King Estate Domaine Pinot Gris 2022

Pear is apparent on the nose, joined by tropical and citrus fruits along with some apple, yellow plum, honeysuckle and gardenia. The entry is fruit forward, revealing green apple, pear, mango, melon and peach on the palate. Fruit, acidity and alcohol come together in superb balance. Sur lie aging adds body to create a richly satisfying, enjoyable wine.

Vineyard: 100% King Estate, Blocks 15A & B, 18C, 20A

Despite a heart-stopping frost on April 15, the 2022 vintage rallied to a highly successful close. Optimal conditions in late June resulted in exceptional fruit set and continued through July and August. Crop estimates in August beat expectations, giving the first indication that we had rebounded from the frost. A warm September followed by the warmest October on record accelerated ripening and boosted yields, creating a new challenge to bring in all that ripe fruit in a compressed window. Cooler fall-like conditions arrived in the last week of October. While the bulk of the harvest was in, the last remaining blocks and vineyards were harvested during breaks in weather over the last days of October.

Fermented in 100% stainless steel, temperature-controlled tanks. Aged sur lie for eight months.

King Estate is nestled in the bucolic Lorane Valley about 150 kilometers south of the better known Pinot Noir growing region around Dundee and Yamhill-Carlton in the northern Willamette Valley.  Although farther to the south, King Estate lies closer to the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in a slightly cooler climate that renders an elegant and crisp style of wine.  The manor house-style winery atop the estate's central hill commands an Arcadian view of the 1,033 acre estate surrounded by pastures and ringed by forested mountains, and a first time visitor gets the sense of stepping back into a simpler time, when the rhythm of life was intimately connected with the turn of the seasons and the bounty of the earth.  The certified organic vineyards are planted mainly to Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris and are interspersed with fruit tree orchards, gardens of flowers, vegetables, and berries.  There is even an apiary and a charcuterie.  But while this manorial setting evokes a self contained community from yesteryear, this is at the same time a very modern place.  State of the art winemaking equipment and techniques are employed along with the latest sustainable and organic farming practices, and a world class culinary program brings it all together beautifully in the Estate's restaurant.  The pure yet sophisticated wines are natural companions to fine foods.  Wine professionals agree: King Estate Pinot Gris has been the #1 on premise domestic Pinot Gris in the U.S. for the last four years running.