Light Red or Rosé? Why worry ! Vincent Pinot Gris Willamette Valley

2023 Vincent Pinot Gris Willamette Valley Oregon 

This is not your typical Willamette Valley Pinot Gris. This a reddish-hued, extended skin contact beauty with mesmerizing red apple peel, toasted filbert and chalk dust aromas. Silky tannins provide a frame for flavors like wild strawberries, black pepper and mint. Close your eyes and it could be gamay noir. Think Dark Rosé  or Light Red Wine more than Orange Wine or Ramato or whatever else you do to try to pigeonhole a unique wine such as this is. 

Mostly from the Dion vineyard is in the Laurelwood District AVA of the Chehalem Mountains, with silty loess soils. It’s owned by Kevin Johnson and Beth Klingner. Vincent works with own-rooted vines planted in 1988 to the old 108 clone of Chardonnay for his Chardonnay Tardive bottling, as well as Pinot Gris planted in the same time period for this red Pinot Gris bottling.