Willamette Valley makes some incredible wines, but Pinot Blanc accounts for less than 1% of total plantings. This Pinot Blanc oozes quality and reminds me of an Alsatian Pinot Blanc. The wine is bone dry — no residual sugar. The wine is aged in large 30 hectoliter neutral barrels with extended lees contact. This gentle and deliberate winemaking style really helps produce the excellent depth and breadth of flavors. It shows notes of white blossom, tropical fruit, and green apples, along with saline undertones. This wine is worth your attention. I would confidently stack it up against world-class Pinot Blancs.
Bethel Heights Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills (Willamette Valley, Oregon) Pinot Blanc 2017
By Vince Simmon