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Six Peaks Winery 2015 Blanc de Noir
Growing up in a winemaking family.
It all started when John Albin was ten years old. As a Boeing engineer, his father was in a winemaking hobbyist club that would ship grapes by train from California and make wine in their garages. Naturally, young John did a science fair project on fermentation.
Fast forward to college, and he studied fermentation science at UC Davis. After a long stint as winemaker at King Estate, John planted his own vines at Laurel Vineyard in 1981. Nearly a decade later, they expanded from viticulture to winemaking.
Their love of wine has now passed along to a third generation.
John’s wife and partner, Lynn, would often take their young sons with her making deliveries to Portland’s best restaurants. The chefs got to know them and would frequently quiz them on ingredients, tastes, and smells – and reward them with cookies for right answers!
Now, Lynn and John’s sons have both followed in the family footsteps, studying fermentation science in college, and are now working together at the winery.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Six Peaks Winery, Hillsboro, Oregon
2015 Blanc de Noir
The Albins love sparkling wine – and planned to produce it right from the start, when the Laurel Vineyard was planted in 1981. They don’t make it every year; just when the grapes are perfectly ripe.
The Six Peaks Blanc de Noir is a classic sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir in the traditional Méthode Champenoise. That means the wine achieves its bubbles through a secondary fermentation inside the bottle. In general, the process is considered to produce higher quality sparkling wine, albeit at a higher cost.
This holiday season, we worked with a guest curator, Sarah Tracey, who selected our sparkling wines, saying: “If you’re looking for a rich and decadent sparkling wine, look no further. The Six Peaks Blanc de Noir opens with aromas of pastry and leads into flavors of strawberry scones and tart cherry. A long, elegant, extended finish makes this the perfect wine to toasting the holidays or just #winewednesdays!”
A Cellar 503 selection in December 2020, Holiday Wines Chehalem Mountains | Pinot Noir
