Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/735024
126 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 Upon receiving her Master's degree from the University of Dijon in 1986, Véronique Drouhin-Boss interned with Adelsheim Vineyards, Bethel Heights and Eyrie. "She could've gone anywhere," says Millman; "instead, she chose Oregon. For her father, Robert Drouhin, it was very personal; they'd welcomed his daughter." The follow - ing year, in 1987, the Drouhins were invited to participate in the first International Pinot Noir Celebration, and on that trip, Robert decided to purchase land in the Dundee Hills. He snapped up a 100-acre parcel without hesitation. What had once been a Christmas tree stand surrounded by halcyon wheat fields is where the Domaine Drouhin winery now stands. The IPNC, like Oregon Pinot Camp, has been a magnet for sommeliers seeking to experience Oregon from the ground up. "When the Drouhins came," Alison recounts, "they built the first gravity flow winery; they brought with them an over- the-row tractor ; they planted meter by meter. For us, it was a revelation. We all learned from each another, and we eventu - ally reconfigured our winery for gravity flow as well. Having the Drouhins as neighbors felt like an affirmation that we were moving in the right direction." Less than a decade later Luisa Ponzi, now winemaker at Ponzi Vineyards, received the certificate Brevet Professionnel d'Oenologie et Viticulture in Beaune. She was the first female American winemaker to earn such a prestigious distinction, and she credits her parents with instilling in her a strong work ethic: "At the time, being a farmer was not unheard of, but coming from a winemaking family was strange and embarrassing. We ate weird food. My parents loved Burgundy wines; they were very cosmopolitan, very European." She leans forward and smiles. "It was a lot of work. My father worked Sokol Blosser 2014 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley (SRP $19) Sokol Blosser's organically farmed Willamette Valley Pinot Gris sees extended time on the lees, which serves to amplify body and texture in this lively cool-climate white. The nose is a bit reticent: meadow flowers, the echo of Asian pear, yellow apples, and talc. In the mouth, however, it's a different story, more serious than expected: high-toned acidity, grapefruit pith, Granny Smith apples and leesy wet dough lead the charge to a very persistent finish that hovers at the back palate. Sokol Blosser 2014 Evolution Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley (SRP $20) The 2014 Evolution Pinot Noir offers up classic notes of seedy raspberries, anise, decomposing leaves and forest floor. It's clean and bright, with nimble, high-toned red fruit—cranberries and pie cherries underpinned by ultrafine tannins and subtle, dusty, earthy notes. Great QPR. Sokol Blosser 2013 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills Estate (SRP $38) Sokol Blosser's Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Estate 2013 is fine-boned and earthy. Brambly forest berries and black cherries are firmly grounded in damp tilth, tomato leaf and forest floor aromas. The attack is both nimble and tart, with mount - ing energy that surfaces through layers of black and red fruit, subtle minerality accompanied by a wild, almost feral edge and a pleasant savoriness that just goes on and on. Domaine Drouhin Oregon 2014 Chardonnay Arthur, Dundee Hills (SRP $35) Beautifully delineated, Domaine Drouhin's Chardonnay Arthur is pure and fresh, despite 2014 being a ripe year. Layers of crisp d'Anjou pear and apple, white flowers, white peach, granulated honey. It's equally delicate and finely wrought on the palate, with French oak lending playing a supporting role to an ethereal vein of minerality shines through this wine's limpid, sparkling and pale yellow countenance. There is a wisp of a suggestion of sweetness, like lemon cake, right at the core. TASTING NOTES by Christine Havens (except where noted) PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMAINE DROUHIN OREGON PHOTO: CWK PHOTOGRAPHY/SOKOL BLOSSER CAMP [ ] [ ] PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMAINE DROUHIN OREGON "French soul, Oregon soil": Véronique and Robert Drouhin.