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Wine Recommendation
Willakenzie Estate Winery
2005 Pinot Blanc(Willamette Valley)
Like most Oregon wineries, Willakenzie Estate is family owned. Burgundy native, Bernard Lacroute, and his American-born wife, Ronni, purchased 420 acres in Yamhill, Oregon in 1991 and began planting vineyards in 1992. They now have over 100 acres of sustainably-farmed vineyards. They believe that caring for the soil will allow terroir to shine in their wines.
The Pinot Blanc vines that produced this wine are Alsatian clones grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootsock. Winemaker Thibaud Mandet uses traditional Alsatian yeasts for controlled-temperature fermentation of whole clusters in stainless steel tanks in order to emphasize the ripe fruit. Willakenzie started bottling red and white wines with screw caps in 2001, so this is a cork free wine.
Pinot Blanc can be bland, but not this baby. The nose boasts aromas of peach, apricot and pear with a whisper of honeysuckle. In the mouth the ripe peachy, pear flavors are round and delectable, although they might become a bit cumbersome but for the zesty acidity that keeps those tastebuds hopping.
Reviewed July 27, 2006 by Rebecca Murphy.
Other reviewed wines from Willakenzie Estate Winery
The Wine
Winery: Willakenzie Estate Winery |
The Reviewer
Rebecca Murphy
Rebecca Murphy began professionally assessing wine thirty years ago as a buyer for restaurants. She has been judging and writing about wine for twenty-five years. She believes that wine should provide pleasure whether it costs $10 or $100. She looks for structure, balance, complexity and food friendliness, and is leery of wines that are bloated with alcohol and oak. She is always on the lookout for wines with individuality and a “taste of the place.” |