Yamhill Pinot Blanc 2015
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Suckling
James
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pinot Blanc is near and dear to the YVV family, we try not to play favorites, but, if we had a favorite white wine, Pinot Blanc would be it. Before it was commercially recognized we were growing it and learning how to make it they way we like. Rich full flavor, minerality, prickly pear and ripe melon with citrus undertones. The creamy yet bright style pairs beautifully with smoked cheeses, white fish, or some oysters if you’re searching for pairing perfection.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This pinot blanc is so reductive now and shows aromas of mixed apples, pears and herbal character. Medium to full body, compact texture and an easy finish
Other Vintages
2017-
Enthusiast
Wine
Yamhill Valley Vineyards is dedicated to producing distinctive wines from estate grown grapes in the emerging Oregon style reminiscent of the finest Burgundian and Alsatian wines. The heart of our winemaking is dedicated to Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines. With the planting of Pinot Blanc in the spring of 1994 we look forward to being a "three-Pinot family." We are a young vineyard (our first vintage was 1983) and winery in a new winegrowing region, dedicated to the production of cool-climate varieties. While keenly aware of traditional methods used in the production of our wines we are committed to exploring new technologies, innovative techniques and modern practices. We are dogged in our pursuit of a character that is distinctively Oregon and distinctively Yamhill Valley. We are one of the first wineries in America to use synthetic closures and the first to use plastic corks exclusively. We are experimenting with Oregon oak in the barrel aging of our wines. Our goal is to produce the very finest wines that our site and skills allow.
Approachable, aromatic and pleasantly plush on the palate, Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety most associated with the Alsace region of France. Although its heritage is Burgundian, today it is rarely found there and instead thrives throughout central Europe, namely Germany and Austria, where it is known as Weissburgunder and Alto Adige where it is called Pinot Bianco. Interestingly, Pinot Blanc was born out of a mutation of the pink-skinned Pinot Gris. Somm Secret—Chardonnay fans looking to try something new would benefit from giving Pinot Blanc a try.
Stretching southwest from the city of McMinnville, the AVA with the same name covers about 40,000 acres across 20 miles until it meets the Van Duzer Corridor. This corridor is the only break in the Coast Range whose gap allows the cool Pacific Ocean air to flow eastward into the Willamette Valley.
The Pacific's moderating winds hit McMinnville’s south and southeast facing slopes where cool-climate varieties—namely Pinot noir and Pinot blanc thrive on ridges at between 200 to 1,000 feet in elevation.
Soils here are primarily uplifted marine sedimentary loam and silt, with alluvial formations; McMinnville receives less rainfall than its neighbors to the east because it is situated in the rain shadow of the Coast Range.