A Beautiful Afternoon at King Estate Winery

Last weekend I was asked to speak at The University of Oregon to students from the entire Oregon University System who were about to study abroad. I've done this a few times now and it's one of my favorite reasons to visit Eugene. I say that because now I have a new favorite destination; King Estate Winery.

My speaking engagement wasn't until 1:30, so the plan was for Josh, Alyssa, and I to hit up King Estate when they opened at 11. I had never been there before, but Josh had been talking it up for the better part of a year and what better way to check out a winery than at the minute they open? As we scaled it's long, winding driveway, we were greeted by this view:

Did I mention that it just so happened to be the most beautiful day of the year?

As you can see, King Estate isn't your average tasting room. In fact, it's a tasting room (technically two), vineyard, full service restaurant, and self-sustaining farm. We'll get to those last two points later. On to the wine!

We walked up to the tasting bar and were greeted by both Randy and Jill. Jill, who has been with King Estate for about a month, was receiving some words of advice from Randy, who is a veteran of the wine industry for approximately 21 years. As he put it, even his experience is old enough to drink. We certainly appreciated this as both were incredibly warm, friendly, and open to any questions we may have had. While talking about blogging, the Oregon wine industry in general, and of course King Estate, we had the opportunity to sample a dozen or so wines.

2007 Domaine Pinot Gris
This organic, 100% estate grown pinot gris is one that immediately jumped out to Josh. It's picked up quite a bit of hardware lately and I'm always excited to find a great pinot gris. This one certainly stood up to its reputation as possibly the best pinot gris I've ever had. While crisp like most Oregon gris, this one deviated from the standard green apple and pear hues by also incorporating those of more tropical fruits, such as tangerine and pineapple. Definitely worth picking up.

2008 next: Oregon Pinot Noir
King Estate's next line is their own foray into the under $20 wine market. What made this pinot noir stand out? It's a $18 pinot noir with all of the characteristics of one twice as much, just toned down a bit. I've found that many entry-level pinots feel a bit unfinished with a ton of tart, but not this one. Randy mentioned that this was specifically made to be a great pinot and not just what they had left over with a new label slapped on it. I highly recommend this one as well.

2007 NxNW Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
King Estate's NxNW line of wines is a really intriguing concept. Like many wineries who source grapes from the Columbia Valley or Walla Walla AVAs, it's sometimes not always clear which state your grapes are actually from. The solution? Embrace it with a new label celebrating your grapes' diversity! Their Walla Walla cab, for instance, sources from 11 vineyards. Their Columbia Valley cab, while completely different, sparked my interested with its unique hues of dark cherries, coffee, and plum.

With all three of us now equipped with full glasses of the previously mentioned cab sauv, Randy graciously offered to give us a tour of the facility. It's tough work, but we're semi-professional wine bloggers, so we had to agree.

Our first stop was outside looking over the estate while Randy explained what exactly we were looking at. The various plots of grapes were obvious, but what none of us realized is that they also grow various orchards of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even bees for honey! About 30% of this is used in-house at their restaurant, while the remainder is all donated to FOOD for Lane County. Definitely cool and always encouraging to see the great things our local wineries do for their communities.

Next up was to check out their production facility. On the way we learned about the King family themselves, who were the original founders of King Avionics. I didn't think avionics had much to do with winemaking until we saw how incredibly high tech their production facilities were. Not only were they spotless, but they're all connected to an internet-based monitoring system where the winemakers can view statistics from the comfort of their homes and change settings as needed.

From there we saw their bottling facility, the original tasting room, and this beautiful barrel room

I was running short on time at this point, so it was time for lunch! Randy handed us off to Tara, who was our server for the afternoon. As Randy put it, they essentially grow everything on-site aside from the beef (which is from 5 miles down the road) and cheese. I was immediately sold on their house-cured pastrami placed on house-made bread and house-made sauerkraut with a side of house-made chips. The verdict? The best pastrami sandwich I've ever had. Josh had the KE Burger, which also happened to be the best burger I've ever had. All in all lunch for three (minus drinks) was only $28. By far your best bet if you're anywhere near Eugene and want a phenomenal meal.

When we were done with our meals, Tara stopped by with what was described as a mispour of their pinot noir from the bar. It otherwise would have had to have been poured out, so might as well give it to us! We obliged and did our part to aid King Estate's conservation efforts.

All in all one of the best winery experiences I've had. A HUGE thanks goes out to Randy, Jill, and Tara for making our afternoon so memorable. King Estate is definitely a gem worth visiting for phenomenal wine, great people, and some of the best food I've ever had. 

2007 Signature Pinot Gris

What a beautiful day we had here in the Willamette Valley today - the sky full of sunshine and dotted with clouds. A gentle, though at times chilly, breeze rubbed its hands on the face, and temperatures were in the low-50s. No, not too bad of a day at all.

I spent part of the day cleaning and prepping for the week, and part of the day watching collegiate baseball - congratulations to the Willamette University Bearcats for their sweep of the Whitworth Pirates! Then, true to form, I was on a quest for which wine I would open this evening. I searched through my numerous bottles, despite thinking that I had a wine in mind, and finally made a decision.

In the Fall, Josh and I had made our way to King Estate for lunch. I was a bit naive to think that
the patio would still be open, based on when we went (early October I think), but to no avail. The day was a bit chilly, probably about the same as today, but when going from Summer to Fall, the same temperature can feel very different than when going from Winter to Spring. The sky was also a more consistent overcast sky than today, but I digress. We did some tasting before we sat down to eat and one of the wines that we tried as the 2007 Signature Oregon Pinot Gris. Now I don't recall what we ate, or what wine we had with lunch, but I do know that both Josh and I enjoyed this wine so much that we each left with a bottle.

I stopped by my neighborhood grocery store, on my way home from baseball, in order to pick up a baguette and brie to enjoy with my wine. After having let the Pinot Gris chill for a while, I opened it and sat down to enjoy my evening. I opened the bottle, poured a glass and was reminded what I liked about this wine. The color on it is one that is similar to a white grape - a lightened golden color. When swirled there is a nice coat with even legs around my glass.

The nose, oh the nose here is quite good, yet is a bit deceiving. I find the nose to be more like that of a late harvest wine or dessert wine - a bit on the sweeter side (I definitely welcome anyone else, including Josh, to describe it in their own way). Other ways/things I notice about the nose include a mixture of grapes with a hint of pears/citrus. The Winemaker's Notes describe the aroma of the following: "Ripe peach, sweet grapefruit, orange blossom and tropical fruit."

I describe the palate of this wine as mixed :-) There is a quick tartness that is frequently noticeable with a Pinot Gris. But this one has the citrus flavor that is not overt, and overpowering. There is no real sweetness like the nose would imply, but as the Winemaker's Notes suggest, it is "balanced". There is no one flavor that is too domineering over the others. There no heavy aftertaste or warming feeling on the throat or the palate. It was almost as if once you swallowed it, there was really nothing left to remind you of the wine, except your memories.

I find this Pinot Gris to be a clean and enjoyable wine. What a great way to end the weekend, while preparing for what will be a long and full week! Wishing the best to all of you.

Until next time...

What Could Possibly Be…Next?

We have, as of the last couple of days, had a little bit cooler temperatures and even some snow here in the Willamette Valley. For those of you who do not recall, I am a Mid-Western transplant, and so this “cold” weather and couple of inches we had are far less than what I would be used to for a Mid-Western December. That being said, I came home this afternoon, my university letting us out at 4pm so people could get home before the snow/slush re-froze to create the ice rink that would be the roads of Salem, and decided I need to open a new bottle of wine. I initially thought I would open either a sweet desert wine, Chardonnay, or Pinot Gris – all of which would need to be chilled. So it was decided that a Pinot Noir it would be!

A couple of weeks ago, I was finally able to take Josh to King Estate Winery. King Estate is located in the southern Willamette Valley about 15 miles Southwest of Eugene. The scenery at King Estate is always one that is relaxing and enjoyable. Depending the time of year though, that view could be obscured with clouds, rain, or fog. That particular Saturday was one that a little cloudy and there had been some fog. It was also late fall, so it was not like I had seen when I was there in September 2007.

The bottle that I opened this evening was their 2006 Pinot Noir, Next. At this time, I have been unable to find out about this line of wine via the internet and my memory of it from before is rather weak. This was not one of the ones Josh and I tasted, but it was one I had had before. I opened the bottle and let it sit for about an hour before I poured the first glass. I took a whiff of the nose initially when I popped the cork to find it oak and spice filled. After an hour of breathing, those scents were only further enhanced.

Upon pouring my first glass, as it came out of the bottle, it looked a lot like grape jelly, from the bottle to the glass. After I stopped pouring and looked at my glass, I could see a little more of the red hue, probably due to the cherries and pomegranate. The first couple of sips were strong, warming my throat like a nice cough syrup (I state "nice" because so many of us have a negative thought when it comes to cough syrup). You would notice the spices and oak of this wine, although based on the website, what I think are spices could be the oak char.

After a while (I ended up consuming the entire bottle), the flavor continued to be enjoyable. It was rather light, and not heavy that someone may sometimes think of for a Pinot Noir. I did not find the flavor to be overly fruity or oak-filled, but very subtle and relaxing. It was the perfect way to end a nice day filled with snow/ice and "cold."

Until next time...

Block 15 King’s Gold -- Beer and Wine Fusion

Today I spent some time with Nick Arzner, founder and assistant brewer at Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery in Corvallis tasting an upcoming release – King’s Gold. This brew is an interesting fusion of the Oregon microbrew and wine industries.

King’s Gold starts its life as Golden Glo, the pub’s crisp and refreshing Golden--light in body and brewed with all organic grains. For this batch, instead of kegging it off the beer was sent to a used King Estate Pinot Noir oak barrel for aging. The name of the beer, of course, is a play on the winery and base of the beer. The idea for this brew was borne in a conversation between Arzner and brewer Steve van Rossem, who has some contacts at King Estate and knew he could easily get an old barrel. Arzner said that many breweries age beer in old bourbon barrels, but not many use wine barrels so this was a perfect endeavor for a small brewery like Block 15, where they have the ability to experiment with different and unique beers. After aging in the wine barrel for about 6 weeks, this beer is about ready to go out with a 5% ABV and 20 IBUs.

Nick thieved a glass out of the barrel for me pre-release, and immediately I noticed an aroma similar to the Golden Glo but with the added hint of oak and a fruitiness reminiscent of Pinot Noir. In terms of color, this beer is a bit darker having taken on an oaky look. I found the beer to be easy drinking with a subtle oak and pinot flavor, with the fruit coming out on the finish. Arzner described this as a connoisseurs beer in that it takes a subtle palate to pick up and appreciate the changes from their golden. I’m not sure that someone who didn’t know how this beer was made could tell it was a pinot flavor, although once you know "there it is". The more the beer breathed the stronger the oak and pinot odor came out, and with more carbonation I think it will have a very nice aroma.

Basically, this beer is a sexier version of the Golden Glo with a wine twist. It’s a bit sweeter, so may pick up a niche following as a result. Arzner is quite pleased with the outcome. He didn’t quite know what to expect but was concerned that the oak would overpower – which didn’t happen. There are only 4 kegs of King’s Gold that will be released in the next week or two, so I expect it to go quickly. Folks will probably select this beer for the shear novelty of aging in a wine barrel, but will continue drinking it due to the enjoyable flavor and drinkable quality. I certainly enjoyed my taste.