What I Am Drinking

Just tasted a few fun wines from Oregon that are perfect for summer drinking - think grilled chicken, burgers, salmon, tuna, pork, and all kinds of sides.

From Cristom, the Willamette Pinot Gris Estate 2007 - Love this winery, visited here several years ago and due for a trip back - this Pinot Gris is in the Alsace style more than any other, all tank fermented, all malo. It's creamy, lovey, and rich with good varietal character, mouthfilling and moderately full without the oak. A great Chard alternative. Grilled shrimp, lobster, chicken salad, all kinds of fish, cheeses or all on its own! About $22/bottle.


Patricia Green 2007 Estate Vineyard Pinot - The Estate owns 52 acres in the Ribbon Ridge area, and this comes from 11 plots planted between 97-2001. Medium ruby color, subdued, earthier, much less sweet fruit, more structured and reserved with darker cherry tones. Medium bodied, with good balance, acidity and structure, more Burgundian - and great value! About $32/bottle.

Patton Valley Pinot Noir 2007 - Patton Valley Winery sits on a top of a hills not far from Forest Grove and Gaston. Though close, the micro climate is different, influenced by a ridge of hills to the west that they speculate splits the weather systems sending more rain to the south and north of the vineyard, leaving their spot a little drier. While the site is warm, cooling breezes that come up the valley also keeps it dry and prevent it from getting too hot. When I was last at this winery in fall of 2007 they were making a Rose saignee in just at the end of harvest. Cool, windy and rainy, it was a tough year. But with a severe selection in the vineyard and winery (only 700cs was the estimate at the time as opposed to 2,100 or so average), they created a lovely Pinot. Fresh, dark cherry and earth, wild yeasts only, destemmed and an array of fermenters including some very cool small wooden ones. The winery is Certified L.I.V.E. (low impact viticulture and eonology), going beyond organic to address issues outside of the actual vineyard and into the winemaking and operation of the entire winery. About $42/bottle.


Rex Hill Pinot Noir 2006 - Jacobs-Hart Single Vineyard. This wine shows the difference between the two vintages, with this 2006 being deeper and more powerfull all around - this wine is medium ruby red, with dark, ripe, charred, smoky notes, good dark cherry fruit, ample body and weight, solid, with lots of earthy brooding fruit. Delicious! About $56 per bottle.

To visit us online and buy these wines click here 56 Degree Wine.