It has now been about a year since I have written about the outstanding sparkling wines of Elentone. This is a limited production winery out of Woodinville, Washington, and the brainchild of winemaker Chris Sherry. Sherry hails from Brighton in southern England, which is somewhat of a stone’s throw from England’s premier sparkling wine country. Sherry is an avid Brighton football supporter and shares the same passion for sparkling wines. He has formerly trained under Morgan Lee at Two Vintners.
Each wine is crafted in the traditional Champagne method and are given a limited or zero dosage. He is making wines from one of the outstanding sites in the Columbia Gorge, the Rainmaker Vineyard that Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen of W.T. Vintners has made famous. Sherry’s wines are salty with a soft mousse and very approachable. He does a good job with creating refinement on the attack — whereas some producers are creating bubble bombs.
Check out the outstanding 2020 Elentone ‘Brut’ Sparkling Wine (OB, 93) which saw extended tirage and has really good flavor range. Learn more about these beautiful wines at elentone.com and here are the outstanding new wines by Elentone.
2020 Elentone ‘Brut’ Sparkling Wine- The really good 2020 ‘Brut’ combines mainly Chardonnay (83%) with the remainder Pinot Noir. Aged en tirage for 36 months this delivers green apple and salted orange peel notes on the palate, with lemon zest and wet stone character on the palate. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2021 Elentone ‘Noa’ Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine- Nearly all Chardonnay with a small amount of Pinot Blanc, this was stored on the lees for three years and given 4G/L dosage. This offers bright citrus florals on the nose with shades of pie crust and white peach notes. The palate is reined and elegant with great length and loads of mouth-watering acidity. Totally captivating and complex, enjoy now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2022 Elentone ‘Juno’ Rose Sparkling WIne- The 2022 ‘Juno’ combines 60% Pinot Noir with the remainder Pinot Meunier that was stored on the lees for 20 months before bottling. A light salmon hue, this delivers bright melon and citrus fruits on the nose with red raspberry notes. The refined mousse entices as loads of freshness and salty minerals enter the mid-palate. Juicy and delicious, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2020 Elentone ‘SHadowplay’ Sparkling WIne- The 2020 ‘Shadowplay’ is all Pinot Noir sourced from the Rainmaker Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge AVA. This comes off big and burly, loaded with bright red fruits alongside orange zest, white pepper and hints of green papaya on the palate. Zero dosage, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2018 Elentone ‘Cloudbursting’ Sparkling Wine- The 2018 ‘Cloudbursting’ spent five years on the lees before disgorgement in May 2025. The nose comes off wonderfully nutty with ripe honeydew melon, juicy nectarine and shades of chamomile tea. The palate is round with great volume and texture that melds well with the outstanding flavor range. Drink 2025-2033- 94