I’ll never forget that afternoon in Hawaii enjoying Elk Cove Pinot Gris. It was quite frankly a perfect wine for the occasion. A fantastic Oregon wine brand, Elk Cove is truly a family affair. Growing up the five Campbell children helped work in the vineyards at Elk Cove. Adam Campbell took a special interest and stayed close to home for college, attending Lewis & Clark and spending summers on the bottling line. Upon graduation he joined the business year-round to learn the craft of winemaking from his parents. Adam is now responsible for making Elk Cove’s wines. He now oversees six vineyard sites with 380 planted acres. I loved the new wines across the board. The 2023 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc (OB, 91) is fresh and vibrant with a great texture. I adored the 2022 Elk Cove ‘La Boheme’ Pinot Noir (OB, 96) which is the finest edition of this wine that I have ever tasted. It will be an exceedingly long-ager. Learn more about these outstanding wines at elkcove.com and here are my reviews of the new wines by Elk Cove.
2023 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc- The 2023 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc was sourced from old vines that are up to nearly 30 years of age. Kiwi, starfruit and green papaya flavors mingle well with a smooth texture and racy acidity on the palate. Drink 2025-2030- 91
2022 Elk Cove ‘Roosevelt’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 Elk Cove ‘Roosevelt’ Pinot Noir delivers plenty of salty minerals alongside juicy guava, red currant and wild strawberry fruit flavors, with orange zest and shades of bergamot on the palate. Fresh and neatly-textured, with bright underlying acidity, enjoy now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2025-2037- 93
2022 Elk Cove ‘Reserve’ Pinot Noir- The briliant 2022 Elk Cove ‘Reserve’ Pinot Noir is a dazzling new release that is both polished, seamless and full of underlying verve. On the mouth this comes up fat and generous, with plenty of underlying finesse. A great complement of red and dark fruits greet you on the palate, with volcanic soils, red rose water and Satsuma orange zest, with shades of Nori. Complex, beautifully-textured and broad-shouldered, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2025-2040- 95
2022 Elk Cove ‘La Boheme’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 Elk Cove ‘La Boheme’ comes from their estate La Boheme Vineyard. Vines at this site are nearly 40 years old. This is is a total knockout wine that has so much cellaring potential. On the nose this takes on red rose petals with linzer torte, white pepper and wafts of salty/rocky soils. The palate is plush and refined with a smooth texture and great sense of mouthfeel. Very salty and savory, with a gorgeous core of red and dark fruits, enjoy now and over the next fifteen to twenty years. Drink 2025-2042- 96