2015 Solena Estate Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 750 ml

The 2015 Vintage in Willamette Valley — A Stunning “Four for Four!!”

It was while trekking the vines above the Hansel and Gretel Alsatian village of Wettolsheim that we discovered the rich, aromatic glory of Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. It was October 2008, just a few days before harvest. The Pinot Gris berries were small and gilded pink. The Gewürztraminer was liquid gold. The aromas wafting over the tile roofs below left an olfactory stamp on our memories.

Six summers later, we were visiting Laurent Montalieu — the Bordeaux enologist believed by many to be the most brilliant white wine craftsman in the Pacific Northwest. Over a bottle of his 2011 Soléna Estate Pinot Gris, he described the makings of a perfect Pinot Gris vintage in Oregon. “We need three growing season elements if we’re to challenge the greats of Alsace. First, we must have heat, but not too much heat. Second, a very dry growing season. Last, we need to pay close attention to yields, green harvesting aggressively to draw out the richness and the spice.” In 2014, Willamette went three for three.

When the reports came in that 2015 has ushered in yet another, extraordinary, near-perfect growing season, we reached out to Montalieu. “I couldn’t believe it! Four for four!!” he shouted into the phone. “We’re on our way to giving Alsace a run for its money!”

The phenomenal 2015 growing season largely mirrored 2014, with one major exception — higher than normal temperatures in the spring allowed for early bloom and exceptional fruit-set, which led to an early harvest overall. Wine Spectator reported that “there’s no precedent for a vintage exactly like this in Oregon.” Astonishingly, wineries were finished harvesting by October 4th, according to the Wine Spectator report, a full month ahead of 2014. Essentially, such steady and warm temperatures assured that no grape would be picked underripe, and even as sugars climbed, acids remained firm. For Montalieu’s Pinot Gris, this presented the picking opportunity of a lifetime.

At harvest, berries were in such perfect, pristine conditions, Montalieu explained, that it was possible to harvest in stages, bringing in each bunch at Brix levels so precise, if one wished to make a more opulent, fatter style, one could, depending on when one picked. Period.

The 2015 Soléna Estate Pinot Gris shimmers light-golden to the rim. Infused with luscious stone-fruit aromatics, tinged with sweet baking spice and honeysuckle notes. Rich, juicy, and weighty on the attack, with spiced pear, gently kissed with sweetness — all braced by the riveting mineral cut of this extraordinary Willamette Valley harvest. Don’t be fooled by the modest price tag; this is one of those rare American white wine bargains that can be served as an aperitif, but is bold enough to hold up to any holiday feast.

91 points and an “Editors' Choice” from Wine Enthusiast, calling it a “super rich, succulent effort that is packed to the core with fresh pear fruit flavors.” This cellar stuffer from the blockbuster 2015 Willamette harvest is not only quaffable, but actually makes you THINK. There may not be another American white at $18.50 that stands up.