Isenhower Cellars
Yakima Valley Vin Gris Pinot Gris
Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Oregon/Washington, USA
Last bottle of the 2020 vintage, 130 cases made. Orange with a hint of pink, excellent clarity. Floral and stone fruit aromas, subtle. Lactic, citrus and subdued orchard fruit flavor. Some skin astringency on finish but less than you would expect after a 72 cold soak before fermentation in used wood. An orange wine with finesse, or at least a light touch. Refreshing
Last bottle of the 2020 vintage, 130 cases made. Orange with a hint of pink, excellent clarity. Floral and stone fruit aromas, subtle. Lactic, citrus and subdued orchard fruit flavor. Some skin astringency on finish but less than you would expect after a 72 cold soak before fermentation in used wood. An orange wine with finesse, or at least a light touch. Refreshing
Jan 18th, 2023Paired with blueberry, heirloom tomato, kale and blueberry goat cheese. It’s summer peak dining. Pinkish orange, excellent clarity. Slight floral nose, mineral and lactic finish. Light fruitiness flavor wise with soft skin astringency with length. Solid if subtle take on an orange wine. Tudor Vineyard, 188 cases made
Paired with blueberry, heirloom tomato, kale and blueberry goat cheese. It’s summer peak dining. Pinkish orange, excellent clarity. Slight floral nose, mineral and lactic finish. Light fruitiness flavor wise with soft skin astringency with length. Solid if subtle take on an orange wine. Tudor Vineyard, 188 cases made
Aug 22nd, 2022Tudor Vineyards. Last bottle of this vintage, two months since my last tasting. Dusky, burnt orange hue, sparkling clarity. Quite autumnal looking in its packaging. Orchard fruit aromas, citrus and orchard fruit flavors with a solid skin tannin layer to it. Pears, apples and tasty. This one has held up well to storage. Shame it’s the last one I’ve saved, a winner of an orange wine. Very well crafted.
Tudor Vineyards. Last bottle of this vintage, two months since my last tasting. Dusky, burnt orange hue, sparkling clarity. Quite autumnal looking in its packaging. Orchard fruit aromas, citrus and orchard fruit flavors with a solid skin tannin layer to it. Pears, apples and tasty. This one has held up well to storage. Shame it’s the last one I’ve saved, a winner of an orange wine. Very well crafted.
Jan 28th, 2022Revisiting vintage, label says “enjoy through 2020” so I’m past that here. Still drinkable if past peak “fresh fruit” flavor. Good acid with orchard fruit, honey and skin tannins on finish. I think there’s something to this orange wine trend…
Revisiting vintage, label says “enjoy through 2020” so I’m past that here. Still drinkable if past peak “fresh fruit” flavor. Good acid with orchard fruit, honey and skin tannins on finish. I think there’s something to this orange wine trend…
Dec 30th, 2021Picked up some more bottles of this vintage - joy
Picked up some more bottles of this vintage - joy
Oct 10th, 2020Tudor Vineyard, new vintage, 266 cases made. Light salmon pink color, excellent clarity. Strawberry and stone fruit aromas. Peachy flavors with hints of strawberry, skin astringency with length on finish, reminding me of peach fuzz with nectarine flavors. Really nice. Paired with baked salmon, cayenne new potatoes and stir fry cabbage. For the PNW, almost perfect
Tudor Vineyard, new vintage, 266 cases made. Light salmon pink color, excellent clarity. Strawberry and stone fruit aromas. Peachy flavors with hints of strawberry, skin astringency with length on finish, reminding me of peach fuzz with nectarine flavors. Really nice. Paired with baked salmon, cayenne new potatoes and stir fry cabbage. For the PNW, almost perfect
Jul 15th, 2020Salmon pink with orange iridescence; make of that what you like. Excellent clarity. This is Isenhower’s sole “orange wine”, so I’m assessing this in that context. Fruity, stone fruit and floral notes in nose. Maybe peach and honey notes in flavor, but there’s some undefinable note there with depth. (Mint? Herb? Or only peach?) Tart, slightly bitter peach peel flavor, moderate skin astringency. Almost dry but fruity. Good acidity and roundedness of mouthfeel alongside that assertive yet narrow (by tannin weight) range of skin astringency. I have mixed feelings about this wine but admire the craft behind its construction. This wine is pushing what a Pinot Gris can be in this style. I’d compare it with past vintages of Cameron’s orange wines (out of Oregon). I’m still learning about orange wines and developing my own sense of what a “superior” orange wine might taste like. This one helps me think about how I should think about that question, and where the “boundaries” ought to be...
Salmon pink with orange iridescence; make of that what you like. Excellent clarity. This is Isenhower’s sole “orange wine”, so I’m assessing this in that context. Fruity, stone fruit and floral notes in nose. Maybe peach and honey notes in flavor, but there’s some undefinable note there with depth. (Mint? Herb? Or only peach?) Tart, slightly bitter peach peel flavor, moderate skin astringency. Almost dry but fruity. Good acidity and roundedness of mouthfeel alongside that assertive yet narrow (by tannin weight) range of skin astringency. I have mixed feelings about this wine but admire the craft behind its construction. This wine is pushing what a Pinot Gris can be in this style. I’d compare it with past vintages of Cameron’s orange wines (out of Oregon). I’m still learning about orange wines and developing my own sense of what a “superior” orange wine might taste like. This one helps me think about how I should think about that question, and where the “boundaries” ought to be...
Sep 19th, 2019