During a recent visit for dinner to the all-new Arlo restaurant (see this week’s Utah Bites restaurant review), my wife and I shared a bottle of The Eyrie Vineyards 2017 Oregon Pinot Blanc ($14.95/Utah retail price). Simply put, this is a wonderful wine and a steal for 15 bucks.
For many years I’ve been a big fan of Oregon’s Eyrie Vineyards wine and their philosophy of winemaking. The winemakers explain their approach this way: “Carrying Eyrie’s ‘gentle touch’ vineyard philosophy into the winery seems only natural. Our ‘style is based on picking grapes at that elusive point of maturity where true varietal characteristics are at their peak, before they become over-ripe, and in the winery we take great care not to compromise these flavors.”
They allow wine fermentations to proceed “naturally and slowly” as well as incorporating “traditional techniques, like native yeast fermentations in reds, skin contact on whites, and full natural malolactic to promote the most complex expression of our varieties.”
The result is a range of elegant, expressive wines that age well in the cellar – all at surprisingly economical prices.
The Eyrie Vineyards 2017 Oregon Pinot Blanc is made with (obviously) Pinot Blanc grapes from Alsatian Pinot Blanc clones. Eyrie’s PInot Blanc vines average 23 years in age. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and aged sur lies for 11 months in Oregon’s Dundee Hills appellation.
It’s not surprising – given the Alsatian Pinot Blanc clones from whence this wonderful white wine originates – that it’s Alsatian in style. It’s fairly light-bodied, with refreshing acidity and hints of pineapple, grapefruit and gold apples. I found this Pinot Blanc to be very enjoyable with Arlo’s cioppino, but it also paired very well with my wife’s roasted pork dish.
The Eyrie Vineyards 2017 Oregon Pinot Blanc is a “limited bottling,” so grab some while you can.
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Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.
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