With such great progress happening in the Portland
urban winemaking scene, and the usual spotlight on the Willamette Valley, it’s
all too easy to forget about the many wineries and producers in the Gorge. A
short hour east of Portland proper we can find a similar, slightly nuanced wine
country with just as much exploring to be done!
Phelps Creek Vineyards runs their tasting room on
the Hood River Golf Course, with the vineyards not too far away in Hood River,
Oregon. Owner Bob Morus relocated his family to the Gorge in the late 80s and
planted the first Phelps Creek vines in 1990. For years, PCV supplied grapes to
Willamette Valley wineries until 2002 when they began bottling wines with the
Phelps Creek label. They currently produce wines using their estate-grown
grapes, which truly utilize and exude the Columbia Gorge terroir they were
harvested from.
In 2007, Bob was introduced by a mutual friend to
Alexandrine Roy, a fourth generation winemaker from Burgundy, France of the
Domaine Marc Roy. Alexandrine was touring the Gorge AVA with a group of French
winemakers prior to attending the International Pinot Noir Celebration that
year, when Bob asked Alexandrine if she would join the Phelps Creek staff to
make a Cuvee of their Pinot Noir, which she has been doing since. With their
2012 vintage, Alexandrine becomes the Director of Winemaking for Phelps Creek
and will oversee all aspects of their production. She visits 4 to 6 times per
year to check in on the progress of the grapes, and finishes bottling wines in
France just in time to come out to Oregon for harvest at PCV.
Phelps Creek recently hosted a wine dinner for
their Wine Club members during one of Alexandrine’s regular visits. Alexandrine
and Bob anecdotally introduced each wine alongside food pairings at Nora’s Table, a quaint location in downtown Hood River. Chef Kathy Watson spent time
with each of the PCV wines to develop the six-course menu, each course more
inventive and delicious than the last. While incredibly difficult to narrow it
down, my favorite wines and pairings of the evening have me hooked and excited
about the future of PCV wines…
Coeur de
Roy Blanc de Noir – this crisp white Pinot Noir was a new, and might I add
successful, experience for Alexandrine. Paired with prawn fumet, grilled prawns,
saffron spaetzle, romesco crouton “dunker.”
2010 Cuvee
Alexandrine Gevrey-Chambertin Pinot Noir – wonderfully bright on the palate
for pinot noir, this wine was made from use of grapes with thicker skin, and
vines with deeper roots, truly isolating unique features of the Gorge terroir.
At the time of the dinner only 18 bottles were left of this vintage! Paired with provencal lamb shank, olives,
parsley, preserved lemon, roasted Saur Farm Red Norland potatoes.
Vin Dore
Gewurztraminer – this wine, a perfect complement to a sugary dessert, was
made especially sweet by cranking the heat on the grapes and nearly turning
them to raisins for concentrated sweetness before pressing for the juice. Paired with panna cotta, pistachio meringue,
candied kumquat, pineapple and sage.
I was able to snag Alexandrine during her visit
and get some of thoughts on her experience thus far making wines in Oregon…
How is the Gorge
different from Willamette Valley?
Alexandrine decidedly notes a different kind of “perfect” acidity in
the Gorge, which has higher altitudes and longer maturation periods than the
Willamette Valley experiences. The climate in the Gorge, specifically the wind
off of the Columbia River, cools and controls the sugar levels in the grapes
grown there.
What new
things are you getting to do making wines in Oregon?
With
winemaking so heavily regulated in France, experimentation is hardly available
to winemakers. Alexandrine was excited to try her hand at the Blanc de Pinot, and
generally about the prospect of purposeful experimentation. With the Blanc de
Pinot she was able to choose the grapes and use them to make this specific wine
– the wine was not an afterthought of another bottle.
How would
you compare the wines you are making here in Oregon to wines you make in France?
“I don’t compare, they are completely
different!” says Alexandrine. She finds she cannot make this comparison with such
different controls in place. She notes what truly stands out in the Oregon
wines she’s making is the strong expression of terroir, and significant flavors
that take new and exciting turns than as expected.
Alexandrine finds the wine world in the Pacific
Northwest welcoming and very community-oriented, and is excited to continue her
work with Phelps Creek as their Head Winemaker. Bob Morus expects Alexandrine
will continue to drive their emphasis on spontaneous fermentation during the
winemaking processes, making serious use of the flavors and acidity the
elements of the Gorge provide the grapes.
Phelps Creek Vineyards currently offers tours on-property in addition to their tasting room and Wine Club activities. Visit them here.
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