King Estate Domaine Pinot Gris 2023

Fruit is from four blocks on the estate. The nose reveals perfumy ripe pear, tangerine, nectarine, honeysuckle, lemon zest, minerality and honeydew melon. Flavors develop on the palate, with notes of Bosc pear, honeydew, nectarine, honeysuckle and Meyer lemon. This wine is built with a pleasing blend of fruit and floral flavors and a perfect balance of acidity and alcohol, coming together to achieve a truly remarkable Pinot Gris.

Vineyard: 100% King Estate, Blocks 14A, 15C, 18C, 20A

A highly successful vintage began with cool, wet conditions in the spring that delayed budbreak, foreshadowing a late harvest. That concern dissipated with a dramatic warming trend that began with budbreak in late April and continued into June. Bloom occurred between June 10 and 20, making this the shortest period between budbreak and bloom since King Estate’s founding. Perfect summer weather was briefly interrupted by a short heat spike in mid-August when highs hit triple digits. Harvest began Sept. 12 with first fruit in from our own estate vineyard with a big push to get as much fruit in by Sept. 23 before a predicted storm system hit. After a few days of drying out, harvest ramped back up on Oct. 1 and finished on Oct. 14, right before more rains arrived.

The fruit was whole cluster pressed, settled, racked and fermented to dryness in temperature controlled stainless steel 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.