Today we share the outstanding wins of King Estate. For years this winery has been making some of the best Pinot Gris in the Willamette Valley. King Estate director of winemaking Brent Stone has a longstanding history in the industry and makes a really terrific range of wines.
It was many years ago that Oregon wine legend Ed King realized that the southern portion of the Willamette Valley was a perfect spot to grow Pinot Gris. They now make several hundred thousand cases of their ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Gris that you can find in wine shops and supermarkets across America. Brent Stone has now been at the helm since 2011. He has been doing a fantastic job with the wines that range in SKUs from Sauvignon Blanc and Rose to Sparkling Wines and inky Syrah. King Estate is arguably Oregon’s most beautiful winery with sweeping views of the valley and its vineyards.
I love the new 2021 King Estate ‘Brut’ Sparkling Wine (OB, 93) which is another killer bottle by them and has some really nice autolytic character and aging potential. Learn more about this famed Oregon estate at https://www.kingestate.com and here are my tasting notes from the new King Estate wines.
2021 King Estate ‘Brut’ Sparkling Wine- The 2021 ‘Brut’ stands golden in the glass, offering marzipan and ginger aromatics that combine with shades of papaya and nutty nuances. The palate is deep and concentrated with serious melon, tropical and melon fruit flavors that mingle well with pine nuts and copious minerals. Drink 2026-2036- 93
2024 King Estate ‘Oregon’ Sauvignon Blanc- Really good, the 2024 King Estate ‘Oregon’ Sauvignon Blanc offers good freshness alongside sweet gooseberry, cantalope and green apple flavors. Nicely textured, enjoy now.. Drink 2026-2030- 90
2025 King Estate ‘Willamette Valley’ Rose- The 2025 King Estate ‘Willamette Valley’ Rose comes from Pinot Noir grapes and shows off pear and kiwi flavors that combine with bright strawberry. Soft on the mouth, with bright acidity, enjoy on a warm summer day. Drink 2026-2031- 91
2024 King Estate ‘Domaine’ Pinot Gris- A sensational wine from this warm vintage, the 2024 ‘Domaine’ was sourced from the King Estate Vineyard. It is round, powerful and rich — so don’t serve too cold. This comes off fat and generous on the mouth, loaded with tension. Rich cashew nut flavors combine with green papaya, fresh sage and shades of Japanese pear. Loaded with tension and salty minerality, this is a bold, rich edition of this wine that is already beautifully defined. Drink 2026-2036- 94
2024 King Estate ‘Inscription’ Pinot Noir- The 2024 ‘Inscription’ offers light to medium bodied red fruits that mingle well with smoked meats and shades of orange zest on the palate. Drink 2026-2030- 89
2024 King Estate ‘Artisan Series’ Pinot Noir- The 2024 ‘Artisan Series’ Pinot Noir comes from biodynamically farmed grapes. This is juicy stuff with a soft mouthfeel, brimming with bright Bing cherry and strawberry fruit flavors alongside salty minerals. Drink 2026-2031- 90
2024 King Estate ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir- The 2024 ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir is a delicious edition of this wine. It is soft and approachable on the mouth, loaded with bright red fruits alongside shades of kumquat zest, bergamot and stony minerals. Drink 2026-2031- 91
2024 King Estate ‘Domaine’ Pinot Noir- The heady and delicious 2024 ‘Domaine’ Pinot Noir shows opulence from this warm vintage. Alongside sterling tension, this comes up rich on the mouth. Loads of black and red fruits combine with citrus zest and a dusting of white pepper alongside salted rocks on the palate. Delicious to enjoy now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2026-2041- 94