by Patrick Ogle
Torii Mor pinot blanc 2015 is crisp and vegetal on the nose. I took in a lot of green. I imagined, and i am sure this was just my active imagination, I could smell the acidity. Maybe I could just tell from the smell this was a bright, lively wine.
The first thing I thought about the taste was something melon-like. Maybe a honeydew. But this gives way something tart and the acidity takes over almost immediately. The finish had unmistakable lemoniness to it. The wine changed a bit with air and as it warmed up. I also got pear. The more I thought and drank the more pear I noticed. I wondered if there was any skin contact because I thought I sensed some tannin toward the finish (this was all on glass #1). This is a great food wine. The acidity, as I often say, jumps up and smacks you. It has a lot going on.
I have sometimes see pinot blanc described as a "round" wine, or one lacking in acidity. I do not recall experiencing anything I'd call round with a pinot blanc. Those I've had from Alsace have had decent acidity and this one from Oregon has quite prominent acidity. So I take from this that the grape is more versatile than it is given credit for by some. I've also heard pinot blanc called "boring" but this is anything but that. As always you can just drink and enjoy but if you choose to examine the wine? There is a great deal there to notice.
Torii Mor Winery had a blazing acidity riesling I really liked but I bought this because I wanted to talk about pinot blanc and the pinot family in general. The pinot family is unstable; they are like a genetically linked Manson family (but way better dinner guests). There are lots of pinot mutations out there and there is even a great deal of variation within the various branches of the family. This may explain why some folks have poo pooed pinot blanc to me; there is a lot of variation.
According to University of California/Davis there are two pinot blanc clones from Colmar that are generally used in Oregon.
When driving around in Willamette Valley you may occasionally see a sign that draws you away from your planned destinations. For me, one of these was Torii Morr in Dundee. I saw the sign, thought "Oh I know them" and followed to their small, but elegant tasting room. It also has a magnificent view on a nice day. When you visit? Check out Torii Mor. Their pinot noirs are wonderful too but hardly surprising for Oregon which is pinot noir heaven.
Torii Mor pinot blanc 2015 is crisp and vegetal on the nose. I took in a lot of green. I imagined, and i am sure this was just my active imagination, I could smell the acidity. Maybe I could just tell from the smell this was a bright, lively wine.
The first thing I thought about the taste was something melon-like. Maybe a honeydew. But this gives way something tart and the acidity takes over almost immediately. The finish had unmistakable lemoniness to it. The wine changed a bit with air and as it warmed up. I also got pear. The more I thought and drank the more pear I noticed. I wondered if there was any skin contact because I thought I sensed some tannin toward the finish (this was all on glass #1). This is a great food wine. The acidity, as I often say, jumps up and smacks you. It has a lot going on.
I have sometimes see pinot blanc described as a "round" wine, or one lacking in acidity. I do not recall experiencing anything I'd call round with a pinot blanc. Those I've had from Alsace have had decent acidity and this one from Oregon has quite prominent acidity. So I take from this that the grape is more versatile than it is given credit for by some. I've also heard pinot blanc called "boring" but this is anything but that. As always you can just drink and enjoy but if you choose to examine the wine? There is a great deal there to notice.
Torii Mor Winery had a blazing acidity riesling I really liked but I bought this because I wanted to talk about pinot blanc and the pinot family in general. The pinot family is unstable; they are like a genetically linked Manson family (but way better dinner guests). There are lots of pinot mutations out there and there is even a great deal of variation within the various branches of the family. This may explain why some folks have poo pooed pinot blanc to me; there is a lot of variation.
According to University of California/Davis there are two pinot blanc clones from Colmar that are generally used in Oregon.
When driving around in Willamette Valley you may occasionally see a sign that draws you away from your planned destinations. For me, one of these was Torii Morr in Dundee. I saw the sign, thought "Oh I know them" and followed to their small, but elegant tasting room. It also has a magnificent view on a nice day. When you visit? Check out Torii Mor. Their pinot noirs are wonderful too but hardly surprising for Oregon which is pinot noir heaven.
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