Wanted to get this on your radar…Duck Pond Cellars is hosting their 25th Anniversary Dinner this Saturday July 14th. This is a line up of special bottles and pairings not to be missed. Read on for my discovery of the Pinot Gris mastery at Duck Pond Cellars and more details on this special event.
I am becoming increasingly appreciative of Duck Pond Cellars. You will see me talk about their rose later this week on KGW. And we visited the tasting room in Dundee last weekend to discover they are masters at Pinot Gris. Seriously. I don’t get super excited about Pinot Gris. Most around Oregon are pretty good. Few blow my socks off.
They had a couple of extra bottles open the day we went so granted we tasted 4 Pinot Gris while the norm is 2 on the tasting flight. But they were all sensory delights. Complex, layered, textured, and hovering at the $20 price range.
These 2 were on the flight…
2016 Duck Pond Fries Family Cellars Pinot Gris St. Jory Vineyard
A sweet tart combination of lemon curd and lemon poundcake on the nose with fresh floral notes, a little grassiness, and roasted nuts. The palate is rich but crisp with an undertone of baked yellow apple and pear, and spicy fresh ginger notes.
2016 Duck Pond Fries Family Cellars Pinot Gris South Salem Hills Cuvee
Lemongrass, kaffir lime, caramelized walnuts, apricot brulée, and tangy yeasty notes carry through to the palate which is round and inviting with mineral flavors.
And don’t even get me started on the special edition 25th Anniversary Pinot Gris which you will get to enjoy if you attend this dinner.
2017 Duck Pond Fries Family Cellars Pinot Gris 25th Anniversary
Fruit forward on the nose with pear, white peach, cantaloupe, and white floral notes. The palate is mineral driven with a slippery mouth coating texture. It remains crisp though with zesty honeydew flavored acidity and salted melon on the finish. I can’t tell you how much I loved this wine.
Here are the details on the dinner and you can follow this link to learn more. www.duckpondcellars.com/
I don’t normally go for Pinot Gris, but now I’m really curious to try Duck Pond’s after hearing that it knocked your socks off! Their anniversary dinner sounds like it’s going to be an amazing celebration.
It is worth a trip. I was pleasantly surprised. The bottles sampled in the tasting room are not distributed so you have to go there.
That first one from St Jory Vineyard sounds amazing and Pinot Gris would be so refreshing in the heat wave weather we are about to get!
Yes I am talking about Pinot Gris as a great wine for summer soon on KGW.
I love that this event greets you with bubbles! I had no idea that Duck Pond had some stashed away! All the dishes sound absolutely delicious as well!
They didn’t either. They found those 1996 bottles in some boxes in one of their buildings and disgorged them. They are pretty special.
Ooh I haven’t been to Duck Pond in SO long (maybe 8-9 years??) but we used to go frequently. This event sounds lovely!
Sounds like it is time to visit again!
All of those dishes sound incredible! And now I am craving a crisp glass of Pino Gris 🙂 Excited to try them!