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Phelps Creek Vineyards 2016 Sauvignon Blanc
We’re at cruising altitude now.
In his day job, Bob Morus flies Boeing 777s internationally for a major airline. One advantage of being a pilot is that you can live almost anywhere that your employer flies – as long as it is close to the airport. And as far back as 1989, he knew he wanted to live on a small vineyard with a few acres of vines.
So, Bob picked Portland. He drew a 90-mile radius around the airport and started looking around.
On his first day in Hood River, a local realtor trekked him up an impossible road on a hillside. With steep, south-facing slopes and a stunning view of the valley and the mountain, he knew they’d found their place.
Today, the Phelps Creek tasting room is in town near the golf course because that impossible road is still, well, impossible. (If you get a chance to visit the winery, they’ll pick you up at the bottom of the hill in a battered old Jeep!)
But there are 34 acres now growing grapes on those steep slopes – a far cry from the 3 or 4 he was hoping to grow. And so, so good.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Phelps Creek Vineyards, Hood River, Oregon
2016 Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc has an extraordinary range. In France, they tend to lean into minerality, with an austere and savory quality. In New Zealand, the herbaceous quality is at the forefront, with aromas of “cut grass” highly present. And in the USA, you’ll typically find citrus and tropical fruit taking the lead.
The Phelps Creek Sauvignon Blanc takes you on a trip through all three regions – ultimately landing here in Oregon with nicely balanced flavors of green melon, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and green apple. With a bracing acidity, it is refreshing during these last few hot days of summer and lip-smackingly good.
I love Sauvignon Blanc with cheese – goat cheese is amazing or even a firmer cheese like manchego. This wine is perfect with a big spinach salad with goat cheese, pine nuts, and bacon!
A Cellar 503 selection in August 2018, Columbia Gorge Columbia Gorge | Sauvignon Blanc
