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Harper Voit Wines 2015 Pinot Blanc Surlie
One word: Plastics. (No thanks!)
Remember that famous scene in The Graduate? "I just want to say one word to you, son ... Plastics." Winemaker Drew Voit had the same reaction to the word as Dustin Hoffman.
You see, growing up on a large family farm in California, Drew always planned to follow in his dad's footsteps and become a chemical engineer. But when he realized that the good jobs in the field were either in oil or plastics, he quickly shifted gears and entered the winemaking program at UC Davis before he was even 21.
One summer, he and his best friend teamed up and worked for a large-production winery in their hometown. The best friend? He gave up the wine biz forever. But Drew, he knew that's what he wanted to do - but at small scale, and up in Oregon. A fellow UC Davis student had shared a case of alluring and unique Oregon wines and Drew knew that that's where he belonged. Those Oregon wines were lighter, more complex, and nothing like the California fruit bombs.
Today, at Harper Voit, Drew produces a very small and highly prized run of Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc; and he's in high demand as a consulting winemaker and winegrower for other small wineries looking to elevate their game.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Harper Voit Wines, Gaston, Oregon
2015 Pinot Blanc Surlie
This one's personal. Our club and events director, Julie Meyers, chose this 2015 Pinot Blanc to include in our Wines We Love shipment because her own blood, sweat and tears are in this wine! Before joining Cellar 503, she spent a harvest working for Drew Voit - and this Pinot Blanc was the one that she had her eye on right from the start.
In 2015, growing conditions in the Willamette Valley were perfect. The summer was warm, and the rains didn't destroy the crop (as happened in 2013) so the Pinot Blanc was able to hang on the vines until October.
Pinot Blanc is a white wine grape (not a Pinot Noir made in a white style). Typically found along the French-German border region of Alsace, Pinot Blanc is a full-bodied white with a strong citrus character. Drew Voit barrel ferments his edition in used French oak. "Sur lie" means that he's aged the wine on the lees - the residual yeast - which gives it a more savory and complex palate to accompany the bright acidity.
A Cellar 503 selection in February 2017, Wines We Love Willamette Valley | Pinot Blanc
