Elk Cove Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2013: Darker burgundy color for a pinot; dark cherry, strawberry, raspberry, roses on lovely nose;
fruit-forward flavors echo the nose with some plum and cinnamon; nice backbone of acidity, silky tannin, tart cherry finish. Delicious multi-vineyard wine with wide distribution and well priced for a Willamette pinot. Pat and Joe Campbell founded Elk Cove Vineyards in 1974, making it one of Oregon’s oldest wine shrines. There may have been as few as 200 acres of grapes planted in all of Oregon at that time; today there are more than 400 wineries in the Willamette Valley alone. Roosevelt elk migrate each spring in the valley, thus the name on the label. Joe made wine for the first twenty years, then worked with son, Adam, until Adam took over in 1997. The Willamette Valley is 150 miles long; it is surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges—the Oregon Coast Range to the west, the Cascades to the east, and the Calapooya Mountains to the south. Seven out of 10 people in Oregon live in the valley; cities include Portland, the largest, and Salem, the state capital. It was the destination for settlers on the Oregon Trail, who proclaimed it a land of milk and honey. Today, you would throw delicious pinot noir into the mix, along with pinot gris and pinot blanc, the pinot trilogy that is a focus at Elk Cove. Pair with salmon, Thanksgiving turkey, or just to enjoy. This effort is the first tier pour; Elk Cove single-vineyard efforts soar to loftier heights (and prices). $29 