Click the link to read about this month’s club!

Phelps Creek Vineyards Le Petit Pinot Noir:

(Carefully curated notes below are taken from the Producer’s website)

Varietal Composition Pinot Noir

Location Columbia Gorge AVA, Oregon

Drink Now or Cellar? Enjoy now or cellar through 2026

A Few More Details from the Producer: 

Inspired by the winemaking style of the French Beaujolais, but utilizing those traditional techniques with the elegant and noble Pinot Noir grape; this 100% Estate grown Pinot Noir invokes a crunchy texture full of fresh young fruit.

This uniquely youthful wine, made of 100% Estate grown fruit, is produced through whole-cluster, carbonic maceration. A method which incorporates dry ice into a full cluster fermentation, allowing individual grapes to ferment within the berry. The resulting wine expresses a fresh, crunchy texture with low tannins

Tasting Notes

Scents of strawberry and spice lace the nose. This distinctive Pinot Noir with its bright acidity and low level tannin soon becomes the favorite red wine of the summer. This extremely youthful wine pairs with nothing better than sunshine! With a light chilling it beautifully bonds alongside a piece of grilled Salmon accompanied by seasoned spring asparagus.

Food Pairing

• Light Proteins
  • Roast chicken (especially with herbs like thyme or tarragon)
  • Turkey breast or turkey burgers
  • Pork tenderloin with cranberry or cherry glaze
  • Seared duck breast with a light fruit sauce (not too sweet)
• Fish & Seafood (Pinot in this lighter style works beautifully with richer fish)
  • Salmon (roasted, cedar-planked, or grilled lightly)
  • Seared tuna (especially with sesame or soy-ginger accents)
  • Trout with herbs or brown butter
• Pasta & Vegetarian
  • Mushroom risotto or creamy polenta with mushrooms
  • Pasta with tomato-basil or simple marinara
  • Gnocchi with sage brown butter
  • Roasted beet salad with goat cheese
  • Lentil dishes with herbs and root vegetables
• Casual Pairings
  • Because this wine is playful and fruit-forward, it also works great with:
  • Margherita pizza
  • Prosciutto + arugula pizza
  • Charcuterie with mild salumi (soppressata, finocchiona, coppa)
  • Burgers (turkey or beef) with caramelized onions

From them to you:

The most westerly vineyard on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge AVA, Phelps Creek is nestled amongst the foothills of Mt Defiance at 1200 feet elevation. Established in 1990, our small boutique winery focuses on estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals, annually producing 5,000 cases of wine in total. Vineyard care takes center stage in our wine production, where sustainable agricultural practices combined with careful management of the fruit yields on the vines lead to the noted luxurious intensity within our bottle. Phelps Creek Vineyards is now LIVE Certified, Salmon Safe and Bee Friendly, choosing and implementing sustainable practices in our farming techniques

KNUDSEN VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY:

(Carefully curated notes below are taken from the Producer’s website)

Varietal Composition Chardonnay

Location Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

Drink Now or Cellar? Enjoy now or cellar through 2030

A Few More Details from the Producer: 

This Oregon Chardonnay beautifully showcases the character of its vintage, offering a harmonious blend of fruit, floral, and subtle earthy notes. Perfectly balanced and refreshingly complex, it is a true testament to the exceptional terroir and craftsmanship behind its creation.

Tasting Notes

Brilliant straw yellow with a slight golden hue, the nose is an aromatic medley of pineapple and peach, accented by delicate floral blossoms. Subtle undertones of vanilla and lemon cream add a rich and inviting complexity. On the palate, this Chardonnay is a vibrant expression of the vintage, crafted from a blend of multiple vineyard blocks to capture the full flavor profile. Pineapple and peach flavors take center stage, complemented by creamy lemon notes and a touch of vanilla. Balanced acidity enhances the wine’s freshness, creating a lively and invigorating experience. The finish is long and elegant, with lingering hints of hay and a whisper of lemongrass that add an intriguing dimension to the wine’s profile.

Food Pairing

• Seafood Pairings (Best Fit)
  • These match the wine’s acidity and minerality beautifully:
  • Seared scallops with lemon-butter
  • Dungeness crab or crab cakes
  • Halibut with herb butter or citrus beurre blanc
  • Roasted or poached salmon
  • Butter-poached shrimp
  • Lobster roll (butter or light mayo version)
• Poultry & Light Meats
  • The wine’s oak and texture allow it to play well with richer white meats:
  • Roast chicken (classic pairing)
  • Chicken piccata
  • Turkey with herb butter
  • Pork tenderloin with apple or pear components
  • Roast pork loin with mustard-cream sauce
• Vegetarian & Pasta
  • Great for highlighting the wine’s balance of creaminess + acidity:
  • Mushroom risotto
  • Pasta primavera
  • Butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter
  • Fettuccine Alfredo (counts on the acidity to cut richness)
  • Cauliflower gratin
  • Truffle mac and cheese

From them to you:

Knudsen Vineyards is an iconic vineyard in the heart of the acclaimed Dundee Hills AVA overlooking the fertile Willamette Valley, majestic Mt. Hood and the North Cascade mountain range. Our family has grown grapes and made wine here for 50 years.

The vineyard was established in 1971 by our parents, Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen, true pioneers of Oregon’s wine industry.Mom and Dad loved this place and derived great pleasure from sharing our grapes and wine with friends and family. As second generation stewards of Knudsen Vineyards, we embrace our family’s legacy and honor our parents by making great wine reflecting the unique attributes of our land.

Our goal is to produce exceptional quality, distinctive Pinot noir and Chardonnay wines. The formula is straight-forward. We care for our land and vines by practicing sustainable viticulture. We cultivate to optimize fruit quality through diversity in vine age, clonal breadth, exposure and elevation. Our grapes possess a richness of flavor and complexity unique to our vines, Jory soil and location. Our winemaking is designed to capture this singularity and present elegant wines expressive of this terroir.

Please join us on our grape growing and winemaking journey and enjoy our wines for their pure expression of our land, fruit and family.