Winery - Phelps Creek Vineyards
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This Columbia Gorge winery is knocking it out of the park with its Chardonnays. This estate reserve is tangy and tart, a luscious mix of apple, pear and melon. It seems to gain power and concentration in the mouth, buoyed by perfect acidity.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A lovely counterpoint to Phelps Creek’s estate reserve Chardonnay, this comes from just across the river, sourced from a vineyard on the Washington side of this two-state AVA. It got the full malolactic, fermented in French oak treatment, and shows plenty of pleasing barrel toast and spice. The fruit mixes hints of peach and melon with a lemon drop core, and finishes with a lick of butterscotch.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The Celilo vineyard, located on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge appellation, is one of the most unique in the region. This ripe, almost liquorous Merlot is bursting with sappy cherry fruit, buttressed with tangy acids. The structure is here to more than support the weight of the wine and its alcohol, just under 15%. Barrel flavors of bourbon and vanilla dominate the finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Unoaked is the buzzword in the chardonnay world at the moment, and here you see it done especially well. The wine is bursting with fruit, lively with zippy acids and flavors of fresh pineapple and citrus. Crisp and fruity, forward and fresh; what’s not to like?
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
There is nothing shy about the 2006 Judith’s Reserve—at 15.4% alcohol it makes a bold statement about scale. But it delivers the flavors that many consumers seek—penetrating and lingering raspberry and cherry fruit, accented and defined by a pungent streak of mint and herb. The spicy aspect will thrill some and puzzle others, but it marks the estate-grown fruit as quite distinctive.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This blend of grapes from three different Columbia Gorge vineyards is immediately appealing, with round, smoky, relatively soft and accessible flavors. It’s smooth and seductive, offering bright cherry fruit augmented with that smoky streak and a whiff of tobacco in the finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Light, fresh fruit tinged with sweet herb, yellow apple and white peach, along with scents of toasty oak. It’s got good balance, but feels thinner than the 2006. It’s a delicate effort that would work well on a warm summer evening.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Herbal and piney, from a difficult vintage, this lightly smoky effort will do just fine for near-term drinking; it’s got true Pinot character lurking under the earthy surface. A distinct change of pace from the bright cherry flavors of the 2006, with tomato leaf and clove in place of sweet fruit.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This cuvée is the product of a collaboration between Phelps Creek owner Bob Morus and Burgundian winemaker Alexandrine Roy. She has crafted an elegant wine with unusual nuances—hints of bacon fat and butter, lightly woven into the tart, racy pomegranate and raspberry fruit. Elegant and refined, this is as Burgundian as Oregon Pinot ever gets.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is the most concentrated of the current lineup of Phelps Creek Pinots, and carries a distinctly earthy note of compost in the nose, along with leaf and cherry and herb. It has some weight and authority on the palate, with a mix of cherry tomato and fresh herb dominating.
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