Oregon Wine Tasting - Elk Cove Vineyards

I am so excited to share with you our second exploration of Oregon wine country. We tasted 45 wines in two days.  That's certainly not a professional-level tasting rate, but I'd say not bad for vacationing.  With the help of our local wine shop (if you follow my blog, you know that's Midtown Wine & Spirits) and wine distributor we started our journey off with a tasting appointment at Elk Cove Vineyards. We drove through some lush green winding hills and valleys and then up to a beautiful vineyard vista on a chilly, but sunny morning. The rhododendrons were at their peak bloom all across the Willamette Valley. The wealth of color they provide in their mostly shaded spots is extraordinary. Spring is one of the best times to be in the Pacific Northwest. 

Elk Cove is one of Oregon's oldest wineries in the relatively young Oregon viticulture area. Begun in 1977 by the Campbell family it remains a family-run winery business and the care with which they make their wines shows. They have about 250 acres in production on four different locations and bottle about 35,000 cases a year. What a great way to start our winery junket. We tried the 2012 Pinot Blanc, a steely wine with hints of butter and lemon. Next was a 2012 Pinot Gris - their 2006 and 2009 were Wine Spectator top 100 wines. The 2012 was delicious, florally, crisp and refreshing with a pineapple nose. We tasted 2 Rieslings - the 2010 Riesling Estate and 2011 Late Harvest Riesling, both were challenging on their own to our untrained palettes, but would be lovely with the right food. We were surprised to find so many Rieslings on our tour in Oregon. We haven't begun to explore or fully appreciate the grape yet, but we're going to find our way there!

The 2012 Pinot Noir Rose we tasted next was wonderful - lots of rose and candy notes. Full of strawberry, red grapefruit and watermelon through the middle and finish.  This is a small production line for them so knew we wouldn't be getting any at our local wine shop - definitely something to bring home. We followed the white and pink wines with 3 Pinot Noirs, the Willamette Valley, Five Mountain, and La Boheme. All were very nicely fruity and earthy. Our favorite was the La Boheme, which had a dark fruit nose and velvety mouth feel. We followed these up with a Del Rio Syrah, which had good spiciness, structure and tannic finish. The last we tasted the 2010 Ultima dessert wine. I've been finding myself fascinated by dessert wines and ports of late because they are so fun to pair with food. We brought an Ultima home and I'm excited to make something to complement its peachy flavors. All-in-all, a winery to keep an eye out for at your local wine shop or visit when you are in the Willamette Valley.

Next up....Ken Wright Cellars.  Coming soon!