BUYINGGUIDE
142 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | OCTOBER 2019chillable category. Named after the wine’s beautiful
color, this begins with aromas of boysenberry com-
pote, lilac and charred wood. The palate zings with
black-raspberry, wild thyme and dried mint flavors.
Editors’ Choice. —M.K.
abv: 13% Price: $3691
Comartin 2015 Cuvée Cassidy G-S-M (Santa
Ynez Valley). This blend of 57% Grenache,
28% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre is very purple on
the nose, showing candied blackberry and grape,
with hints of violet. The palate’s black-plum flavors
meet with tarry earth and charred wood. It needs a
bit of time to open. —M.K.
abv: 14.4% Price: $45OREGON
PINOT BLANC
92
Elk Cove 2018 Estate Pinot Blanc (Willa-
mette Valley). For full review see page 130.
Editors’ Choice.
abv: 13% Price: $1991
The Eyrie Vineyards 2017 Pinot Blanc (Dundee
Hills). Bright yellow gold and pungent with
scents of lemon, grapefruit and green pineapple,
this complex yet delicate wine hues closely to the
well-established Eyrie style. Perhaps it seems lean
to some palates, but it comes with the details to
enhance its fruit flavors, adding touches of dried
leaf and a refreshing salinity. Editors’ Choice. —P.G.
abv: 13% Price: $2390
Bryn Mawr Vineyards 2018 David’s Block
Pinot Blanc (Eola-Amity Hills). As the low
alcohol would suggest, this leans heavily on its
strong acidity. Fruit flavors are beyond tart, almost
sour, with lemon drop tang and tension. But it’s not
a one-dimensional wine, and there’s grapefruit and
other citrus as well. It would be a fine match for raw
shellfish or grilled octopus, or served as an appe-
tizer wine with salted nuts and cheeses. —P.G.
abv: 11.5% Price: $2590
King Estate 2017 Foris Pinot Blanc (Rogue
Valley). For full review see page 136.
abv: 13% Price: $2490
Wine by Joe 2018 Seabreeze Estate Pinot
Blanc (Willamette Valley). This is a juicy
and fruity wine, with forward and delicious flavors
of apple and pear. The lively acidity adds a touch of
grapefruit, keeping the mouthfeel fresh and the fin-
ish zesty. Best Buy. —P.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $1488
Brooks 2018 Pinot Blanc (Willamette Val-
ley). Brooks wines often fall on the tart side
stylistically, and this one brings a lip-smacking mix
of lemon and grapefruit. The ample acidity keeps it
refreshing and long, finishing with an impression of
wet stones. —P.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $20PINOT GRIS
92
The Eyrie Vineyards 2017 Pinot Gris (Dundee
Hills). From the winery that introduced
Pinot Gris to America, this is a full-bodied, fleshy
and beautifully fruited wine, which delivers the
same level of richness and complexity as many top-
tier Chardonnays. Robust apple, white peach and
green melon flavors are dappled with white pepper,
or perhaps daikon radish. The finish seems to carry
on indefinitely. Editors’ Choice. —P.G.
abv: 12.5% Price: $2191
Elk Cove 2018 Estate Pinot Gris (Willamette
Valley). For full review see page 133. Editors’
Choice.
abv: 13% Price: $1991
King Estate 2017 Backbone Pinot Gris (Wil-
lamette Valley). For full review see page 133.
Editors’ Choice.
abv: 13.5% Price: $2891
Soléna 2018 Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley). A
real success at Soléna, this version combines
fresh apple, pear, cucumber and melon components
with lively minerality. There are notes of lime peel
and wet rock, and the wine has marvelous texture
right on through a distinguished finish. It is cer-
tainly one of the state’s best examples of Pinot Gris.
Editors’ Choice. —P.G.
abv: 13.1% Price: $2090
Eugene Wine Cellars 2018 b2 Pinot Gris
(Willamette Valley). Very fresh and lightly
pétillant, this immaculate wine is bursting with
freshly cut pear and apple fruit flavors. It begs to be
consumed over the next year or two while that sense
of just-picked fruit remains in full force. There’s a
dash of white pepper as it finishes up. Editors’
Choice. —P.G.
abv: 12% Price: $1790
Five Fourteen Vineyards 2018 Estate Pinot
Gris (Willamette Valley). Tasty and bright,
this all-stainless Pinot Gris offers varietally true
fruit flavors of apple and pear. There are added
notes of sweet lemon, cinnamon and honeysuckle,
giving the wine extra length and detail through a
satisfying finish. —P.G.
abv: 13.7% Price: $2290
King Estate 2017 Paradox Pinot Gris (Willa-
mette Valley). For full review see page 136.
abv: 13% Price: $3590
King Estate 2017 Steiner Block Pinot Gris
(Willamette Valley). For full review see
page 136.
abv: 12.6% Price: $2890
Pike Road 2018 Pinot Gris (Willamette Val-
ley). Bursting with freshly cut pear fruit
and skin, both scents and flavors, this fruit-driven
wine is a delight. It’s not the most complex PinotGris on the market, but for pure fruit goodness it’s
tough to beat. —P.G.
abv: 13% Price: $1689
Zimri Cellars 2018 Pinot Gris (Willamette Val-
ley). This is a leesy, creamy, textural wine;
the underlying minerality advances the light fruit
flavors of cucumber and gooseberry. Don’t look for a
big fruit bomb here; a light and tasty, food-friendly
wine at a fair price is what you’ll find. There’s a dash
of white pepper and a well-rounded finish showing a
trace of residual sugar. Best Buy. —P.G.
abv: 13% Price: $1488
Coeur de Terre 2018 Pinot Gris (McMin-
nville). There’s a lively mouthfeel here, with
citrus flavors of lemon and lime. It’s fresh and car-
ries a hint of spice. Drink this over the next year or
two. —P.G.
abv: 13.3% Price: $1988
King Estate 2017 Pfeiffer Pinot Gris (Willa-
mette Valley). This vintage is a lighter one
for the Pfeiffer, delivering fresh flavors of lemon
curd, grapefruit and Key lime. It’s a fruity, quaffable
style, not too fancy, and should be consumed now
and over the next two years. —P.G.
abv: 13.3% Price: $2488
Walnut City WineWorks 2018 Pinot Gris (Wil-
lamette Valley). Well-structured, tart and
firm, this young wine is lightly ripened to flavors
of white melon and yellow apple, with phenolic
highlights of apple skin. It was fermented and aged
entirely in stainless steel. —P.G.
abv: 13.2% Price: $15WASHINGTON
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
95
Quilceda Creek 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Columbia Valley). Quilceda Creek has been
a benchmark in Washington since its first vintage
in 1979. Aromas of pitch-black cherry, graphite and
spice lead to ripe, intense, layered dark-fruit flavors
supported by velvety but firm tannins that lead to a
warm finish. As always, time in the cellar will serve
this wine well. Best after 2026, with a long life
beyond that. Cellar Selection. —S.S.
abv: 15.2% Price: $20094
DeLille 2015 Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon
(Red Mountain). There’s no question this
is a warm-vintage wine, with its aromas of black
cherry, game, licorice, scorched earth, barrel spice
and blackberry. The palate brings rich, intense,
rollicking dark-fruit flavors that have enough firm,
tightly wound tannic structure to stitch them all
together. It has the stuffing to run the race and then
run it again. Best after 2027. Cellar Selection. —S.S.
abv: 14.1% Price: $16093
Betz Family 2016 Heart of the Hill Cabernet
Sauvignon (Red Mountain). Luxurious aro-
mas of barrel spice, char, roasted coffee bean, black