Former Champion, Pinot Gris (WV PART 4)

Stoller was the final stop on our trip. They were one of the wineries that were kind enough to put us up for the night in one of their guest houses, which made us feel like royalty. It was an incredible way to end an incredible trip.

Chehalem is a sister winery of Stoller that focuses on single vineyard pinots. We rolled up to the incredible Stoller property, honestly, pretty exhausted from a long week. The sun was soon to set as we sat out back on the patio. The view of the property from our table was quite expansive, as you can see in the pics below, and the setting sun lit it beautifully. We drank some wonderful pinot gris over the course of the week, notably at King Estate where we came to find out the grape’s aging potential, and here at Stoller where the Chehalem PG sings of flowering fruit trees.

Pinot gris is the third, and final, variety I must mention. There is actually more pinot gris planted in the Willamette Valley than there is chardonnay but that is soon to change as more and more people are tearing up gris to plant chard. Pinot gris is the same thing as pinot grigio, to be clear. Some will argue its difference but most of those are differences in production style and terroir. It is the same exact grape genetically.

This PG was sourced from the wineries namesake, the Chehalem Mountains, a small range and AVA that is in the middle of the valley. This small range would have been one of the only islands in Lake Allison after those Missoula floods, making its peak perfect for grape growing.

Chehalem Pinot Gris is fermented in stainless steel. It smells and tastes of white flowers and candied peaches and apricots and lemon. It is crisp and delicious. It’s a great example of pinot gris from Oregon. Drink now. Drink cold.

Stoller was the perfect finish to a perfect trip. The wines were amazing and our accommodations ideal. We sat outside late into the night looking at the stars and drinking wine. The girls saw a handful of shooting stars, but as my luck would have it, I did not. That is, until we were headed inside. Right out of the corner of my eye one streaked across the sky. It was as if the valley was tipping its hat to me in farewell.