2023 Duck Pond Cellars Pinot Gris - "Willamette Valley Legacy Wines"

12.5

This Pinot Gris displays a pale straw color with crystal clear brightness in the glass. Aromas of key lime, pear, kiwi, and honeysuckle mingle with hints of fresh-baked brioche and lemon meringue. The flavors mirror the aromas with dry and persistent finish that lingers on fruity florals and minerals. Enjoy well-chilled.

A carefully selected blend from quality sites offers aromatic complexity and finesse. This wine is crafted from thoughtfully chosen vineyards that highlight the diverse characteristics of the Willamette Valley, we blend individually fermented lots to craft a wine of beauty and grace.

Individual lots of Pinot Gris grapes were pressed and fermented separately at low temperatures to ensure freshness and aromatic intensity. Fermentation was halted to retain floral notes and fresh fruit character. Brief lees contact contributed richness and texture, helping build complexity and balance.

The 2023 vintage began with a cool, wet early spring, which delayed bud break until the end of April. After bud break, the weather quickly warmed, and the combination of favorable weather and good soil moisture supported rapid canopy growth in May and June. Despite one of the latest bud breaks on record, bloom took place almost a week ahead of average timing in early to mid June, with vines at full trellis height. The weather during bloom was fair, leading to strong and even fruit set. Warm and temperate weather continued in June and July, and a brief heat spell in mid-August quickly gave way to more dry, moderate weather again until harvest began in mid-September. Brief rain showers towards the end of harvest extended the growing season for our later sites, and the maturity and integrity of the fruit across the board was excellent. The result was a vintage with fantastic balance and ethereal yet vivid flavors, embodying the tensions of a classic Willamette Valley growing season in which the weather seemed to deliver exactly what we needed just in time at every corner. The wines are at once serious and age-worthy and also precocious and easy to love in their youth–this vintage, which kept us guessing about what it might become all spring, is destined to be a classic.