets its name because of the light gray color the skins take on as they ripen. (Gris is the French word for gray, while noir means black.) The pinot gris needs similar habitat as the pinot noir and in some regions they are planted in the same vineyards. So it's no surprise that pinot gris has done so well in northern Oregon. What is surprising is that Oregon pinot gris is not as enormously popular as the pinot noir since it is one of the most versatile and food-friendly of all wines. Could be because it's not red and it hasn't had a movie made about it.

Adelsheim is one of the leading Oregon producers of both pinot noir and pinot gris. Founder David Adelsheim, a pioneer of the state's wine industry, has been making excellent pinot gris since the early 1980s. His 2006 offering hits all the right buttons. I can't think of any way to improve on this wine besides putting it in bigger bottles. It is richly perfumed with the scents of peaches and pears, and has just the right weight and texture. Try it with salmon, crab cakes, scallops, halibut, Dungeness or king crab, chicken or even roast pork or veal.—Richard Kinssies