King Estate vineyards
In December of last year, the influential wine magazine Wine Enthusiast named Oregon’s Willamette Valley their Wine Region of Year for 2016. AdVINEtures decided to take trip down there and see how things had evolved since we were there two years ago. What we found was a wine region that charms visitors with its lack of pretension, a terrific food scene that focuses on local, farm-to-table cuisine, and a group of winemakers that embrace a sense of community and collaboration that has resulted in them producing wines at the top of their game. We thought their award was richly deserved.
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Bryan Babcock
We first met Bryan Babcock, proprietor and winemaker at Babcock Winery a year ago when we visited Santa Barbara hosted by their tourist bureau, Visit Santa Barbara. They sent us to the Santa Barbara Wine Collective, a very hip bar that pours a lot of very good local wine by the glass. We tasted 5 or 6 different Pinot Noirs from Santa Barbara County. Our favourite of the tasting was the 2012 Babcock Pinot Noir Radical. We told that to the bartender who then informed us that Bryan Babcock was actually sitting just a few tables away and would we like to meet him? Of course! We were introduced, had a brief conversation and he invited us to come up to Lompoc and meet him at his winery the next time we were in the area. That Radical was so darn good we knew we had to get back and learn how he made such good wine and to taste the rest of his line up.
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Pierre Peters NV Grand Cru Extra Brut
A delicious Champagne. The wine spent 5 years on lees before release and is 65% 2005 and 35% 2004. 100% Chardonnay mostly from Le Mesnil with some fruit from Avize, Cramant and Oger. The time on lees shows through in the beautiful bread dough palate, backed up by notes of green apple. The acidity is accentuated by the persistent bead. This is quite full bodied and pairs very well with food. Wrapped together these separate components harmonize into a wonderful balance that shows simultaneous power and elegance. 2g/l dosage. Fantastic.
Excellent+ ($82 available at BC Liquor Stores & Everything Wine)
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2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay
Medium gold in colour with enticing aromas of lemon, honey and citrus notes. The palate has a medium/full body and adds to the sense of power of the wine’s intensity. Perfectly balanced, it features flavours of green apple supported with a hint of caramel. The wine’s intense flavours and powerful body manage to retain just the right symmetry without seeming heavy. Already complex, this is still on its way up and will likely deliver pleasure for another 3-5 years, based upon older vintages of this wine that we have had. A blend from 70% Celilo Vineyard and 30% Woodward Canyon Estate.
Excellent – ($47.74 + taxes CDN at Marquis Wine Cellars (the 2013 version of this wine sells for $66 USD at the Woodward Canyon website.)
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2010 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay Rosemary’s Vineyard
Deep gold in colour, the nose revealed terrific complexity with apple, lemon, honey and some stone fruit and tropical notes. The body didn’t disappoint showing beautiful balance as a powerful but not overpowering wine. A smooth, plush mouthfeel with medium acidity and a lovely long finish.
Excellent +
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