First impressions are often deceiving, even misleading. Virtually anyone living in the United States has access to Elk Cove Vineyards' Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It's an accessible wine with a nice, bright cherry nose and equally nice cherry flavor profile. It's the introduction to Oregon Pinot Noir for many people, and its price puts it on glass pour lists all across the country.
To those fortunate to have greater access to Oregon Pinot Noir, this high-production wine (14,000 cases) is frequently upstaged by its boutique winery competitors: It's good, but just OK to the initiated. (Frankly, I've never been moved and turned them down when solicited for my own wine lists.) But making the assumption that this is all Elk Cove has to offer would be a mistake, and a trip to the winery clears that up pretty quickly.
Rounding the corner and getting first view of the grounds is spectacular. The tasting room is spacious and set up for high volume because, well, this is a major tourist attraction. But the vastness of the place takes a while to settle in. Take a minute in the parking lot, then another on the patio and take in the surroundings, almost all of which is Elk Cove property. Then step in, and these guys will pour some good wine that isn't on just any grocery store shelf.
Our flight began with the 2011 Estate Riesling, which showed honeysuckle and pears in the nose. On the palate, Granny Smith apples and ripe pears; high acidity makes this one a great food wine. This was followed by another excellent fooder, Elk Cove's 2012 Pinot Blanc. The nose was full of lemongrass, bright pears and apples. The acid was on the high side but it was still a fairly balanced wine, ready for summer salads.
And then we were presented the reason why we go to the big wineries: the wine that sells out at the tasting room and doesn't get into stores. 2010 was a low production year to begin with, but at Windhill Vineyard it was lower still. The vines were planted in 1974 so at this point, the yield is minuscule. 2010 production was 200 cases. There was an intriguing nose of dusty cherry and raspberry that was just shy of palpable. It was showing well that day, offering a silky, round cherry flavor with dried spice flavors, sage and savory. After that, a dried fruit finish. This wine was polished, elegant, refined, worth the trip, worth the tasting room fee and worth the sticker price.
Last in line was a 2011, already historical for the latest vintage on record and now anticipated for the richest wine yet. Will it deliver? Early releases say yes, and Elk Cove's Clay Court is a strong representative of the vintage. On the nose there was dry fruit and potpourri. The palate showed bright, young fruit but it's beautifully immature right now. With less than 400 cases produced, this is a buy and hold that will be gone soon. This wine wasn't showing well on the day it was tasted, but the quality is there and it should rock with more cellar time.
Better than expected is an accurate assessment of Elk Cove. Their bread and butter wine draws customers from all over the world. But don't think those big wineries have sold out just because the bread and butter product doesn't flip your burger. They need to pay their way and allow their passion to flourish. Elk Cove's tasting room delivered a much broader perspective of their work.
